WheelTime makes concerted effort to advance new technician education

Now in its second year, WheelTime Network hosted the ‘Road to SuperTech’ competition in conjunction with Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, N.C. WheelTime’s sponsorship of the competition expands upon the Network’s focus on training and education by exposing students to industry opportunities, and showcases Forsyth Tech’s dedication to working hand-in-hand with industry professionals.

“For the most part, the trucking industry has not been involved in the curriculum created by the schools,” said George Arrants, director of training and recruitment for WheelTime Network. “Today, technology is changing so fast that historical teaching methods can’t keep up, making it difficult to create a curriculum that provides everything today’s students need. Forsyth Tech and WheelTime aim to break this cycle by working together to create a tailored, real-world program that prepares new technicians for good jobs that are readily available and waiting for them.”

In addition to the competitions and increased local technical school involvement, WheelTime continues to develop its WheelTime University online and hands-on courses. Last year, WheelTime began offering these courses to school faculties and companies outside of the WheelTime Network. These courses prepare participants for industry-standard ASE certification and the utilization of new diagnostic technologies to make repair jobs more accurate. Key to this training is exposure to the Cojali Jaltest Multibrand Diagnostic Tool. Recent updates to the Cojali Jaltest system involved advanced diagnostic capabilities and after-treatment information to better understand issues revealed by an ever-increasing number of onboard computers.

The 2016 ‘Road to SuperTech” competition gave WheelTime Member techs, as well as Forsyth Tech students, a chance to use these tools and learn best practices. The ‘Road to SuperTech’ event kicked off with two training sessions in the afternoon and concluded with a competition the following day. Technicians from W.W. Williams and Clarke Power Services competed alongside five Forsyth Tech students. Elijah Doub took first among the Forsyth Tech students and will receive a WheelTime sponsored trip to compete in the American Trucking Association’s 2016 TMC FutureTech SuperTech competition this fall. Kyle Ballard with Clarke Power Services took first place among the professional technicians, followed by Aaron Burdick and Kevin Fricke- Clarke, also with Clarke Power Services.