Rush Honors Top Technicians at Truck-Tech Rodeo
SAN ANTONIO — The trucking industry continues to see a shortage of technicians, industry officials said at an annual gathering and competition of technicians who work for the biggest U.S. truck dealership.
Rush Enterprises’ ninth annual “Tech Skills Rodeo,” held here this week, drew about 150 of the company’s truck technicians, who competed in categories ranging from transmissions to engines and body repair.
Chairman and CEO W.M. “Rusty” Rush, who doled out the awards at a Dec. 16 banquet, said the event was a highlight of the year.
“This is a relationships business,” said Rush, who along with Rush-sponsored Nascar driver Tony Stewart gave the overall rodeo champion award to Erick Lincoln, of Rush Truck Center’s Albuquerque, New Mexico, location. Lincoln took home $16,000 in cash and prizes.
Rush, the largest and only publicly traded U.S. truck dealership, has about 2,200 technicians and “could put about 400 more to work,” said Mike Besson, vice president of dealership operations and customer care, who was emcee of Dec. 14-16 event.
Photos by Michael G. Malloy for TT News“Recruiting is a multipronged approach,” Besson told Transport Topics. “We look at tech schools, the military, and offer scholarships . . . this is a good recruiting tool,” he said of the rodeo, which awarded cash and prizes to more than 30 winners.
Several suppliers in attendance, many of whom helped sponsor the event, noted industry concern about finding enough qualified mechanics.
“There is a severe shortage of technicians in the trucking industry,” said Charlie Luper, a Magnolia, Texas-based sales manager for Allison Transmission, which was displaying its TC-10 automatic transmission that it began offering last year.
“Events like this have been the most proactive in getting them trained, certified and making them feel part of the business,” he said. “It’s a big help to bring young guys and support them.”
Several company officials — including some of the event’s judges — noted that technicians/mechanics have come a long way from just turning wrenches, with today’s engines and components more about electronics.
“Younger guys in particular seem to absorb [new electronics] a bit earlier,” said John Spanke, a central region manager with Eaton Corp.’s vehicle group. “It’s a lot less monkey-wrenching and a lot more electronics.”
“They’re not just grease monkeys anymore,” Besson added.
In addition to written and hands-on diagnostic testing, the event also featured training classes and gave technicians the opportunity to interact with vendors — encouraged by a punch-card program to make them eligible for prize raffles.
