APRIL 2023 TEchnIcIan of InfluEncE WInnErS
International® is pleased to announce the four winners of the Technician of Influence Award for the month of April. The individuals listed here have demonstrated their commitment to pursuing continuous improvement and delivering the highest level of customer service.
ROOKIES
These tech professionals have less than two years of experience at the dealership, have shown commitment to Uptime by being top producers, have gone the extra mile, and have proven they are responsible and trustworthy.
Service Technician
Gerardo is the future of our dealership, Artex Truck Center. He always goes the extra mile with his work and with our customers. He isn't afraid to tackle new tasks and has an eagerness to learn from his more experienced peers.
We had a customer that we had performed some light repairs for on a Friday afternoon. Everyone had left for the day. The driver was trying to hook back up to his truck and it stopped building air pressure. Gerardo did not hesitate to come back to work and perform repairs later in the evening to get the driver back up and moving so the driver could get home to his family for the weekend. There are many stories that we could tell where Gerardo has gone the extra mile to please a customer or find potential issues that the driver didn't know about, saving more downtime.
We hired Gerardo fresh out of technical school, and he started in the PM bay. Now Gerardo has become a leader for our new young technicians. They can see where he started and where he is now, which is the ASL lane. Gerardo has learned to build MaxxDTs and X15s.
Gerardo always comes to work with a great attitude and isn't afraid to jump into a manual if he doesn't know it. Gerardo has become our second ASL tech and has been doing an outstanding job.
Gerardo has been instrumental to our dealership and his peers. He has also helped us bring in more quality young technicians and always looks to improve the dealership and himself.
Service Technician
Canyon is a very influential technician at Rush Truck Centers because he always has a can-do attitude. He comes in on time every day and never says no to a job. He works hard to learn new things every day. He's completed his International Web-based training to become Master Certified in International and IC Bus, and currently, he is studying to get his ASE certifications. I can ask him to do anything, and he will always give me 100%. If we're behind in the shop or a customer's needs dictate that we need to work extra hours or work weekends, he's right there to help as much as he can. Canyon comes from the National Guard and previously worked at automotive dealerships. He is a key employee of our Service department and has only been in the big truck industry for two years.
Canyon has become a model of success at our dealership — he always helps when he is needed. He has stayed late multiple times to get trucks back on the road for our customers. He pushed himself hard to get an A26 overhaul completed and back to the customer.
Canyon sets goals for highest sales in a month along with most jobs completed. He likes to see monthly growth and gets excited when he meets his goals as well as goals that are set for him.
Canyon came from an automotive background with no diesel experience. He is a sergeant in the U.S. National Guard; he has proven himself time and time again to be reliable and trustworthy. If I had a job I knew needed to be done and it was going to require extra effort, I would not go to anyone else with it. We are very lucky to have him on our team!
VETERANS
These tech professionals have two or more years of experience at the dealership, have shown commitment to Uptime by being top producers, have gone the extra mile, and have proven they are responsible and trustworthy.
Mobile Road Service Technician
Jimmy has been working in the school bus industry for 17 years, starting as a detailer/prep tech, and has worked himself up to be one of the most valued members of our service team at Leonard Bus Sales, Inc. For the last 10 years, Jimmy has been a mobile road service technician and has built a reputation of being someone our customers can count on to help keep their fleet up and running. No matter what time of day, our customers have the confidence that they can call Jimmy with a problem, and he will either be able to point them in the right direction of the solution or will get them on his schedule to get the vehicle repaired promptly.
Jimmy is an example of going the extra mile with everything he does for our partners. He has maintained and continued to develop his skills through all the available training, fully certified through Cummins, PSI, and International as a master tech.
Jimmy is the epitome of responsibility and trust — that is exactly how our customers would describe him and what he does for them daily. Countless examples are given to me when I talk to my customers about how much they value Jimmy and his relationship with them. An example of this was a customer who was having an issue out of the blue right before a DOT inspection. The customer was out of ideas on what could be causing it, so in a pinch, at the last minute before inspection, they called Jimmy to see if he had any clue. Jimmy told them what to do and, sure enough, that was it. The customer made the repair and was able to present the bus with no issues. That sort of knowledge and experience only comes with time, and the value that brings to our customers is something you cannot put a value on. As a full-time road service technician, it is very difficult to hit high production numbers and show good efficiency because of the lost time spent while driving. Jimmy is one of the highest-producing technicians we have despite the fact he is on the road all day, every day. That is a testament to his organizational skills and efficiency in what he does.
Jimmy makes my job as a salesperson who sells products into the territory easier because a customer knows they will have one of the best people and technicians in Jimmy there to support that vehicle for its entire life. There is great value to that, and we all appreciate the work he does to instill that confidence into our customers / partners.
Service Technician
Kevin sets the standard for a productive technician at Altruck International. As a former military technician for the Canadian Armed Forces, Kevin prides himself on completing work quickly and efficiently. Kevin is always willing to help out our young technicians and apprentices, teaching proper diagnostic procedures and explaining why these faults occur, so that our young workforce better understands the International product. Kevin is always there to lend a hand if needed, from performing in frames to taking out the waste, even cleaning the shop floor when needed.
Kevin shares his outstanding knowledge of the International product with others, able to explain to customers on the phone or in person the reason the fault has occurred, which helps build trust between the customer and tech and puts a friendly face to the name. As the service manager, I have seen Kevin go beyond to help our local customer base, by taking it upon himself to go out to sites after his shift is completed in order to perform service calls on some of our smaller customers. When asked about it, he replied with a smile that they needed help and that's what we are trained for, hinting at his time in the service.
Kevin volunteers, when we are short-staffed, to pick up the slack and work a little extra to get jobs done in time for our customers. He understands that a little extra effort goes a long way for our company and the customer. Countless times now I have seen customers come into our branch and ask for Kevin to service their truck — with a smile and a handshake, he gets to work.
Kevin has the highest production rate in our shop, never has any available times, and is always working. He understands the importance of prompt repairs. For someone who can work as quickly as he does, I have been very impressed with the lack of comebacks but more impressed with the number of customer returns for most void maintenance items — all because he takes the time to explain and teach the customer. that, to me, makes him a top producer right there.
We at Altruck International are lucky to have such a well-rounded, seasoned technician, and we look forward to many more years with him.
