TMC to Hold Annual SuperTech Competition
This story appears in the Sept. 7 print edition of Transport Topics.
Eighty-two maintenance technicians will compete for national industry honors, while fleet managers grapple with clean-vehicle technology options and universal equipment warranties at SuperTech and the fall meeting of the Technology & Maintenance Council.
A part of American Trucking Associations, TMC will stage the joint event at the Raleigh, N.C., Convention Center, Sept. 12-17.
“It’s very seldom that maintenance executives can get a complete overview of all of the clean-vehicle technologies in one setting,” said TMC Executive Director Carl Kirk.
“This will be comprehensive and not piecemeal,” said Kirk, adding that there would be displays of hybrids, compressed and liquefied natural gas and other alternative fuel vehicles and systems. Most of the vehicles, he said, will be heavy-duty units, but some will be in the heavier range of the medium-duty spectrum.
The TMC board of directors, with Steph Sabo of Norrenberns Truck Service as chairman, will get a briefing on warranty issues. Kirk said fleet managers are eager to develop a single warranty claims procedure that truck and engine makers, as well as major manufacturers of component systems, will accept.
TMC members have been working with the manufacturers and have developed a pilot program that uses a standardized form that could be filed electronically with an array of providers.
“This could increase efficiency throughout the industry and save money,” Kirk said.
As for the competition, SuperTech is for technicians what the National Truck Driving Championships are for drivers.
“This is honor and recognition for professionals who have to master a body of knowledge that is changing at an incredible speed. . . . A well-maintained vehicle is as critical as anything else for the industry to keep operating safely,” Kirk said.
The competition starts with a 100-question written test that can “humiliate” an unprepared technician, Kirk warned. Next is a gantlet of hands-on diagnostic and repair challenges at 14 stations.
It is important for trucking to praise and reward technicians, Kirk explained, because trucks are becoming more complicated and difficult to maintain, while in many in-stances, the industry is losing out on technical talent to automobile dealerships and repair shops.
The SuperTech grand champion from 2007 and 2008, Bryan Lewis of Wal-Mart’s transportation division, will address the competition on Sept. 16.
Jack Conlan, senior vice president of customer support for Daimler Trucks North America, is scheduled to address the fall meeting on Sept. 15.
Other items on the meeting agenda include:
• California Regulatory Tsunami: How New California Rules Will Impact Fleets Nationwide.
• More than 100 task forces continuing their work on developing new TMC recommended practices.
• An update on the January 2010 engines using selective catalytic reduction technology to meet new, stricter environmental standards.
• Discussion sessions aimed at learning when parts will fail and why.
