In a sprawling FedEx parking lot in West Sacramento, dozens of truck drivers guided big rigs through a course marked by cones and tape on Saturday, April 11. It was the 78th annual Northern California Truck Driving Championships hosted by the California Trucking Association.
The goal wasn't speed — it was precision. Drivers had to land tires inches from marker lines, navigate turns without clipping any cones and avoid crushing the rubber duckies used as markers.
Twenty-three-year-old David Kastiro was one of them. He drives a sleeper truck for Walmart, and five years ago he didn't know where his family would sleep.
Kastiro graduated from Patterson High School in 2020, right as the pandemic hit. His family lost their income, then they lost their home.
"COVID basically caused my family to break up because we got evicted," he said. "A lot of people lost their jobs."
But Kastiro had access to something most high school students don't: A path to a commercial driver's license. Patterson High offers a trucking program that trains students to earn their Class A, and Kastiro completed it before graduating. So while his family scattered, he started driving.
"I got my Class A, started working, and there was always work for me," he said. "I kept my record clean, and I just kept working and working."
Four years later, he's working for Walmart Transportation. His parents and sisters live with him, and he's in the process of buying a house.
"I brought my family back together from eviction," he said. "Life's all been great ever since my Class A. I have nothing but good news ever since."
David Kastiro, left, and Dave Dein pose at the Northern California Truck Driving Championships in West Sacramento on Saturday, April 11, 2026. Kastiro, 23, learned to drive trucks through Dein's program at Patterson High School.Greg Micek, CapRadio
Drivers competed Saturday across nine classes, from straight trucks to twin trailers. No one used their own rig — everyone competed in equipment provided on-site.
Kastiro entered the sleeper cab division, navigating a cab with a 53-foot trailer. It was his first time competing. He tied for fifth place out of 30 competitors in his class.
Not bad for a first outing. Many drivers compete for years before cracking the top three; most never do.
"It's all right," he said of the possibility of missing the top three, before results were announced. "I'll just try again next year."
Eric Sauer, CEO of the California Trucking Association, said the championship is about more than trophies anyway.
"There's a lot of camaraderie out here," Sauer said. "Everybody's just out here rooting for everyone else and having a good time."
For Kastiro, the competition was a chance to represent the career that changed his life.
"Being a young driver, and probably the youngest one here today competing, it's just something I want to do," he said.
Walmart is paying for Kastiro to earn a bachelor's degree in supply chain and logistics management. He's also working toward a private pilot's license.
Some people look down on trucking as a career. Kastiro has heard it before.
"Truck drivers keep the world moving," he said. "Everything around you — if you're listening to this in the car, a truck driver brought that car to you. If you're at home, that home's there because a truck driver brought that wood to you."
But he doesn't sugarcoat the hard parts. The hardest, he said, isn't the hours or the traffic. It's being alone.
"Emotional health really matters with truck drivers because they're alone," he said. "They're never home. It's something that is not seen upon that much, but it definitely should be."
Kastiro is home every five days, which he considers lucky. Some drivers are gone for six weeks at a time.
To cope, he calls friends while on the road and chats with store employees when he makes deliveries.
"At least I get the chance to speak to people," he said.
A truck navigates the course in heavy rain at the Northern California Truck Driving Championships in West Sacramento on Saturday, April 11, 2026. Officials called the competition early due to extreme weather.Greg Micek, CapRadio
Dave Dein, the instructor who runs Patterson High School's trucking program, was also at the competition. He brought current students to volunteer as judges.
Dein said Kastiro represents what his program hopes to produce.
"I got in trucking in 1988, and not once was it ever about the money," Dein said. "Trucking's a lifestyle. It's really about a sense of community. It's really about your identity in a way."
Kastiro still comes back to speak to Dein's students. He gives presentations at conferences and volunteers at industry events.
"Giving back isn't a choice," Kastiro has said. "It's a duty to the industry that changed my life."
By mid-afternoon, the rain had turned to thunder and lightning. Officials called the competition in the name of safety with just a few drivers left. The four who hadn't finished would be allowed to advance to the state finals anyway.
No one complained, argued or called for everyone to push through. Everyone packed up.
The top three finishers in each class will compete at the state finals on April 26 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia.
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