Christopher Tate, refrigeration technician for Mohawk Truck, Seneca, N.Y., earned the distinction of being the nation’s top heavy-truck technician as he was named grand champion of TMCSuperTech2009, the Technology & Maintenance Council’s fifth annual National Technician Skills Competition.
Tate was also the winner of three of the 15 skills stations during the Hands-on Skills Challenge, including: Tire and Wheel; Wheel End; and Written Test. He finished tenth overall last year, and again this year represented the New York State Motor Truck Association as its champion truck technician.
In addition to his trophy, Tate was awarded a NEXIQ Technologies’ Snap-On two-piece Classic 78 model tool chest, a Midtronics Celltron MAX battery analysis system (CMA7000), a trip for two to the Daytona 500, Noregon Systems’ JPRO Fleet Diagnostic Kit, a custom-made championship leather jacket, $600 in gift cards and other items.
Ryder System technicians Rick Grivel, Alpharetta, Ga., and Christopher Barnett, Florence, Ky., earned the second- and third-place honors in the fifth annual competition conducted by TMC’s Professional Technician Development Committee (PTDC). Each received the Midtronics Celltron MAX battery analysis system.
Michael Bogard, Neenah, Wis., captured fourth place for Ryder System. Bogard was last year’s third-place winner, and earned the top score on the written portion of the competition the previous three years.
The top-ten scoring contestants include: Christopher Tate, Mohawk Truck, West Seneca, N.Y.; Rick Grivel, Ryder System, Alpharetta, Ga.; Christopher Barnett, Ryder System, Alpharetta, Ga.; Michael Bogard, Ryder System, Neenah, Wis.; Michael John Vallery, Oak Harbor Freight Lines, Portland, Ore.; Grant Allen Cherry, Wal-Mart Transportation, Pilot Rock, Ore.; Richard Zacholl, Swift Transportation, N. Syracuse, N.Y.; Jimmie Slusher, Ryder System, Elizabethton, Tenn.; Ray Wordekemp, Omaha Truck Center, Omaha, Neb.; and Thomas Pianalto, Diamond International Trucks, Lowell, Ark.
Skills station winners this year include the following:
TMC developed the national TMCSuperTech competition as a way to recognize truck technicians and promote the career opportunities for heavy truck technicians. The competition is meant to showcase the skill and knowledge of trucking industry technicians, and to increase the visibility of career opportunities available for truck technicians.
Nine winners from 2009 state technician skills competitions participated in TMCSuperTech2009. Those state champions include:
The 82 contestants competed for the 75 slots for the Hands-on Skills Challenge through a written test, and two pre-qualifying tests that included the use of the TMC Recommended Practices Manual, which is designed to give a specific yet generic approach to the repair process.
Next year’s competition, TMCSuperTech2010, will be held during TMC’s 2010 Fall Meeting, Sept. 20-23, in Raleigh, N.C.
Information about TMCSuperTech, along with TMC’s guide, “How to Conduct a Technician Skills Competition” are available on TMC’s website, http://tmc.truckline.com. For more information about the competition or becoming a Friend of the Technician sponsor, contact TMC at 703-838-1763.
