Ruan is excited to host our fifth annual Top Technician Competition, an event that provides an opportunity to highlight our technicians' skills and mastery of the industry's latest diagnostic tools and technologies. We are pleased to announce the 10 technicians who earned the highest scores from the first phase of our competition, which included a 100-question online assessment. The following technicians will now move on to compete in a hands-on portion of the competition August 5:
- Brian Boswell, Gastonia, NC
- John Ford, Thomasville, NC
- Matthew Butler, San Antonio, TX
- Caleb Smith, Tyler, TX
- Martin Schneider, Cedar Falls, IA
- Aaron Bomar, Jefferson, GA
- Richard Urban, Turlock, CA
- Matthew Schmid, Hagerman, NM
- Dakoda Brown, Muscatine, IA
- Shane Riffe, Phoenix, AZ
The event will be held in Ankeny, IA, and is conducted in cooperation with Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC). The competition will take place at DMACC, and 10 DMACC students will be picked internally to compete in their own competition on August 4.
The challenge involves 11 skills stations, each generously sponsored by the following vendors:
- Wheel Ends – sponsored by ConMet
- Steering/Suspension – sponsored by Hendrickson
- Brakes – sponsored by Meritor
- DOT Inspections – sponsored by Iowa Motor Truck Association and Iowa Department of Transportation
- Electrical – sponsored by Purkeys
- System Diagnostics – sponsored by Noregon
- Fasteners – sponsored by Imperial Supplies
- Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) – sponsored by Truck Country
- Tires and Wheels – sponsored by Bridgestone
- Heavy Duty Vehicle Fluids – sponsored by Chevron
- Starting and Charging Systems – sponsored by Delco Remy
An overall score, calculated by the sum of individual scores from the 11 hands-on skills stations, will be used to determine the first, second, and third place finishers. The winners will be announced at an awards banquet on the evening of August 5, and each will receive a plaque and monetary award for their accomplishments. Additionally, Ruan’s top three technicians from the 2020, 2021, and 2022 Top Technician competitions will represent Ruan in Cleveland, OH, at the American Trucking Associations' (ATA) National SuperTech competition, hosted by the Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC). Ruan will also sponsor the winning DMACC competitor to participate in the SuperTech student competition.
“Ruan’s technicians step up to the plate each day to maintain and repair equipment that is increasingly complex and ever changing,” said Maintenance Operations Manager Ben Steines. “The repair industry has changed dramatically in the last 20+ years, and Ruan is proud to employ the best technicians in the business to maintain our top-notch equipment efficiently and keep our truck drivers safe on the road. In the spirit of our People First and Continuous Improvement Guiding Principles, we are happy to showcase their skills and professionalism through this competition.”
We look forward to the competition and the opportunity to focus our attention on the important work that our technicians do every day. Thanks to our competitors for all your hard work and dedication to keep our business moving!
Interested in joining our team as a technician? View our technician career opportunities.