Per E. Meling of White’s International Trucks in Greensboro, N.C., was named the winner of the second annual Navistar Service-Technician Rodeo. The rodeo, held at Universal Technical Institute in Glendale Heights, Ill., 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 commercial truck servicing.
“Each of the technicians went head-to-head in a hands-on test of their technical skill and speed,” says Vaughn Allen, vice president of product and customer support for Navistar. “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.”
Competition stations included mock service areas for air conditioning, brakes, drivetrain, electrical and preventive maintenance. Station areas also were dedicated to I-6, V-8 and V-6 engines. Technicians involved in the competition are either ASE certified or Canadian-provincial certified, in addition to Diamond certified, Navistar’s official certification program for its service technicians.
Participants were selected from an overall group of the top 340 technicians at International dealerships. Those 340 were narrowed down through online testing, and the highest-scoring technicians in each region of the United States and Canada were selected for the rodeo.
“Those participating in this competition have completed all the required and optional training and are at the top of their game,” says Etienne Van Niekerk, service education manager for Navistar. “They represent our 10,000-plus service technicians from International dealerships, the highest number of any medium/heavy commercial-truck manufacturer.”
Technicians from the following dealerships competed in the rodeo:
