SCHAUMBURG, IL - Tom Marty and Luc Ouellet took home the "Top Service Technician" Awards at the 2011 Navistar Service-Technician Rodeo after going head-to-head with ten other commercial bus and service technicians in a series of simulations designed to test technical skills and speed.

Marty, a service technician for Mid-State Truck in Plover, Wisconsin, and Ouellet, a service technician for Camions International Elite in Quebec City, Canada, are two of twelve top service technicians from International and IC Bus dealers across North America selected to compete in the fifth annual Navistar Service-Technician Rodeo held at the Schaumburg Convention Center last month.

"Tom and Luc demonstrated the highest skills and abilities in key areas of commercial servicing among the top 12 Diamond certified technicians competing in the event," said Vaughn Allen, vice president, product customer support, Navistar.

The technicians competed head-to-head in a series of thirteen stations designed to simulate service areas for air conditioning, brakes, drive train, electrical and MaxxForce engines. Each technician was scored on how quickly and effectively he navigated his way through the stations, diagnosing and fixing the simulated problems.

All of the participants are Diamond-certified through Navistar's official certification program for its service technicians. In additions, the technicians are all either Automotive Service Excellence or Canadian Provincial certified.

Participants for the rodeo were selected from an overall group of the top 400 technicians at International and IC Bus dealers. From there, the group was narrowed to 12 participants through online testing, with the highest-scoring technicians in each region of the U.S. and Canada invited to compete in the rodeo.

Technicians from the following dealerships competed in the rodeo:

• Hunter Truck Sales & Service (Pittsburgh, PA)

• Truck King International Sales & Service (Bronx, NY)

• Hunter Truck Sales & Service (Smithfield, PA)

• Roberts Truck Center (Albuquerque, NM)

• Maudlin International Trucks, Inc. (Orlando, FL)

• Rush Truck Centers of ID (Twin Falls, ID)

• Mid-State Truck Service, Inc. (Plover, WI)

• Summit Motors LTD (Taber, AB, Canada)

• Lewis Motor Sales, Inc. (Barrie, ON, Canada)

• Centre Camion Beaudoin (Saint-Hyacinthe, PQ, Canada)

• Midwest Transit Equipment (Whitestown, IN)

• Camions International Elite (Quebec City, PQ, Canada)

"Those participating in this competition have completed all the required and optional trainings and are at the top of their game," said John Pfennig, manager global education, Navistar. "They represent our 8,000-plus service technicians from International and IC Bus dealerships, the highest number of any medium/heavy commercial-truck and bus manufacturer."

Navistar's Got Your Back

Navistar customers are backed by the International and IC Bus dealer network, the industry's largest in North America, with more than 700 International dealer locations and 8,000 service technicians.

Navistar works closely with its dealers to train technicians on all vehicle systems. With eight training centers in the United States and Canada - as well as in-dealership training and web-based training - the International and IC Bus dealer channel can assure customers they are getting the fastest and most accurate service in the industry.

"With the largest dealer network in the industry, International and IC Bus dealers service vehicles nearly anywhere, anytime," Pfennig said. "The ability of International and IC Bus dealers to repair vehicles right the first time and get customers back on the road is a key business advantage."