A Young Start and Rapid Progress

Born in Bel Air, Morrison had a father who worked as a chef but was obsessed with cars, an interest that he quickly passed along to his son. His dad watched car shows on TV each weekend and handled as many repairs on family vehicles as possible, with the younger Morrison often watching or assisting on smaller tasks.

"As a kid, it seemed like my dad could fix just about anything," Morrison recalls. "He was always under the hood of something and never wanted to ask for help. He has been a real hero in my life. I know I got a lot of my drive to be self-sufficient from him."

After graduating from high school, Morrison earned an associate's degree in automotive technology from Community College of Baltimore County. As part of the program, he split his time between the classroom and hands-on training at an independent Chevrolet dealer, which soon hired him as a full-time general repair technician.

"I had so many great mentors along the way," he says. "That dealership is where I really cut my teeth, doing a lot of different jobs, and I realized how much I like this industry and what a good fit it was for me."

In his early 20s, Morrison also helped his dad restore a 1982 Corvette, fulfilling the older man's lifelong wish to complete a major car project. "That was really special," Morrison says. "It's a nice bonding point between us." They occasionally work on cars together to this day, although the son generally takes the lead now.

In 2016, Morrison joined Transdev, then known as First Vehicle Services. The global public transportation company operates and manages transit systems including buses, trains, airport shuttles, and emergency vehicles worldwide.

"It was obvious to us from the beginning that this was a young man who knew he wanted to go places," Dilworth remembers. "He wanted to know about all sides of our business, not just stay put in one area."

Starting out as a light vehicle tech, Morrison later advanced to a heavy vehicle tech position and next became lead technician for the Light Vehicle Division. He took on his current role about three years ago.

"I wanted to have the opportunity to work on all different kinds of vehicles and vehicle systems," he says. "It's fun when not one single truck is the same as the other.

Ambulances also provide a unique opportunity because you're responsible for much more than just the chassis. That really keeps things interesting."

Staying abreast of rapidly changing technology is one of the biggest challenges in his field, Morrison says. Whenever possible, he attends industry events and classes, such as the VISION Hi-Tech Automotive Training Conference this past March.

"Vehicles are becoming increasingly complex, requiring technicians to continuously study and adapt to them," he says. "I have to make training a priority if I want to continue doing good work—staying current on developments and never being afraid to ask questions or learn from others. There's never a time I'm not working on learning something new."

Other Transdev techs, meanwhile, have learned from Morrison—not only from his mechanical guidance but from the example he sets in the workplace.

"Rob can be a little bit quiet, but it's only because he's so focused on getting the job done well," Woods says. "He's all about fixing things right the first time, and he's very humble about all of his accomplishments."

Case in point: Morrison calls his journey to qualify for ASE President's Club, which then required at least 48 certifications, a "group effort." He is particularly thankful to Woods as a mentor, even if his boss did sign him up for his final 26 ASE tests at one time ("Thanks, Bill," he jokes).

"To say I did it gives me way too much credit," Morrison explains. "I had a lot of support. My bosses gave me time to stick my nose in the books and study between jobs. My coworkers helped with my workload and picked up the slack. My wife put up with me studying for months in a home with two little kids. It was all something special and meant a lot to me."

Transdev already has recognized Morrison's value at a national level. In December, he was one of three technicians honored by the company as a 2025 ASE Award Winner, along with a tech in Illinois and another in Colorado. Morrison was named ASE Master Automobile & Mobile/Heavy-Duty Truck Technician of the Year.

Winners are "individuals who have distinguished themselves across the automotive service industry," says Dave Johnson, ASE president and CEO, in an announcement of the prizes. "These recipients have demonstrated exceptional skills, performance, and leadership in their daily work, making them exemplary industry representatives to the public we serve."

They are, Johnson concluded, "the best of the best."

"I've always felt like, if you're going to do something, do it well," he says. "If you don't, you're wasting your time and other people's time. I don't want to see my name on work that I'm not proud of."

— Robert Morrison, 2026 Best Young Tech Award Winner

Shaping the Future

Grateful for the opportunities provided to him as a student and professional, Morrison is dedicated to technician development and growth to help nurture upcoming generations of skilled automotive workers.

The industry already attracts plenty of young people with a passion for cars, many times cemented in childhood, he notes. The much bigger task is keeping that passion alive in what can be a draining and demanding line of work.

"I feel the best way to do that is by providing quality training, mentorship, certification, and a strong foundation for people to build confidence in their abilities," he says. "Investing in these areas is essential. Even if you have to figure out a difficult job, you know that you're going to be able to do it if you have confidence."

Along with teaching Transdev classes on changing technology and industry standards, Morrison has taken on more coworkers as mentees since becoming a team leader. "Robert has made an impact in every area of our shop," Dilworth shares. "He's a real role model."

Moving into the future, Morrison hopes to embrace a more educational role within the industry while still doing hands-on work on vehicles. Watching his mentees succeed is a source of joy for him; he has discovered, such as, one tech who recently became lead technician for the Light Vehicle division at his location.

"To know I had a small part in him getting that promotion is a feeling that's hard to put into words," Morrison said. "It's very rewarding to see him doing so well for himself. I'm all about chasing after that feeling now."

Leading by example, Morrison also aims to pass along his philosophy of maximum effort, no matter how big or small a job.

"I've always felt like, if you're going to do something, do it well," he says. "If you don't, you're wasting your time and other people's time. I don't want to see my name on work that I'm not proud of. For me, that's a way to stay engaged every day, even the long ones."

Morrison has an ideal personality as a mentor, according to Dilworth. "He's calm, cool, and collected," she says. "He doesn't get frazzled easily, he works methodically, and he tries to absorb as much knowledge as he can. Everybody loves him. He's very witty and funny, and very, very smart. And his record really speaks for itself from the moment people meet him."

Developing the instructional side of his career is a natural progression for Morrison, Woods added: "He has probably maxed out his internal growth for mechanical repair knowledge for the moment, or at least he's pretty close. The speed of his development has been amazing."

Morrison, however, would like to build skills in the L3 Light Duty Hybrid/Electric Vehicle specialty, which was the hardest President's Club requirement for him. "That would be the area I have the least expertise," he says.

The Man Behind the Technician

Outside work, Morrison enjoys spending time with his family: his wife Julie, a neonatal nurse; his daughters Sophia, 8, and Rose, 5; and their cat, Spongecake. As for his girls' potential interest in cars, Sophia "already has a go-kart she loves to run the wheels off," he says. "Rose is a bit calmer but is into Broncos and Jeeps—anything the top comes off of."

Morrison also likes listening to podcasts, reading, following the latest developments in vehicle technology, and watching Formula One races on Sundays (Max Verstappen, a four-time F1 World Drivers' Champion at just 28, is his favorite driver).

Winning the 2026 Motor Age Best Young Tech Award is a significant milestone in his professional life, Morrison says. Again, though, he stresses the impact of people around him, promising that he'll never stop leaning on others for collaboration and wisdom.

"This is bigger than me," he says. "I wouldn't be in the place I am today without so many mentors and colleagues who have been behind me and are still at my side. And my dad, the guy who originally got me into this world, is still here, too. They're all part of my story."