Commercial vehicles today are mobile marvels of safety, efficiency, and leading-edge technology. And it takes an army of talented technicians to keep them rolling safely and help support their drivers as they keep America moving.

This National Technician Appreciation Week, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Bendix) celebrates and thanks the maintenance professionals whose around-the-clock efforts are vital to the trucking industry and the nation’s economy.

Sponsored by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), the third annual National Technician Appreciation Week takes place Oct. 2-8. The week comes on the heels of this year’s ATA TMC fall meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, and its TMC SuperTech skills competition for professional commercial vehicle technicians.

“Without trucks, America stops — and without technicians, trucks stop,” said Fred Andersky, Bendix director — government and industry affairs. “And we’re not just talking the big rigs on the freeway: School buses, cement mixers, fire and rescue vehicles, garbage haulers, and those ever-present package delivery vans — every single one of them is kept rolling by dedicated professionals whose skills enhance the safety of their drivers and the roads we all share. We’re incredibly grateful for all they do.”

Bendix — the North American development and manufacture of active safety, air management, and braking system technologies for commercial vehicles — was a sponsor of this year’s SuperTech competition and its wheel-end station. Bendix Supervisor of Technical Service Training, Brian Screeton, and Co-Chair of Technical Service, Kevin Pfost, helped develop the wheel-end station challenge, with Screeton on-site to serve as a judge during the competition.

“We really appreciate the chance to see these technicians at work – and honestly, we look forward to presenting them every year with a real test of their skills, because what they do is so impressive,” Screeton said. “Here’s to this year’s winners and everyone who skinned their knuckles and earned their spots in Cleveland.”