The 11th annual industry-wide competition, TMCSuperTech2015 is dedicated to honoring commercial vehicle technician professionalism and acknowledging the best of the best. A two-day event, it is expressly designed so technicians can exhibit their knowledge, skills and aptitude with medium and heavy duty commercial vehicles.
This National Technician Skills Competition is put on by the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), North America’s premier technical society for truck equipment technology and maintenance professionals.
The event is being held in conjunction with TMC’s Annual Fall Meeting at the Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Fla., this Sept. 21 to 22. The meeting theme is: Maintenance Today, Profit Tomorrow. (See article elsewhere this issue.)
TMC (tmc.trucking.org) is a technical council of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the largest national trade association for the trucking industry (www.truckline.com).
TMCSuperTech was organized by the Professional Technician Development Committee (PTDC), a group within TMC established to promote and enhance the professionalism of commercial vehicle technicians.
ASSESSMENT
TMCSuperTech involves a series of both written and hands-on problem-solving and diagnostic tests and challenges, designed to evaluate both theory and practical application. The technicians that perform the best win top honors and numerous prizes.
Any actively employed commercial vehicle technician may participate in the competition.
Fleet Maintenance (www.VehicleServicePros.com) is proud to be a Platinum Sponsor of TMCSuperTech.
TWO ROUNDS
TMCSuperTech is composed of two stages: pre-qualification and the finals.
The qualifying written exams are complex multiple-choice questions based on tests prepared by ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence), a non-profit organization that works to improve the quality of vehicle repair and service by testing and certifying automotive professionals (www.ase.com). The exams are followed by qualifying hands-on skills workstations.
A maximum of 122 top-scoring technicians in the pre-qualification phase move on to the next stage of the competition – the Hands-On Skills Challenge. This is a series of 25-minute-long stations that cover key diagnostic skills areas. Each station has its own set of challenges.
The judges at each skills station use a detailed station-specific score sheet developed by each skills station’s technical committee. The judges’ scores reflect an assessment of technical skills and knowledge, speed and accuracy, as well as quality of workmanship by the competitors.
Judges for the Hands-On Skills Challenge are volunteers who are recognized experts within each skills competition area.
A grand champion is named from each TMCSuperTech. Trophies and prizes are also given for second and third place. Technicians who receive the best score at each skills station are acknowledged and presented with prizes as well.
TRAINING
All TMC meeting attendees and TMCSuperTech competitors may attend the PTDC Technical Training Fair – a series of hands-on training sessions designed for technicians, shop supervisors and fleet managers. (See article elsewhere this issue.)
This training qualifies for continuing education credit units accepted by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of automotive technician training programs nationwide at secondary and post-secondary, public and proprietary schools (www.natef.org).
