Penske Truck Leasing has announced the winners of its 2012-2013 National Technical Challenge. The Tech Challenge is a company event that will be held every other year to test the skillsets of its truck maintenance technician workforce via hands-on and written assessments. There were two types of entries: a two-person vehicle systems team and individual competitors in the preventive maintenance (PM) event.

The vehicle systems competition mainly measured knowledge of electrical and diagnostics systems. The PM event tested that a truck’s operations were running correctly and that various parts were still functioning properly.

Bob Shaw, 45, and John Crawford, 36, were winners of the vehicle systems event. Shaw is a lead technician who works at the company’s Canton, Ohio, location, while Crawford, a lead technician, is employed in Oakwood, Ohio. The winner of the PM competition was 31-year-old customer service representative I David Bridgeman who works in Portland, Ore.

The finals took place recently at a Penske facility in Winston-Salem, N.C. An awards banquet was held at Penske Racing headquarters in Mooresville, N.C., where the finalists were honored and received their prizes.

The 15 finalists were a part of a group of over 1,250 Penske associates who voluntarily took part in competitions dating back to last August. These associates progressed through district, area and regional events across North America.

“The competitive spirit of the Tech Challenge is quite a sight to behold,” stated Bill Jacobelli, Penske senior vice president of maintenance. “Some of our company’s best truck technicians took part in this event, and I commend these outstanding gentlemen for their noteworthy achievements.

“The Tech Challenge serves as a vital training tool for our technicians,” he said. “As a result, we are able to improve our truck maintenance processes that ultimately benefit our customers.”

Vehicle Systems Competition Regional Winners (team event)

1. Bob Shaw (Canton, Ohio) and John Crawford (Oakwood, Ohio), North Central Region champions (National Winners)

2. Mike Edmonds and James Gage (both of West Valley City, Utah), Western Region

3. David Rosko and Daniel Bialowas (both of Pittsburgh, Pa.), South Central Region

4. Bruno Dube (Laval, Quebec) and Mario Castagnier (Saint-Laurent, Quebec), Northeast Region

5. Ricky Schley (Mobile, Ala.) and Tom Coxon (Pensacola, Fla.), Southeast Region

Preventive Maintenance Competition Winners (solo event)

1. David Bridgeman (Portland, Ore.), Western Region champion (National Winner)

2. Chris Bringman (Brookpark, Ohio), North Central Region

3. Brandon Costner (Charlotte, N.C.), Southeast Region

4. Mike Murphy (Framingham, Mass.), Northeast Region

5. Dylan Wyrick (Austin, Texas), South Central Region

By Alen Beljin