Last night Abe Wall of IRL Truck Centre in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, was named the winner of the first ever "International Truck and Engine Technician Rodeo," hosted by International Truck and Engine Corporation, a Navistar company.
The rodeo, held at International’s Melrose Park Engine Plant, featured the top eight service technicians from International dealerships across North America in a competition designed to test their skills in eight key areas of servicing a commercial truck. Competition stations included mock service areas for air conditioning, brakes, drive train, electrical and preventative maintenance. Station areas also were dedicated to I-6, V-8 and V-6 engines.
"Mr. Wall demonstrated the highest knowledge and skill and was honored as the winner," said Vaughn Allen, vice president, product and customer support, International Truck and Engine Corporation.
"Each of the technicians went head-to-head in a hands-on test of their technical skill and speed," Allen said. "Throughout the day their training was put to the test as they navigated their way through vehicle issues at eight stations where they diagnosed and fixed problems."
Technicians involved in the competition are either ASE certified or Canadian-provincial certified in addition to Diamond certified, International’s official certification program for its service technicians. Participants were selected from an overall group of the top 400 technicians at International dealerships. Those 400 were narrowed down through online testing, and the highest-scoring technicians in each region of the U.S. and Canada were selected for the rodeo.
"Those chosen for this competition have done all of the training and are at the top of their game," said John Koenig, manager, dealer education and development, International Truck and Engine Corporation. "They represent our 7,000-plus service technicians from International dealerships, the highest number of any medium/heavy commercial truck manufacturer."
Technicians who competed in the technician rodeo were from the following dealerships:
- Lake City Trucks in Twin Falls, Idaho
- KCR International Trucks in Kansas City, Mo. and St. Joseph, Mo.
- Mid State International Trucks in Plover, Wis.
- Hunter's Truck Sales in Smithfield, Pa.
- White's International Trucks in Greensboro, N.C.
- Roberts Truck Center in Albuquerque, N.M.
- IRL Truck Centre in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada
International truck customers are backed by the industry’s largest dealer network in North America with more than 900 International dealer locations and more than 7,000 service technicians.
International works closely with its dealers to train technicians on all vehicle systems. With 14 training centers in the United States and Canada – as well as in-dealership training, DVD and online training – the International dealer channel can assure customers they are getting the fastest and most accurate service in the industry.
"With the largest dealer network in the industry, International dealers service trucks nearly anywhere, anytime," Koenig said. "The ability of International dealers to service their customers and get them back on the road is a key business advantage."
The Melrose Park Engine Plant, one of International’s three engine plants, is home to production of the Inline 6-cylinder MaxxForce™ DT, MaxxForce™ 9 and MaxxForce™ 10 commercial truck engines. For information on these engines, the entire line of MaxxForce commercial diesel engines and the MaxxForce™ International Diesel Power brand, visit www.maxxforce.com.
About International Truck and Engine Corporation
A wholly owned subsidiary of Navistar International Corporation (OTC:NAVZ), International Truck and Engine Corporation is a leading producer of medium trucks, heavy trucks, severe service vehicles, mid-range diesel engines, parts and service. International and its affiliates sell their products, parts and services through a network of nearly 1,000 dealer outlets in the United States, Canada, Brazil and Mexico and from more than 60 dealers in 90 countries throughout the world. Additional information is available at: www.navistar.com.