Red Lake Transit driver, Jeff Iceman, places third at national competition

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Jeff Iceman, a bus driver for Red Lake Transit, placed third at the National Tribal Transit Roadeo here this past weekend.

The National Tribal Transit Roadeo is a dual event featuring tribal transit operators from the U.S. and the Arizona rural public transit systems.

This year’s roadeo featured a course with 11 driving exercises, including challenges such as backing up into an 8-foot-wide space, making a passenger stop at a curb and coming to a sudden stop. The exercises are intended to test a driver’s ability to maneuver a vehicle in situations that mirror their daily work situations.

The event was held in conjunction with the first Federal Transit Administration/National Rural Assistance Program/National Rural Tribal Transit Association Conference.

Iceman’s also competed at the national level in the annual Community Transportation Association of America in 2007 and 2010. He has won the Minnesota Statewide Bus Roadeo times, according to a news release.

The next Minnesota Statewide Bus Roadeo will be July 21 in Bemidji, where drivers from Minnesota’s many transit systems will compete for the opportunity to represent the state at the 2013 National Bus Roadeo.