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SAN ANTONIO — Taking a break from their service bays for a shot at a pay raise, prizes and recognition, service techni-cians from Rush Truck Centers, New Braun-fels, Texas, tackled a host of tricky repair problems during the company’s fourth annual Tech Skills Rodeo, held here Dec. 14-15.
The event, open to technicians from across the company’s 48 truck sales and service centers, tests diagnostic and repair capabilities, as well as familiarity with service information programs. It also challenges the participants’ ability to handle pressure.
This year, a medium-duty championship round was added, which meant two all-around winners would be crowned; previous contests included only a heavy-duty champ.
The medium-duty championship was added to recognize that sector’s growing impor-tance to Rush’s business, said Mike Bes-son, vice president of service operations.
Besson said 350 Rush techs from more than 30 Rush stores completed 750 qualifying tests. From there, 60 semifinalists earned a spot in four competitive tracks: Caterpillar or Cummins engines, Eaton transmissions, or medium-duty.
Top finishers from the semifinal rounds advanced to the next day’s finals. The top three finishers from each semifinal won cash and a pay raise. The heavy-duty title was open to nine finalists; the medium-duty crown was open to six.
The medium-duty semifinals featured GMC Kodiak trucks with Duramax diesels, and Hino Model 258 trucks. Peterbilt 340 mod-els equipped with Paccar PX8 power were used in the finals.
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