“Safety is the number one priority for the Mississippi Department of Transportation,” said Melinda McGrath, P.E. MDOT executive director. “Whether it is the traveling public or MDOT working on Mississippi’s highways and bridges, safety is always at the forefront of everything we do.”
Employee training is one-way MDOT ensures that crews in the field are operating as safely as possible. This event allows the best equipment operators to improve techniques and teaching skills as they train new employees.
Each spring, MDOT hosts the Equipment Operators Roadeo in each of its six districts. The Roadeos focus on the competencies of MDOT’s maintenance workforce including knowledge, skills and abilities from experience working on Mississippi’s highways. This annual competition and training event highlights the performance of MDOT employees; and, how they maintain and enhance their daily operating skills while ensuring their duties are being performed as safely as possible.
“The competitors at the Roadeos are the workers the traveling public sees on the side of the road day in and day out,” said James Williams, deputy executive director/chief engineer. “By practicing safe equipment operation, our workers not only protect themselves, but also ensure that motorists remain as safe as possible.”
This month, the top two winners from each event at the district level met in Natchez at the 2018 State Equipment Operators Roadeo. The events and winners are as follows.
Single Axle Dump Truck
• First place – Scottie Downs of Booneville
• Second place – Lloyd “Ellis” Akins of Ashland
• Third place – Daniel Lambert of Monticello
Tandem Axle Dump Truck
• First place – Steve Bass Jackson
• Second place – Shannon Davis Newton
• Third place – Phil Whit
Lowboy
• First place – Billy Coward of Newton
• Second place – Terry Buckley of Newton
• Third place – Keith Donahue of Tupelo
Backhoe
• First place – Cole Murray of McComb
• Second place – David Rutledge of Meridian
• Third place – Shun Blansett of Houston
Motor Grader
•First place – Kyle Woods of Perry
• Second place – Jeremy Hankins of Batesville
• Third place – Richie Fulgham of Bude
Tractor and bushhog
• First place – Nathan Perkins of Clinton
• Second place – Wayne Perkins
• Third place – Fayette Johnson of Bude
In addition to the individual event winners, a team champion is also honored at the state finals. This year, the team from MDOT’s District 5 headquartered in Newton took the top team trophy.
“The Roadeos are a way to make sure MDOT employees maintain their skills and practice safety,” McGrath said. “They also allow the MDOT family to come together and enjoy a day of friendly competition while expanding skills, knowledge and abilities to keep the public safe.”
