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Not All Fun and Games

By Amanda Schuier - Thursday February 26, 2009

I have promised many of you that the blog I deliver is “uncensored.” So, in keeping with the theme of full disclosure, I want to acknowledge that sometimes planning a SuperTech competition isn’t all fun and games. One day, you may not get a sponsor lined up. Another day, you may not see things the same way as your fellow committee members. And, there may be a rare day when you think if you hear the words “SuperTech” one more time, you’re going to need to plan an escape route. But when all of these things happen, it’s important to remember why we wanted to be involved with SuperTech: it is a truly important event that will recognize and reward our technicians for what they do best. If I’m feeling worried or overwhelmed, I...
On the Road Again

By Mark O'Connell - Thursday February 26, 2009

I have barely unpacked my bags from three straight weeks of traveling to industry events (The National Biodiesel Conference, the TMC Annual Meeting & Expo, and Heavy-Duty Aftermarket Week) and already I have to start packing for NTEA's Work Truck Show and the Mid-America Truck Show! If there's a slow-down in the trucking industry, the show schedule certainly isn't reflecting it. Yes, some vendors are bowing out of Mid-America this year, but the show will still go on. I have a lot to look forward to at both shows. First of all, I'll be attending a seminar at the Work Truck Show that will explore the implications of 2010 emissions systems on body/chassis interfaces. I'm expecting there to be input from several OEMs and body-builders, and I'm...
A Positive Climate

By Mark O'Connell - Thursday February 19, 2009

I just got back from the Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) event in Orlando, hosted by the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA) and several other trade organizations, and I am happy to day that I was surprised by the climate. The climate on Orlando itself was brisk, even cool on some days, which came as a shock (especially since I was fighting off a bad cold, and hoped that some warm sunshine might do me good--that didn't exactly work out). The business climate, on the other hand, was much nicer. HDAW tailors its seminars to business issues, and the speakers by and large were confident that we would likely see an upturn in the economy by the third quarter of 2009, and things would definitely be on the mend by the fourth...
"SuperTech" is My Middle Name

By Amanda Schuier - Thursday February 19, 2009

I wasn’t sure what to expect at the Technology and Maintenance Council’s annual meeting and exposition down in Orlando, but I am so glad I had the opportunity to attend. There were numerous seminars I attended that will help me be better at my job. Additionally, a lot of my week was spent networking and meeting people who are helping with the first Nebraska SuperTech competition. Once again, I was amazed at the willingness of people to help support our endeavor. Roger Maye of ConMet and Brian Thompson of Delco Remy both approached me to say they would be more than happy to help us out. During the expo, the Professional Technician Development Committee booth gave everyone a chance to try some of the SuperTech skills challenges. I am...
How Many Miles Can a DPF Go?

By Mark O'Connell - Thursday February 12, 2009

I just got back from the Technology & Maintenance Council's (TMC) Annual Meeting and Expo in Orlando, and of all the presentations and discussions I heard or took part in during the week, one stands out in particular. In the "Shop Talk" session, a fleet maintenance manager got up and asked the assembled crowd of about 250 whether anyone had any experience taking out their diesel particulate filters for cleaning yet. The response? Silence. If you recall, when DPFs came on the scene in time for the EPA 2007 diesel emissions standards, the EPA declared that they must be able to go a minimum of 150,000 miles before needing to be physically removed from the truck and cleaned of their accumulated ash deposits. At the time, the truck OEMs assured...
See You in Florida!

By Amanda Schuier - Thursday February 5, 2009

This will be my last blog before I will see many of you down in sunny Florida. I can’t wait to catch up with a lot of you face-to-face and expand my growing network within the trucking industry. The editor of Fleet Maintenance, Mark O’Connell, recently blogged about networking. He said, “…but the first thing it suggests to me is that most of our readers are not interested in professional networking.” From the perspective of both a reader and a person who is trying to plan her state’s first-ever SuperTech event, I’m going to disagree with Mark and say that at least one reader is interested in networking. Professional networking is part of the reason SuperTech will make its debut in Nebraska. I can’t imagine trying...
Straight Talk on Biodiesel

By Mark O'Connell - Thursday February 5, 2009

I just got back from the National Biodiesel Conference in San Francisco, and I have some good news for fleet managers who have held back on using biodiesel because they're afraid of cold-weather performance and clogged fuel filters. While at the meeting, I met a guy named Joe Montesano who works for Greeneck, an excavating company in Driggs, Idaho, population 1,100, elevation 6,109 ft. Driggs is in the shadow of the Grand Teton mountains, and lies just outside of Yellowstone National Park. They are no strangers to cold weather. So it surprised me when Joe said his company has had no cold weather performance problems with biodiesel. "You just have to be smart about it," he said, meaning that you need to be flexible: maybe you use a B5 blend...
Slightly Off-Course

By Amanda Schuier - Thursday January 29, 2009

Since all of the SuperTech Steering Committee members work full-time in our day jobs, SuperTech is really a labor of love. With the holidays and a busy year-end, our SuperTech planning has been on the back burner. But now that registration is only four months away, it’s time to get serious. This past week, we held a very important STSC meeting to finalize some of the major details. We were able to select our sponsorship levels. We started pulling together equipment lists and have already had a few companies step up to help with equipment, judging and sponsorships. I would be neglectful if I didn’t mention the support we have received from the Arkansas Trucking Association. Major thanks go out to Sarah Sheets, director of...
Sign of the Times

By Mark O'Connell - Thursday January 29, 2009

This week, in what is surely a sign of the times, Kenworth and Peterbilt, the two American truck brands of PACCAR, Inc., announced that they would not have exhibits at the Mid-America Truck Show (MATS) in Louisville, KY, perhaps the biggest truck show in the country. So what, you say? This is like the NFL bowing out of the Superbowl, or Madonna taking a pass on the Grammies, or Matt Kenseth skipping the Daytona 500. It's just not done. What's really scary is that MATS is still two months away as I write this, and as there's not much hope of the economy turning itself around in the next eight weeks, it's a pretty sure guess that PACCAR's announcement will just be the first of many. MATS is one of the busiest weeks of the year for a...
Selling Isn't Just for Girl Scouts

By Amanda Schuier - Wednesday January 21, 2009

I’ve never sold anything in my life. Except a few boxes of Girl Scout cookies in the fourth grade. However, I have morphed into a salesperson role since September, after I witnessed the SuperTech competition for the first time. What am I selling? Not a brand new truck or service to keep the truck on the road. I’m selling SuperTech. Every industry meeting I attend, I make it a point to wear my 2008 SuperTech pin. I make it a point to bring up SuperTech in conversations. I hand out flyers. I tell people to tell their friends, or other service managers. People seek me out at meetings and ask questions about SuperTech. Just this last week, I was able to present about the Nebraska SuperTech competition to the Metropolitan...