TMC honors five individuals with Silver Spark Plug; recognizes other industry leaders

American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council honored five industry professionals with its highest honor — the Silver Spark Plug —at its 2016 TMC Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition.

“Each year, TMC recognizes professional excellence in our industry with the Silver Spark Plug,” said Carl Kirk, ATA vice president of maintenance, information technology & logistics and TMC executive director. “These five individuals represent the pinnacle of our field and we are proud to have them as members of TMC and to honor them with this award.”

This year’s honorees are:

Curtis Cummings, advisor for maintenance support, FedEx Freight, Harrison, Ark.; Duane Lippincott, senior project manager, United Parcel Service, Atlanta; Alex Moultanovsky, vice president, Automotive Climate Control, Elkhart, Ind.; Randy Tumbarello, maintenance director, Trimac Transportation, Gardena, Calif. and Richard Winters, fleet manager, Verizon Fleet Operations, New Freedom, Pa.

“I congratulate these tremendous individuals for their efforts to keep our trucks, and America, moving,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “Their hard work, and the hard work of the millions of Americans employed in our industry, is an example for all of us.”

“The Silver Spark Plug is only given to individuals who represent the best of our council in their commitment to improved engineering and maintenance standards through the development of TMC recommended practices,” said TMC General Chairman Kevin Tomlinson, director of maintenance, South Shore Transportation, Sandusky, Ohio. “I congratulate all these winners for their achievement and commitment.”

American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council also honored several industry professionals with a variety of awards for their important service to the council and the industry.

The awards were presented during the Council’s 2016 Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition.

These awards included:

Richard Winters, fleet manager, Verizon Fleet Operations, New Freedom, Pa., who was honored with the Peggy Fisher Study Group Leadership Award
Jason Gagnon, shop manager, Transport America, North Jackson, Ohio, who was honored with the Excellence in Maintenance Award
Anita Byrne, national sales manager, Mobile InnerSpace, Wapakoneta, Ohio, Todd Cross, sales manager, Delco Remy, Pendleton, Ind., and Rob Nissen, national service manager, SAF-Holland USA, Muskegon, Mich., who were honored as Recognized Associates
Alex Knight, market segmentation manager, Class C Solutions Group, Independence, Ohio, who was honored with the Study Group Secretary Award.

“For 60 years, TMC has worked to set and improve the standards for commercial vehicle maintenance and equipment,” said Carl Kirk, ATA vice president of maintenance, information technology & logistics and TMC executive director, “and these individuals exemplify that in their work every day. Congratulations to them and to all our hard-working TMC members who are setting the bar for our industry.”

The Peggy Fisher Study Group Leadership Award, established in 1986 and named after its first recipient, honors excellence in management of TMC study group activity. To earn this award, candidates must demonstrate distinguished service as a study group chairman for three years, earn the respect of their peers, and demonstrate leadership in the creation of new recommended practices and organizing technical programs. Since 1986, only 17 individuals have received the honor.

Winters, a TMC member since 2005, has been active in the S.14 Light- & Medium-Duty Trucks and S.15 Specialty Trucks Study Groups and Corrosion Control Action Committee for many years, serving as S.14 chairman since 2009. He has overseen the development or update of numerous recommended practices in S.14/S.15 and oversaw the merger of the two study groups. He has chaired or moderated numerous technical sessions and chaired several task forces, including CCAC’s Hydraulic Brake Systems Corrosion Control and S.14 RP Updates. He is a recipient of TMC’s Silver Spark Plug, the Council’s highest award.

The Excellence in Maintenance Supervision Award honors a front-line supervisor for excellent performance in maintenance supervision. Continuing a maintenance career that began in the United States Marine Corps, Gagnon has held positions from technician to shop manager at Transport America for nearly 15 years.

“Jason’s strong leadership presence combined with his interpersonal strength has earned him the respect of his team and his peers,” said Sam Broyles, regional maintenance leader for Transport America. “This has also cleared the path for positive process improvements and reduced the time necessary for successful implementation of productivity enhancing changes in his shop.”

Over the past year, Jason’s team delivered a 51 percent increase in warranty dollars recovered as compared to the previous year. This was 53 percent over the expected target totaling more than $430,000.

The Recognized Associates award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the improvement of equipment, its maintenance and support of TMC activities.

Byrne, a TMC member since 2009, received the TMC Study Group Secretary Award in 2015 and has served on the Member Outreach and Secretary Committees. She currently serves as Study Group Secretary for the Corrosion Control Action Committee and has served as secretary for several task forces.

Cross, a TMC member since 1995, has served on the Meeting Mechanic and Sergeant-at-Arms Committees. He has been active in the S.1 Electrical Study Group and currently is chairman of the S.1 RP Updates Task Force.

Nissen, a TMC member since 1994, received TMC’s Silver Spark Plug award in 2015. He has served on the Mentor and Member Contact Committees. He has been active in the S.6 Chassis and Brake Systems and S.7 Trailers, Bodies and Material Handling Study Groups, having chaired several task forces.

Knight, a TMC member since 2005, has contributed to the recommended practice development process and assisted in organizing technical sessions as secretary of the S.14 Light- & Medium-Duty/Specialty Trucks Study Group. In addition to her role as study group secretary, she serves as secretary for all eight of S.14’s active task forces.

Deryk Powell, president of Velociti, presented special prizes to the schools of the top three winners of TMCFutureTech 2015, who were:

1st Place —Daniel Hanna, Forsyth Technical Community College
2nd Place — Jonathan Kelly, Southside Virginia Community College
3rd Place was Karl Kerutis, WyoTech Blairsville

TMCFutureTech is sponsored by Velociti.

Mr. Powell presented Leonard Kiser, dean of engineering, of Forsyth Technical Community College, with:

$2,500 of Mac Tools in the form of a gift certificate to be redeemed by the school
One Eaton Fuller Reman Transmission,
A year of access to Cengage Learning's ASE Truck Technician Test Prep for their diesel tech students from Cengage Learning
A Mini Dream Shop from Reliance Supply, which retails for $2000.

The schools' whose students placed 2nd and 3rd also received a year of access to Cengage Learning’s ASE Truck Technician Test Prep for their diesel tech students from Cengage Learning.

Accepting the prizes for Southside were Jonathan Kelly and Bryan Lewis, and accepting for WyoTech was Duane Tegels.

Moultanovsky, a TMC member since 2006, has been active in the S.4 Cab & Controls Study Group, and currently chairs several task forces pertaining to the update of TMC’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning recommended practices for cabs and sleeper berths, and has made significant contributions to the development of TMC recommended practices for more than 15 years. He has also served as a liaison to the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Tumbarello, a TMC member since 2011, has been active in S.3 Engine and S.5 Fleet Maintenance Management Study Groups for several years, serving as first vice chairman of S.3 from 2012-2014 and chairman since. He has overseen the development or update of numerous recommended practices and has chaired or moderated numerous technical sessions. He has chaired the LNG/CNG Task Force and led the development of an information report addressing the Specification, Deployment and Maintenance Considerations for Natural Gas Powered Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles. Additionally, he is a member of ATA Technical Advisory Group.