DECEMBER 2023 TECHNICIAN OF INFLUENCE WINNERS
International® is pleased to announce the four winners of the Technician of Influence Award for the month of December. 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
Mason came to Southland International Trucks as a 15-year-old from a local Lethbridge high school. The first few times that I interacted with him, I saw he was smart, had a calm demeanor, and leadership skills, well beyond his years! We started him part time and registered Mason in RAP (Registered Apprenticeship Program) here in Alberta. Mason was a pioneer of a Southern Alberta Dual Credit project, which the local Lethbridge College and Southland were helping pilot. The college initially rejected his application, as they thought he was too young, but he was told if he completed an entrance exam, he would be allowed in. He passed the exam and completed the course with accolades from all his teachers.
Mason's passion and his attitude toward the truck industry have been stellar. He completed all his International online Master Truck training while in high school and is now in his last year of Alberta Apprenticeship Training at 19 years old. He has helped and encouraged all our techs with their International Training and EZ-Tech / Cummins diagnostic repairs. He has also completed advanced DLB training. His focus on customer care is exemplary. He has been pushed outside of his box so many times and responds with such a great attitude and skill. Mason always thinks about what he can do to help our Prestige Standards, Accelerated Service, Velocity, and Uptime programs. He has brought this kind of confidence into our Prestige Standards meetings to brainstorm and execute initiatives. He has been entrusted with training new techs with up-fitting and performing PDIs on new trucks. He has improved our truck oil servicing process by organizing tools and training all techs on best practices. Today we are launching a new tech training program and, once again, Mason will be piloting the training.
The one thing that we believe needs repeating is that what Mason has accomplished at such a young age is incredible! Our owner, George Kirkham, describes Mason as the youngest employee who works at a very high level, is a pleasure to be around, takes ownership of mistakes, is always willing to be flexible, and is just a real class act!
Service Technician
Canyon came to Mid-State Truck Service, Inc. at a very young age. He already had his CDL and was 100% committed to our industry right out of the gate. He then accepted the challenge of going to the Uptime program and spent many hours on the road and nights in a hotel to achieve his goal. He is 100% certified in International in many areas, currently in the process of becoming Cummins certified. He will be certified in less than 2 years of working in our industry. Pretty impressive!
We were fortunate enough to get a very large grille guard sale from one of our local fleets around here. We had 80 grille guards to install and the trucks were available only on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Canyon and another technician worked two Saturday afternoons in the scorching heat and two Sundays installing grille guards to get this job done for our customer to prove it is a partnership between us. (Yes, he still showed up for work on Monday.)
Canyon always ranks at the top of his peers. We have seen great progress in his labor dollars sold, his hourly effective rate, and his productivity. His productivity almost doubled from the time he started Uptime Academy to when he finished, and it keeps improving. Mid-State Truck Service has a ton of faith in Canyon and plans to promote him to night foreman / shop lead shortly.
Canyon came to Mid-State Truck Service on a school tour, and he was very interested and attentive during his visit. We could tell right away he was someone who would fit in great here and be a phenomenal team member. He was then working at a local factory full-time while attending high school. We talked that day, had him fill out an application, and two weeks later he was in uniform. Even though the journey is very young, just like Canyon, it's been a great ride so far and we look forward to the future for both him and us!
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.
Service Technician
Tyson is a technician who demonstrates his commitment to pursuing continuous improvement while delivering the highest level of customer service at Maxim Truck & Trailer. He has been a dedicated technician at Maxim for 20 years, and he is one of those team members you would love to have on your team. His knowledge of International and Cummins technical and industry processes, software, and hardware is an advantage that helps our dealership's success.
He consistently demonstrates a high level of reliability, which significantly contributes to our team's success. Tyson’s ability to manage customer concerns effectively and deliver results on time is impressive and is appreciated by our loyal Fleet customers in our area. He shows a high level of team spirit. He readily cooperates with technicians and the parts department to ensure a quick return of units to customers. Tyson has the competence and experience to complete rapid diagnostics from health reports and customers’ onboard diagnostics; he will preorder parts before a unit is even at our location.
Tyson holds his Diamond Certification along with all three Cummins engine platforms. He is a tenured Red Seal technician who helps manage technicians with dealership proper training and development. Tyson believes self-development is taking action to replace doubt with knowledge. Tyson leads by example; regularly, you can find him in the dealership on Sunday (when we are closed) taking online training.
Having an exceptional ability to grasp complex concepts quickly and apply them effectively in his work, he was chosen to attend the S13 in-class training. He makes sound and timely decisions and is committed to Uptime. He works with all divisions of our dealership to provide a positive customer experience. He has no problem meeting International or Cummins repair times. His quality of work is outstanding and consistently exceeds expectations.
He shows a high level of flexibility in his role, often stepping outside his comfort zone to meet the team’s needs. Whether that is being the lead technician, on the floor, service writer, or service manager when it is required. Tyson’s consistent performance and ability to be relied upon in a variety of situations truly set
Lead Diagnostics Technician
Dakota started as a co-op student at Winslow Gerolamy Motors in early 2010. He learned very quickly and achieved his 310T license 3 years later. Dakota did all of his online training and became Diamond Certified very early in his career. Dakota goes the extra mile when it comes to hard-to-diagnose trucks. He will use the OnCommand connection link to follow trucks, locations, and faults. He goes into the field with drivers, trying to duplicate faults to ensure his diagnostics are precise, finds the root issue, and does not guess at parts. Dakota always follows up with customers to ensure they are happy and the truck is running as it should.
Dakota helps out heavily with our dealership technician recruitment program. He has visited local schools showing students / future techs our products and technology. Dakota works very well with the students, answers all questions, and assists with their path to becoming a 310T tech. He always takes time to assist apprentices and shows them the correct way to do a job.
Dakota's experience and training across all dealer suppliers make him a top producer. Along with being Diamond Certified, Dakota has performed all the hands-on training for Cummins, Allison, Eaton, A26, and S13. Dakota has his own diagnostic station and service bay that he takes care of, and he maintains a clean and safe work environment.
Dakota is a great, well-rounded, talented technician. His vast knowledge of the job and his experience allow him to help out in all our dealership’s departments. He is a great example of working through the dealership, starting at the bottom and working his way to the top! Dakota enjoys the outdoors (snowmobiling, fishing, and ATVing) and spending time with his family. Dakota is happily married to Lizz and has two children, Reggie and Audrey.
