We congratulate our technicians for their impressive showing at this annual event, but more than that, we recognize their dedication to providing best-in-class service to our customers, every day of the year.
If you are involved in any aspect of the trucking industry, you know that we face an ongoing shortage of qualified diesel technicians equipped with the skillsets needed to work with new truck technology. That’s why it is so imperative that NationaLease technicians keep up with the latest technology and training. To promote this, we have our own Top Tech competition within the NationaLease organization that includes diesel technicians from across the US and Canada. This 2-part competition consists of a written exam to test the technicians’ knowledge and a hands-on competition that tests their skills. It also gives NationaLease a chance to officially give our technicians the professional development and recognition they so richly deserve. At the end of the competition, the top three winners, representing NationaLease, are sent on to the TMC (Technology & Maintenance Council) SuperTech competition.
The results of this year’s Top Tech competition, which occurred May 2nd, were as follows:
- Top Tech: Richard Davis of Hogan Truck Leasing, Inc, a NationaLease Member
- 1st Runner Up: Bob Mrzyglod of Aim NationaLease
- 2nd Runner Up: John Norwood of Aim NationaLease
On to the SuperTech Competition
The SuperTech competition at TMC is always tough, but this year’s event at the Orlando World Center Marriott was especially challenging. It is immensely gratifying that not only did NationaLease have its best showing ever, but also that all three of our competitors improved over their performances at the 2017 TMC SuperTech. Even more gratifying, our NationaLease Top Tech, Rick Davis, made it to the Top Ten.
Out of the more than 100 techs that competed:
Rick Davis placed 8th overall (last year, he placed 12th)
John Norwood came in 34th place overall, a 13-place jump from last year’s event
Bob Mrzyglod came in 39th place overall, an 11-place jump over last year
Competitions are great…but the best technicians don’t look to improve their skills in order to win competitions; they improve their skills in order to better serve their companies and their companies’ customers. The days of diesel technicians having to wear the moniker “grease monkey” are long gone; today’s diesel techs have to understand and be comfortable with technology that is constantly changing and advancing. In my opinion, if you look at all the time that Rick, John, and Bob spend studying and training, it would equal the amount of time needed to get an advanced degree at a college. It is efforts like these that enable NationaLease to provide best-in-class service to our customers.
So, to all the competitors at TMC SuperTech, we appreciate your dedication to the industry and to our NationaLease competitors, Rick, John, and Bob; all we can say is we are so proud of you. Job well done!
