Page 12 - ATR 5 2014 web

News iN brief,
Continued from page 11

meeting that regulators “certainly
understand the restart (change) has
had an unintended negative impact on
[the] industry.” However, the agency
has no plan to address that negative
impact — a productivity loss of 3 to 5
percent.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, intro-
duced legislation that would suspend
the new 34-hour restart requirement
for a year and require the FMCSA to
study the impact of the restart changes
on truck operations, highway safety
and driver health. Two days after the
amendment to a federal appropriations
bill passed a Senate appropriations com-
mittee in June, a Walmart truck was
involved in a crash killing and injur-
ing two high profile comedians. The
crash and its media coverage triggered
the truck driver fatigue debate all over
again. gram so solidly and why their mechan- to guide the next generation of techs.
The Senate has not yet voted on ics win every year. Ten years after inception, SuperTech is
the amendment, but it could still be Mike Delaney, president of the changing the way companies are doing
revived, Byrd said. “We’re not letting go WheelTime network of service shops, business,” Delaney said.
of that.” interviewed maintenance managers
on why they participate in the annual BEnTlEy naMEd nEW TCa
2014 TMC SupErTECH technician event. Delaney looked for prESidEnT
The 10th annual SuperTech was answers to two questions: “One: How Trucking pub-
held September 22-24 during TMC’s has SuperTech impacted the way you lishing-executive
fall meeting at the Dolphin Resort at train and develop technicians? Two: Brad Bentley has
Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, What business results can you attribute been selected as
Fla. Mark McLean Jr., a FedEx Freight directly to your SuperTech efforts?” the new president
technician from New York, finished as Maintenance managers from of the Truckload
grand champion for the second year in participating carriers said their com- Carriers Association
a row. panies now select and train techs like (TCA). He will suc-
McLean and other competitors SuperTech does, including using cer- bentley ceed Chris Burruss,
were lavished with tools, merchandise tification tests from ASE, a national who resigned in June due to personal
and gift-card prizes. McLean and the automotive testing organization. Techs reasons.
two runners-up, also FedEx Freight who have competited help train younger The search committee, led by TCA
technicians, will get to attend Nascar colleagues and act as mentors. This Chairman Shepard Dunn, reviewed
races during next year’s season. increases everyone’s knowledge and more than 100 applicants over the sum-
Prizes were also awarded to the betters their performance, Delaney mer. After narrowing the candidates
winners of the 15 skills stations. reported. to a “short list” and conducting inter-
Arkansas’ own Eric Rusk, McKee Foods “Winning at SuperTech today views, Bentley’s name was presented to
Transportation, earned the top score at means diagnosing more complexity, the Executive Committee. Bentley relo-
the HVAC station. more accurately and more quickly than cated from Alabama to the Washington,
The Technology & Maintenance ever before. It means knowing – not D.C. area and began working for TCA
Council’s SuperTech competition recog- thinking – that your trucks won’t come full-time in mid-October.
nizes and improves technicians’ skills, back. And it means taking team-based When Dunn notified the mem-
which is why big fleets back the pro- leadership to new professional levels 

12 aRkansas tRuCking RepoRt | issue 5 2014