Cox Automotive's most skilled technicians recently converged on the Indiana Conference Center to test their skills in the annual Top Tech competition. The event brings together technicians from across the U.S. from Cox’s Fleet Services and Manheim businesses.

The technicians who competed at Top Tech represent the top 1% of Cox Automotive’s technicians. The 45 Top Tech finalists each competed in one of three areas: Heavy Duty Truck, Light/Medium-Duty Truck, and Trailer    The winner in each category earned the opportunity to compete against other industry technicians at American Trucking Associations’ TMCSuperTech in September.

“This competition is Cox Automotive's way to promote, uplift, and excite our technicians. We consider our full group of technicians a best-in-class technician group and we want to take those who have the initiative and those special skills and highlight them, give them an opportunity to shine,” said Kevin Clark, assistant vice president, vehicle operations for Fleet Services.

The Indianapolis event, held this year in late June, was more than just technicians gathering to compete. Technicians each year are allowed to bring their families along for the experience. That typically means spouses, children, and sometimes siblings.

“We make sure they know the event is all about them,” he said. “This group is the top 45. We're talking about some of the best brains in the business. These folks have incredible initiative, and it's good to promote that.”

How a Technician Qualifies for Top Tech

Cox Automotive technicians from across the country each year are invited to try to qualify for the annual competition. Last year was the first time the competition was also open to Manheim technicians. Phase one of the qualification process involved an online test that features 50 ASE-style questions per category. The categories were:

• Heavy-Duty

• Light-Medium Duty

• Trailer

Clark said last year, and again this year, more than 600 technicians with the company took the qualifier tests. The top 15 in each category advanced to Top Tech.

A technician can test in all three categories, but he or she can only advance to compete in Top Tech in one category. This year marked an increase in contestants as 45 finalists vied for the top honors compared to 30 last year. The difference was Cox brought five more techs per category into Top Tech in 2024.

Competing at Top Tech

The Top Tech competitors faced written and practical exams that challenged their technical skills and problem-solving abilities. Each category — heavy-duty, light/medium-duty, trailer —featured 15 testing stations and each challenge lasted about 22 minutes.

“I am thrilled to congratulate our Top Tech champions Michael 'Jr.' Kerfoot, Zach Nikorak, and Dillon Grimes, as well as all the elite technicians who competed this year. Their exceptional skills and dedication make them true leaders in our industry, and they represent the best-in-class team we have in Fleet Services by Cox Automotive, as well as Manheim,” said Patrick Brennan, senior vice president of Fleet Services.

The 2024 Top Tech winners and runners-up were:

Light/Medium Duty Category

• 1st Place: Zach Nikorak (Fleet Services)

• 2nd Place: Darin Branton (Manheim)

Trailer Category

• 1st Place: Dillon Grimes (Fleet Services)

• 2nd Place: Jameson "Bud" Haney (Fleet Services)

“Being a great technician isn’t just turning wrenches day to day—it's understanding the ins and outs of the equipment you're working with, repair procedures, quirks, and navigating labor guides," Grimes said. "I am thankful to Cox Automotive for allowing me the resources to excel in these areas and helping me grow to the point where I can become a finalist in our Top Tech competition and, after two visits, become a grand champion. I love the competition, everything it includes, and the recognition that comes from being able to prove our skills as best-in-class technicians.”

“This is my second year attending Top Tech, and the event itself is second to none," Haney said. "I hope to keep coming every year given the chance to attend. Testing my knowledge and ability against some of the top techs in the country is something special. I enjoy the “rush” competition brings.  In a way, I just treated it as another day of work. I put my head down and worked towards completing the task at hand. When doing that at 15 stations in the time frame you have it definitely tests you.”   

Heavy-Duty Category

• 1st Place: Michael "Jr." Kerfoot (Fleet Services)

• 2nd Place: Jose Feliciano (Fleet Services)

“Participating in Top Tech is a unique experience, you get the opportunity to meet and learn from your peers in the industry from across the country," Kerfoot said.

“Every year I look forward to this event because it challenges me to improve my skills and knowledge," said Feliciano. "It’s amazing to meet other technicians that have the same passion and dedication towards the industry as me. The Top Tech competition is a celebration of our technicians and a reward for their hard work. For that reason, I encourage everyone on our team to take the qualifying test and for the chance to experience Top Tech.”

Of this year’s top six, three winners and three runners-up, four had returned to the competition after placing in 2023 Top Tech.

Nikorak placed first in light/medium duty in 2023 and returned and successfully defended his title this year, making it the fifth consecutive year he claimed the champion title. Kerfoot last year won in trailer, but this year competed in heavy-duty and again claimed top honors. Last year, Feliciano claimed first in heavy-duty, then returned in the same category this year and took second. He has now won three first-place titles and four second-place titles over the years. Grimes was also a return competitor but had not placed in the top two until his win in the trailer category this year.

“You need to learn how the competition works, and that kind of shows up in a person like Dillon Grimes, who won the trailer category. He was better prepared this year in the trailer category, and did very, very well. Won multiple stations and trailer overall,” Clark explained.

Also, this was the first year Top Tech had a female technician compete, Kendall Bryant. She had the top score at one of the safety and environmental stations in the trailer category.

Moving On to the Next Level at TMCSuperTech

Cox Automotive typically sends six technicians to represent the company at TMCSuperTech each year. The three overall winners from this year will do just so, but the company will also invite last year’s Top Tech winners.

Fleet Services and Manheim technicians placed highly in the last TMCSuperTech.

Those technicians were:

Zach Nikorak (Fleet Services)

• 2nd Place Overall in LMV Track

• 1st Place in Wiring Diagrams

• 1st place in electric circuits

• 1st place in wheel end

• 1st place in liftgates

AJ Snyder (Manheim)

• 3rd place overall in LMV track

• 1st place in written test

• 1st place in EVAP systems

• 1st place in electric vehicle safety

Michael "Jr." Kerfoot (Fleet Services)

• 2nd place overall in trailer track

• 1st place in written test

• 1st place in hydraulics and drivebelts

• 1st place in central tire inflation

• 1st place in trailer electrical corrosion

What is the Key to Recruiting New Technicians?

Fleet Services by Cox Automotive faces the same recruiting challenges as many fleets, other service companies, and vehicle dealers. Much of the knowledge base is leaving the profession as older technicians reach retirement, so new technicians must be recruited and trained.

So, what is the key to finding those new technicians?

Mostly it is about building a culture based on keeping technicians happy and then using recruiters to spread the word about why aspiring technicians should join the team.

“No one has the magic bullet on that, but I think that we're the closest to the magic bullet in the industry,” Clark said. “If you're out looking for experienced technicians, you have to be a great place to work, a place that is a built by technicians, for technicians, a place that has a career path.

Clark, a former technician, points out that different technicians might have different ideas of the career paths they want. Some may want to remain a technician and stay on the shop floor until retirement, while others might want to begin as a technician and eventually move into a management or leadership role. A company must have a plan to help either of those technicians follow his or her chosen career path.

In a technician-centered company, he points out, there must be good benefits, such as healthcare coverage and vacation time.  

For individuals new to technician work who are interested in pursuing a technician career, one option is the company’s FleeTec Academy in Indianapolis. They are provided technical training, systems training, safety awareness training, and more so they are well-prepared as they start their technician careers with Cox.

“We are really focused on making sure that we have in their daily routine. They know how important they are to the business. We do everything we can to take care of them,” Clark explained.