A couple of North Texans are heading to the big-time rodeo.
But not in the way you might think.
Ryan Nelson of Lewisville and Shawn Alexander of Arlington beat out thousands of people to be part of the 93 finalists across the entire country in a garbage truck rodeo competition.
The Republic Services ROAD-EO National Championship is happening Tuesday in Phoenix, Ariz. The event celebrates the men and women in an often thankless profession.
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It’s also an opportunity for employees to demonstrate their expert skills and is the company’s largest employee engagement event.
Drivers battle an obstacle course, which requires maneuvers like weaving through barriers in forward and backward directions, parallel parking, and alley parking, among others.
Heavy equipment operators are challenged with maneuvering through each station without disturbing soil or striking any barrels. Their tasks include forward and backward driving, picking up and dumping materials, a 360-degree reverse turn, and pushing barrels between barriers.
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Maintenance technicians are assigned either a collection or post-collection vehicles like a garbage truck or bulldozer. They are given just 10 minutes to identify 10 different problems on the vehicle.
Both North Texans will compete in the technician phase. Nelson is a collection technician and Alexander is a post-collection technician.
"I'm going to do my best. I work hard and do my best every day. And I hope that my best will help me win,” said Nelson.
This year’s finalists represent the top 0.4% of Republic Services' more than 40,000 drivers, operators, and technicians.
"Getting to go to Phoenix to me, is a move up. It's like oh yeah, I'm getting to do something,” said Alexander about his hard work to make the finals.
To qualify, both technicians competed on a local and regional level before moving on to the final phase. First, second, and third-place winners of the ROAD-EO National Championship receive thousands of dollars in cash prizes and paid time off.
Even if they don't win, the trip itself is a treat for these hard workers. Competitors get an expense-paid trip to Phoenix, pay for their time away, luxury accommodations, hosted dinners, and more.
Best of luck to Ryan and Shawn!
