october2022 - 46

TMCSuperTech
Female tech makes history at TMCSuperTech 2022
alternative-fuel
vehicles
in the future to blend her
passions together.
" It has
been exactly what I needed. "
Greenwood's victory may
» Bonnie
Greenwood,
FedEx Freight
shop technician
also be just what the industry
needs to attract more
female technicians. Female
technicians account for about
2-3% of the vehicle repair
sector, according to industry
estimates.
" I feel incredibly proud to
be representing women in
this industry today, to have
this opportunity-I'm really
thankful, " Greenwood said
shortly after the event. " And
I just encourage more and more women to get
involved. The trades need more people. And
there's a whole other half of our population that
we haven't tapped fully into. "
While SuperTech only had one other female
» FedEx Freight technician Phillip Pinter became TMC SuperTech Grand Champion for the second time.
Photos: John Hitch | Fleet Maintenance
As FedEx Freight dominated the TMCSuperTech competition,
shop technician Bonnie Greenwood scored a historic
victory for female techs by coming in second place.
CLEVELAND-For the second time in four
tries, FedEx Freight's Phillip Pinter became
Grand Champion of TMCSuperTech, the annual
American Trucking Associations Technology and
Maintenance Council's National Technicians Skills
Competition. The event was held in Cleveland's
Huntington Convention Center from September
25-26. Pinter's colleague Bonnie Greenwood came
in second place, which is the highest ranking ever
for a female in the competition's 17-year history.
Pinter last won the intense two-day event, which
tests a technician's knowledge and hands-on skills
in regards to heavy-duty trucking maintenance,
in 2018. TMCSuperTech was not held in 2020 due
to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He credited pouring over TMC's Recommended
Practices and manufacturers' maintenance manuals
as the key to his success. " It's a lot of reading
and it's a lot of work, " Pinter said. " There's a lot of
time that goes into it. "
Pinter also credited his shop teacher at his
Dundee, Michigan, high school for pushing him
into the trade. He attended Michigan Institute
of aviation technology in 2009, but switched to
the more in-demand automotive repair field. He
went to heavy-duty diesel in 2015, when he joined
FedEx Freight.
" I haven't really looked back since, " he said. " The
automotive and heavy truck industries have treated
me very well. "
The win also paid quite well, with Pinter taking
home nearly $20,000 in shop equipment and
prizes, supplied by companies including Cox
Automotive, Hendrickson, Imperial Supplies,
MOTOR Information, Noregon, NEXIQ, Premier
Tuck Group, Reliance, Snap-On, and Truck-Lite.
Greenwood, a shop technician in the Salt
Lake City area, was also the first woman to win
TMCFutureTech, the student version of SuperTech.
Greenwood, who has bachelor's degree in
wildlife biology, went to WyoTech in Laramie,
Wyoming, to learn how to become a diesel technician.
She was attracted to the math and science
» The Trailer Wheel End station
required a hands-on approach.
46 Fleet Maintenance | October 2022
aspects of the trade.
" This was a very good industry to get into, "
said Greenwood, who hopes to work more on
competitor, women represented about a quarter of
the 17 FutureTech participants, all from WyoTech.
Greenwood reiterated that female techs " can do
any job we set our minds to, " and that any women
thinking about a career in the trades should " chase
that down and go after it. "
And what would Greenwood say to anyone
questioning that she is one of the most capable
techs in the country, regardless of gender?
" I'd say, 'Step back and watch me work.' I can do
any job, and I will find a way to do it, " she asserted.
FedEx Freight swept the top five of the two-day
competition, with Eric Vos finishing third, Doug
Nickles fourth, and Kelby Bentley fifth.
This year, Mario Kjuka, a student at Forsyth
Technical Community College in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina, won TMCFutureTech. Timothy
Rose from Ferris State University finished second
and Braedon Pollard from DMACC Transportation
Institute finished third.
FedEx Freight's Cory Westfall won the
TMCSuperTech Trailer Track competition, with
Cox Automotive's Michael Kerfoot Jr. finishing
second. Travis Cox of FedEx Freight placed third.
In the light- and medium-duty track, Phillip
Barlow of FedEx Freight came in first, edging out
Kevin Malczyk of Frito-lay North America (second)
and FedEx Freight's Chris Czerwinski (third).
The first day of the competition for the
heavy-duty track, September 25, comprised a
series of written exams at 12 stations, while the
second day was more hands-on.
" After a two-year pause, having a full competition
with all of our tracks and hosting 140
technicians was tremendously gratifying, "
said Robert Braswell, TMC executive director.
" Congratulations not just to the winners, but to
all the competitors for making it to Nationals, and
we look forward to seeing them all back here next
year. " -John Hitch

october2022

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