TMCSuperTech2017 S P E C I A L R E P O R T
TMC Competitions To
Showcase The Best
Technicians In The Industry
By Vesna Brajkovic, Assistant Editor
The six steps for
participating in TMC’s
National Technician
Skills Competitions
n an ever-changing and increasingly complex
industry, adaptable and effi cient technicians are
highly sought aft er, perhaps now more than ever
before. Th e Technology & Maintenance Council
(TMC) is once again looking for the industry’s best
technicians to place their diagnostic and problem
solving skills up against trucking’s best of the best
in the TMCSuperTech competition.
Built for professionals, TMCSuperTech2017
marks the 13th anniversary of the National
Technician Skills Competition – an event designed
to determine the industry’s top technicians
through a variety of troubleshooting tests and
skills challenges.
TMCSuperTech2017 will once again feature a
separate track for trailer technicians. Th e Trailer
Technician Track recognizes the special challenges
trailer technicians face in fl eet and service
provider operations.
Up-and-coming technicians may register to
compete in the student-equivalent, the fourth
annual National Student Technician Competition,
TMCFutureTech2017.
Organized by TMC’s Professional Technician
Development Committee (PTDC), the national
TMCSuperTech competition recognizes truck
technicians and promotes career opportunities
for this industry role. Th e competition showcases
the skill and knowledge of trucking industry technicians,
and increases the visibility of available
career opportunities.
“Th e work our industry’s technicians do is critical
to keeping trucks on the road and moving
America’s freight,” ATA President and CEO Chris
Spear said. “Events like TMC’s National Technician
Skills Competitions – TMCSuperTech – highlight
not just that importance, but the profi ciency of
these highly skilled men and women.”
Last year, Eric Vos of FedEx Freight was honored
as the TMCSuperTech2016 National Technician
Skills Competition Grand Champion for the
second time in a row. Mark McLean Jr. and Stephen
Weaver, both of FedEx Freight, fi nished second
and third respectively. Matthew Adams of Francis
52 Fleet Maintenance | JULY 2017
» TMC’s annual National Technician Skills
Competition – TMCSuperTech – is the “main
event” for commercial vehicle technicians
to demonstrate their knowledge, skills
and aptitude through a series of both
written and hands-on problem-solving
and diagnostic tests and challenges.
Photo courtesy of TMC
Tuttle Technology Center in Oklahoma City was
named TMCFutureTech2016.
TMC (www.trucking.org/Technology_Council.
aspx) is the only industry association that is
focused solely on truck technology and maintenance.
It is a technical council of American
Trucking Associations (www.trucking.org) –
the largest national trade association for the
trucking industry.
Expanded Qualifying
Round Skills
Th is year’s TMCSuperTech features an expanded
qualifying round which includes not only a
written test, but also a series of hands-on skills
challenges just like those featured in the fi nal
TMCSuperTech Hands-On Skills Challenge. Five
additional skill stations were added since last year,
including hydraulics, trailer lighting, drive belts,
aft ertreatment and cybersecurity. Th e contestant
orientation and written qualifying exam will start
on Saturday, Sept. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. Qualifying
rounds will be held Sunday, Sept. 17 from 8 to 11:25
a.m., and then again from 12 to 4 p.m. Th e fi nalists
will be announced between 6:45 and 7:45 p.m.
Th e Hands-On Skills Challenge Final Rounds
will be held on Monday, Sept. 18 from 8 a.m. to 4
p.m. Th e offi cial start of the TMCFutureTech2017
National Student Technician Competition will
take place Monday morning as well.
Th e winners of both competitions will be
announced at an Awards Banquet held Tuesday,
Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
How to Get Involved
Step 1 - Register
Any technician employed in the trucking industry
may register for TMC’s National Technician Skills
Competition, and must do so by Aug. 14 to be eligible
to compete. Th e entry fee for TMC technician
» The Hands-On Skills Challenge portion of the
TMCSuperTech is a series of 23-minute-long
stations that cover key diagnostic skills areas.
Each station has its own set of challenges.
Photo courtesy of TMC
COMPETITION FRAMEWORK
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