July_2021 - 40

TMC Special Section
OVERVIEW & FRAMEWORK
Special management
and career
development track
TMC's 2021 fall meeting will feature this special
track on Thursday, September 16. Three
sessions will be offered: one covering the use
of root cause analysis and problem solving
techniques to reduce waste in fleet management,
one covering basic accounting skills, and
one covering leadership skills development.
Management Session 1 - Root Cause
Analysis and Problem Solving Training
Session: " A Deep Dive Into the Causes of
Waste Within Fleet Maintenance "
Thursday, September 16 - 8 AM-12 PM
» The TMCSuperTech competition will begin with the written test at 11 AM on Sunday, September 12.
Photo courtesy of TMC
TMCSuperTech
returns for 2021
The national technician skills competition will
be held during the council's fall meeting.
The American Trucking Associations'
Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC)
announced the return of the national technician
skills competition, TMCSuperTech, for 2021. While
COVID-19 forced TMC to curtail the competition
in 2020, the council's Professional Technician
Development Committee (PTDC) is welcoming
technicians to compete in Cleveland in September.
Due to social distancing and space limitations,
TMCSuperTech 2021 will consist of a one-day,
one-track competition featuring a written test
and 10 skills stations, organized in a table-top
format similar to that of the day one track of recent
TMCSuperTech competitions.
NOTE: The national student technician competition,
TMCFutureTech, will not take place this year.
TMCSuperTech 2021 will showcase the high
degree of skill and knowledge shown every day
by commercial vehicle industry technicians.
TMCSuperTech is the only industry-wide competition
dedicated both to honoring technician
professionalism and acknowledging the " best of
the best. " Top winners also receive valuable prizes.
All technicians are welcome to compete. Winners
with top scores will be named in the categories of
traditional (heavy-duty), trailer, and light- and
medium-duty vehicle technicians, in addition to
those earning top score in each individual station.
Certified grand champions of state trucking association
competitions will be permitted to compete
without charge (the most recent winner from 2019,
2020, or 2021 will be recognized).
The competition will begin with the written test
at 11 AM on Sunday, September 12. It will continue
40 Fleet Maintenance | July 2021
until approximately 6 PM with 10 skills stations.
Skills stations include:
ÜWheel end
ÜTransmissions
ÜEngines and aftertreatment
ÜLighting
ÜFuels and lubricants
ÜCoolants and DEF
ÜFasteners
ÜBelts and hoses
ÜService information
ÜBrakes
For the first time, technician competitors will
have access to TMC's transportation technology
exhibition, task forces, technician sessions, and
study group sessions following the conclusion of
the competition. They will have the opportunity to
see what TMC's technical groups have to offer and
contribute to the development of new industry standards.
Awards will be presented on Wednesday,
September 15, during the TMCSuperTech Awards
Luncheon from 12:45 to 2:15 PM.
TMC is once again looking for the industry's
best technicians. If you or one of your employees
thinks they have what it takes to place
their diagnostic and problem solving skills up
against trucking's " best of the best, " come to
TMCSuperTech 2021.
During this four-hour session, attendees will
work through root cause analysis and problem
solving approaches, designed to eliminate
waste and increase efficiency in finding
solutions. A cross-disciplinary approach will
help fleet managers see each others' perspectives
during this interactive session.
The session will focus on reducing waste in
four main areas: tires, preventive maintenance,
aftertreatment/fuel, and brakes. Attendees will
be organized into groups of six to eight and
shown how to complete a fishbone diagram and
a value stream map to solve waste challenges.
The groups will then share their results and
attempt to help each person determine the
low hanging fruit within his or her business
based on current processes or lack thereof.
Additional in-depth critical
problem solving training
Saturday, September 11 - 9 AM-4 PM
A more in-depth critical training session will be
held September 11 from 9 AM to 4 PM. During
this expanded offering, we will delve into critical
problem solving activities geared around the
attendee's fleet maintenance business needs
by using their real business data. If properly
prepared with useful data, attendees will end
the day with multiple projects ready to implement
when they return to work. The following
list is an example of the lean tools to be used:
A3, Pareto, Fishbone Diagram, Low Hanging
Fruit Model, Gant Chart, Spaghetti Diagram,
Swim Lane Chart, Process Map, 5 Why, and
more. Pre-session work will be required. Be
aware, this is not a simple " watch and learn "
session and you should only attend if you are
serious about actively participating. Additionally,
attendees should be prepared to share the
good, the bad, and the ugly about their fleet
maintenance operation and the potential to
uncover the waste within it. Space is limited: Call
TMC at 703-838-1763 or email tmc@trucking.
org to sign up for the Saturday training session.
Management Session 2 - Basic Accounting
Skills for the Business Professional
Thursday, September 16 - 8-9:30 AM
This management session will focus on basic
accounting skills for the business professional.
Learn the jargon, standard practices, and
everyday applications of finance and accounting.
Elements of key Microsoft Excel features
and capabilities will also be explained.

July_2021

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