JULY 2017 | VehicleServicePros.com 55
Hands-On Training
For Competitors And
Meeting Attendees
By David A. Kolman, Editor
Targeted training from
TMC’s Professional
Technician
Development
Committee (PTDC)
n integral part of each annual Technology
& Maintenance Council (TMC) Fall Meeting
is the Professional Technician Development
Committee (PTDC) Training Fair. It is a series
of hands-on training sessions that have been
purposely developed for technicians, shop
supervisors and fl eet managers by the PTDC.
Th e PTDC is a group within TMC that
promotes and enhances the professionalism
of commercial vehicle technicians. TMC (http://
www.trucking.org/Technology_Council.aspx)
is North America’s premier technical society
for truck equipment technology and maintenance
professionals.
Th e Training Fair sessions qualify for
continuing education credit units accepted
by the National Automotive Technicians
Education Foundation (NATEF). It is a nonprofi
t organization dedicated to improving
the quality of automotive technician training
programs nationwide at secondary and postsecondary,
public and proprietary schools
(www.natef.org).
Training Focus
Th e PTDC Training Fair – open to all TMC Fall
Meeting attendees and TMCSuperTech competitors
– consists of three sessions, each of which
is repeated during the one-day training, on
Tuesday, Sept. 19. Th is is done to maximize
the number of training opportunities. All three
sessions are held currently.
Session 1 – So You Want
to Be a PM (preventive
maintenance) Technician?
When it comes to PM on today’s high-tech
trucks, new technologies require that essential
processes be followed to avoid unpleasant
consequences. Too oft en, vehicle maintenance
organizations and technicians aren’t informed
of these technologies prior to their PM’ing the
vehicle.
Th is PTDC session will provide a high-level
overview of these technical systems, along with
cautionary advice about servicing some of them.
Session 2 – Today’s Heavy Duty
Engine Fan Drive Systems
Heavy duty truck engine cooling systems have
evolved into a more precise and effi cient technology
compared to their mechanical predecessors.
Th e new electronic-sensing, variable-speed
fan drives provide precision cooling, based on
specifi c engine requirements.
Providing only the amount of air fl ow
required to keep the engine operating at an optimum
temperature means lower noise, improved
fuel economy and more available horsepower.
Th is training session will reveal what may
not be known about these modern fan drives’
operation and design, and will illustrate the
improvements of this technology over pneumatic
fan drives.
Session 3 – The Changing
World of Fuel Filtration
Ever-changing emissions regulations have
driven modifi cations to engine technology
(high-pressure common rail fuel systems,
exhaust aft ertreatment, etc.); fuels (ultra low
sulfur diesel, biofuels, etc.); and diesel engines
oils (new CK-4 and FA-4 oils). Th is, in turn, has
driven changes to fi ltration technology needed
to protect the new engine technologies.
Th is PTDC session will discuss fi ltration
technologies and highlight what is important to
know about them to protect fl eet equipment.
» The annual Professional Technician
Development Committee Training Fair, which is
designed for technicians, shop supervisors and
fleet managers, is open to all TMC Fall Meeting
attendees and TMCSuperTech competitors.
Photo courtesy of TMC
Training fair
schedule
Each of the three PTDC Training Fair
sessions will be held concurrently
on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at: 7 to 8 a.m;
8:15 to 9:15 a.m.; 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
PTDC TRAINING FAIR
A