Next month, River States Truck & Trailer, La Crosse Truck Center, and Minnesota Truck and Trailer will host their second Annual Top Technician Competition.
The companies say the Top Technician Competition gives the technicians an opportunity to showcase their skills and knowledge of truck maintenance, repair, diagnostics and troubleshooting. Technicians who finish in the top three take home over a combined $5,000 in cash and prizes donated by the companies and vendors.
“The trucking industry is constantly evolving and our technicians have done an incredible job at keeping up on its latest technology and innovations,” says Kevin Bestul, Certified Trainer for River States Truck & Trailer. “Our technicians definitely have the technical abilities and know-how they need to stay on top of these changes, and this competition also challenges them to further their skills in the future. I think its invaluable encouragement.”
All competing technicians will first take a 30-minute written test consisting of 40 multiple choice questions covering any topic bumper-to-bumper. Once the written test concludes, the five technicians with the highest score will advance to the final round — a hands-on skills test — to compete for top honors.
The companies say the hands-on skills tests consist of five stations, each comprised of various diagnostics, troubleshooting and repair challenges. At each station, technicians will demonstrate their knowledge and skills in areas such as electronics, preventive maintenance, HVAC, wiring, lighting, suspensions, brakes, clutches, and steering. Most of the stations include problems that are electronic in nature, which require technicians to run the appropriate troubleshooting steps and processes, the dealers says.
This year, competing technicians will see a new station featuring Bendix, which helped sponsor and support this year’s Top Technician Competition.
