Earlier this spring, when the timer stopped and results were tallied, Abe Wall, URL Truck Centre, Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, was honored as the winner of International Truck And Engine’s Technician Rodeo.
When I was invited to attend International’s Technician Rodeo, I immediately conjured images of Stetson-donning technicians, lassoing engines with aplomb, quick-draw torque wrench duels and rough suspension riding. When registering with the front desk person at International’s engine factory in Melrose Park, Ill., I gave my name and conspiratorially whispered, “I’m here for the rodeo.”
My attempt at clearance was met with confusion, but after a little clarification, I was ushered behind locked doors and into a large, industrial hall. To my left sat a row of game-faced, cream-of-the-crop technicians. In front of me, behind a large sign welcoming everyone to the rodeo, stood rows of curtained booths concealing trucks, evidenced only by the exhaust pipes peaking over the curtains like periscopes.
I listened as technicians were told that they would cycle through eight stations in 30 minute intervals. Behind each curtain (labeled with themes like “Preventive Maintenance” or “Brakes”), they would find a truck that had been rigged with a corresponding problem to be diagnosed. The technicians were urged to record everything on a repair order and the importance of proper documentation was stressed. Not only would it show the judges how the technician solved the problem at hand, but the notation also could be used to award partial credit if needed.
After stoically listening to the rules, the technicians were told to staff their first assigned stations and to wait for the “go.” As the technicians walked into the curtained hall, the silence was broken only by the clean squeak of their shoes on the cement floor. There was no pomp and circumstance, no rodeo theatrics; these men were all business.
They’re also some of the best in the business. The eight competitive technicians were all either ASE certified or Canadian-provincial certified in addition to Diamond certified, which is International’s own exhaustive certification program for its technicians.
John Koenig, manager, dealer education and development, International Truck And Engine Corporation said, “The technicians chosen for this competition have done all of the training and are at the top of their game.” He noted that the technicians present had undergone a rigorous testing process that involved self-study and the successful completion of a 100-question, 90-minute online test. From the results, the top eight scorers were pulled from across North America to Melrose Park for the company’s first Technician Rodeo.
