Spanning six months and with the participation of hundreds of technicians from the United States and Canada, Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) named Joe Speelman and Kyle Ballard the winners of its 2019 Technician Skills Competition.

Twelve technicians participated in the final round, which took place at DTNA’s Portland headquarters. The hands-on competition tested technicians’ ability to diagnose and repair DTNA’s range of products, including the Freightliner Cascadia, new Cascadia, Detroit heavy-duty engines and the Detroit DT12 automated manual transmission.

Joe Speelman of Western Idaho Freightliner in Nampa, Ida., was the Vehicle Competition winner, while Kyle Ballard of Clark Power Services in Charlotte, N.C., was the winner of the Engine Competition.

“Congratulations to Joe and Kyle, and to all of the technicians who participated in this tough program. Our Technician Skills Competition demonstrates the deep level of knowledge and quality all of our technicians possess,” said Paul Romanaggi, chief customer experience officer for Daimler Trucks North America. “The technicians – as well as everyone in our service network – are integral to our mission to deliver a superior experience to our customers by providing the highest level of diagnostics and service.”  

With an service network spanning across the U.S. and Canada, DTNA and its affiliated service locations invest more than $20 million in technician training and development annually. Some of the programs and initiatives include:

• Get Ahead Program is a partnership program between DTNA, technical schools, and DTNA service network locations that provides students free access to web-based training materials, service literature and diagnostic link licenses.

• Finish First is a 12-week, hands-on training program offered at select Universal Technical Institute campuses. Students earn certifications for Freightliner and Western Star trucks and Detroit engines. Students can also apply for scholarships to the Finish First program through DTNA’s TechForce Foundation.

• MasterTech Recognition Program recognizes and rewards technicians who go above and beyond in the pursuit of providing an unsurpassed customer experience.