JANUARY 2023 TECHNICIAN OF INFLUENCE WINNERS
International® is pleased to announce the four winners of the Technician of Influence Award for the month of January. 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.
Apprentice Technician
Nemo is an extremely hard-working individual at Altruck International, showing every sign of becoming a very skilled technician. His thirst is to learn everything he can about the trucks he works on and the company he works for. Never one to back down from any work thrown in front of him, from PM services to transmissions to in frames, right down to the cleaning of the shop, no job is too big or too small for him.
Nemo takes his role very seriously, not only providing excellent service to our customers, but he also always has a free hand to help our technicians lift some tires back onto trucks, help with the diagnosis of a truck, or help out the other apprentices with jobs to get the trucks done as quickly as possible so our customers can make a living.
Nemo's customer service is next level. We have some customers who call for service and ask for him, which shows how he interacts with our customer base, treating everyone equally and with respect. I have received phone calls from customers complimenting him on how he carries himself in conversations and how quickly he diagnoses and repairs issues. Nemo takes his time to learn the job procedure and follows FCAP diagnostics to assure proper diagnostics have been completed.
Nemo has an infectious positive attitude that resonates with all the other employees we have; his work ethic and skill level are far beyond his years. As a level 2 apprentice, the knowledge and skill level he has acquired are mesmerizing. There is no question in my mind that Nemo will be a top-level technician who people will flock to for service and advice.
Service Technician
Southwest International is dedicated to our own 3 Cs: Customer/Cooperation/Can-Do! Fernando has nothing less than a Can-Do! attitude. He will help anyone who needs it, whether that be a customer, fellow technician, or another department. Fernando will come in early or stay late to do whatever it takes to help the company and get our customers back on the road.
Fernando is always willing to show newly hired service employees how we do things at SWIT. He will always stop what he's doing to help anyone tow in a disabled truck, get a Health Report or quickly check faults for a customer stopping by, or jump-start a truck for a customer picking up a vehicle that may have been sitting a while.
Fernando is not afraid of a challenge and will do his best to solve a problem, whether it is something he has never been tasked with or something he has already faced. Lately, Fernando has found his niche with Eaton Endurant transmissions. When given the option to replace or repair the transmission, we would always elect to get a replacement, but in one instance we had the rebuild parts available. Fernando was excited to take on the task of his first rebuild, which he completed without any hiccups. He performed that repair with pride, and we could all tell as we watched the repair progress.
Fernando is a young man with the right attitude to be around this industry for a long time. It is a great thing to see someone take pride in their work, not let a mistake get them down, and challenge themself to continuously improve their knowledge base and hands-on skills.
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
Tom has been a great employee of Mid-State Truck for over 35 years! He has earned his spot in bay #1 a hundred times over. From electrical to engine overhauls, Tom does what needs to be done.
When it comes to technicians, Tom is #1 and performs a great role as a mentor to everyone in the shop! We hope to keep Tom forever as the knowledge he holds in his head and the experience in his tools go unmatched!
As a technician rodeo winner and multiple-time qualifier, Tom has shown he has what it takes to be the best in the field! When it comes to customer satisfaction, you will often find Tom asking to talk with the customer when they arrive to get their truck so he can tell them what he found, how it came to that, and what can be done, if anything, to prevent it from causing downtime in the future. He is constantly "going the extra mile" to improve the quality of customer care we provide at Mid-State Truck and continues to show by example day after day!
Tom takes the hard jobs, but he also suggests certain jobs go to certain techs so he can oversee and mentor them. "Training moments" are common in bay #1 here in our facility. If a tech needs to be shown the correct way to do things, Tom is the tech to put in charge. If a customer returns with a similar complaint, Tom is the one we can trust with finding the root cause to prevent another return. Tom's technician efficiency is one of the best in the shop — comebacks are not an option for Tom and they don't happen.
There is a reason Tom is so busy — almost every customer we have requests him to repair their units. When Tom is out of the shop, he builds and flies RC planes and cars. He also enjoys biking and watching his grandson play hockey.
Service Technician
Thinking of the Lakeside International Trucks technician team in Milwaukee, it is hard not to be proud of the hard work and dedication of Jerry Enderle. Jerry is Master Certified in International as well as ISB, ISL, and X15 Cummins Certified. Working at Lakeside for 21 years, Jerry maintains the highest effective labor rate, highest efficiency, and highest proficiency in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin dealership, the largest Service department in the Lakeside group. Not only is Jerry a leader among his peers, but in early 2022, Jerry demonstrated leadership when identifying an opportunity to improve safety in the shop. Bringing the potential issue to the management team, Jerry proposed a solution that also included creatively incentivizing technicians for practicing safety procedures. It’s very much like Jerry to offer solutions when he sees an opportunity to make improvements for the department or even the company.
In early 2022, Jerry participated in the company’s largest technician recruitment campaign. The campaign included a live morning radio broadcast from the Milwaukee dealership shop floor with two area celebrity morning radio hosts. Jerry shared his story of being a diesel technician and had fun answering many questions about his trade for the live audience. As a result of Jerry being a guest on the radio show, the Human Resources department received several job applicants from diesel technicians and tech students several weeks following the broadcast, according to Rob Durham, Vice President, Human Resources and Marketing.
As an industry professional, Jerry’s sphere of influence is wide, with ideas that have touched every service department over his two decades with Lakeside. Jerry is a dedicated outdoorsman and is very passionate about taking hikes, water skiing, and kayaking with his wife, Julie. Jerry is looking forward to his next great adventure in this upcoming year as his daughter is expecting his first grandchild!
Jerry's attitude and positivity are contagious. He demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond for Lakeside customers every day.
