Rush Enterprises, which operates the largest network of commercial vehicle dealerships in North America, held its ninth annual Rush Truck Centers Tech Skills Rodeo in San Antonio, TX, in mid-December.
It was largest event so far, says Mike Besson, Rush’s vice president of dealership operations and customer care. More than 900 participants completed 2,000 tests, with 150 semi-finalists qualifying to join the onsite competition.
The competition included 19 competition categories:
- Heavy duty – Cummins, Eaton, Paccar MX, MaxxForce and Allison.
- Medium duty – Hino, Isuzu, Peterbilt and International.
- Specialty – Alternative fuel, bus and refuse.
Two new categories were added to the Specialty competition for 2014 – body repair and paint repair.
Continuous development
The annual Rush Truck Centers Tech Skills Rodeo is part of Rush Enterprises’ goal of continuous improvement and development, explains its chairman, CEO and president, Rusty Rush.
Vehicle technicians “are the heartbeat of a dealership,” he says. The better they are at their jobs, the better the customer experience and the more effectively their trucks can be kept on the road.
Representing truck and bus manufacturers, including Peterbilt, International, Hino, Isuzu, Ford, IC Bus and Blue Bird, Rush Enterprises has more than 2,200 technicians.
Along with the competition were training classes for technicians, plus an exhibitor fair that included 46 participating companies.
The winners
Along with bragging rights, the Rodeo competitors vied for more than $200,000 in cash and prizes.
The All-Around Rodeo Champion was Erick Lincoln, Rush Albuquerque, NM.
The grand Champions were:
- Jeremy Weifenbach, Rush Houston, TX, Peterbilt parts.
- Justin Euler, St. Petersburg, FL, International.
- Erick Lincoln, Rush Albuquerque, NM, Cummins.
Photos
A gallery of photos from the Rush technician skills competition can be viewed online at: http://base.vehicleservicepros.com/12029767.
