The 2025 CALACT/CA RTAP Driver & Maintenance Roadeo was held on March 29th and 30th at the Victor Valley Transit Authority in Hesperia. CALACT would like to thank Nancy Goff, Craig Barnes, Dustin Strandberg, Chris Ackerman, Bryan Torres, Richard Montgomery and Jonathan McDowell and the rest of the team from Victor Valley Transit Authority (VVTA) for hosting the roadeo. California Transit agency drivers and maintenance technicians took part in safety and security training, learning proper wheelchair securement methods and Human Trafficking Awareness on Saturday afternoon. I want to thank our trainers, Kristen Joyner of KJ Backpack, Lisa Nippolt and Don Eaton, Q’Straint/Sure-Lok, Dustin Strandberg and Richard Montgomery for providing training to all competitors. CALACT also wants to thank all the family, friends and VVTA staff for their assistance in judging at the Roadeo, without their help the roadeo would not happen.
The Roadeo kicked off on Sunday with our Master of Ceremonies, Chris Ackerman playing our national anthem and greeting and welcoming competitors to VVTA. Drivers competing in the roadeo completed a timed pre-trip inspection, secured a passenger using a wheelchair onto a lift and into the vehicle safely and completed an obstacle course with twelve obstacles that drivers had to complete within eight minutes. The maintenance technicians completed a written test, a vehicle inspection with over fourteen defects on the bus, inspect a Braun wheelchair lift finding seven defects, complete vapor door inspections and identify seven defects and last inspect a Cummins Power Train, determining what is making the power train inoperable, identify seven defects and fixing the power train so it would operate.
After the Driver and Maintenance Roadeo competition was completed competitors and attendees enjoyed a BBQ lunch while winners from the event were announced. The winners of the 2025 CALACT/RTAP Roadeo are listed below:
| Driver Competition 35 Foot Bus Competition First Place– Robert Luna, VVTA Cutaway Winners First Place-Ernesto Diaz Serrano-VVTA Second Place-Heather Haglen- City of Clovis Third Place-Erick Paniagna – City of Irvine Fourth Place-Manuel Lopez-City of Clovis Wheelchair Securement Champions First Place– Erick Paniagua, City of Irvine Second Place – Manuel Lopez City of Clovis | Driver Teams First Place– Victor Valley Transit Authority Second Place-City of Clovis Third Place-City of Irvine Fourth Place – City of Ridgecrest Pictures Maintenance Roadeo First Place -Russ Hirsch, VVTA Second Place-Dana Martinez-VVTA Third Place-Diego Penalosa- MV Transportation PreTrip Champion Heather Hoglan, City of Clovisl |
