October 2022 - 54
in California, where he works now as an
equipment mechanic II (he was promoted
two years ahead of schedule). It was his
supervisor, Frank Palmer, fleet services
supervisor, who nominated Matney for
the Motor Age and PTEN Best Young
Tech Award because he has been incredibly
impressed by this young man since the
day he interviewed for the job.
" He blew me away, " Palmer says. " As a
22-year-old, his maturity, knowledge, and
awesome attitude are very impressive. "
Matney, now 23, started out doing
p Austin Matney
Austin Matney
wins 2022 Best
Young Tech Award
His quality of work and can-do attitude
set this young tech apart from the rest.
By Amanda Silliker, Contributing Editor
A
ustin Matney has been
turning wrenches for as
long as he can remember.
When he was a little kid, he
was always trying to " fix " his
bike or skateboard and later
helped his dad work on ATVs
and UTVs. At age 15, he started
working part-time for his now
father-in-law at his mobile semitruck
repair business.
" I would do odds and ends stuff for him
after school, trying to learn, and I couldn't
get enough of it, " he says.
Then at 17, he got a full-time job working
for his now father-in-law's brother who
had an auto repair shop near his hometown
in Camarillo, Calif. He worked there
during the day and still worked after hours
on heavier duty repairs with his fatherin-law.
After doing this for five years,
Matney applied at the City of Ventura
Marquee Sponsors
Supporting Sponsors
54 PTEN OCTOBER 2022 www.VehicleServicePros.com
simple preventative maintenance on basic
fleet equipment but quickly displayed his
skills. The fleet of 454 pieces of equipment
and six technicians went from 12 percent
preventative maintenance compliance to 98
percent in Matney's first six months on the
job, and they completed 1,007 backlogged
repairs. His throughput increased 54 percent
since he started at the city about a year
and a half ago.
" We all knew what we had to do, "
Matney explains. " There was a big list of
what was behind, so we all got on the same
page and upped our workload to a different
level than what we were at before, "
Matney explains. " Sometimes we would
skip breaks to make sure the jobs got done
and just putting our heads down and getting
through it; working at a lot faster pace
than normal, but not without reducing the
quality of work. "
STEPPING UP TO THE CHALLENGE
Over the last six months, Matney
has been running the heavy side of
Palmer's shop, and then he was moved
over to Fire Apparatus Preventative
Maintenance and Repair. This spot
is normally reserved for Palmer's top
technician, but Matney stepped up to
the challenge " never grumbling or complaining,
just showing results. "
For example, Matney has " singlehandedly
led the charge " on keeping
the city's one and only ladder truck up
http://www.VehicleServicePros.com
October 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2022
EDITOR'S NOTE
NEW PRODUCTS
DIAGNOSTIC TECH
TOOL BRIEFING
TOOL REVIEWS
PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNERS
BEST YOUNG TECH
SOCIAL INFLUENCER
INNOVATION AWARDS PROFILE
CATEGORY SPOTLIGHT
BIG-TIME BOXES
October 2022 - 1
October 2022 - 2
October 2022 - 3
October 2022 - 4
October 2022 - 5
October 2022 - 6
October 2022 - 7
October 2022 - EDITOR'S NOTE
October 2022 - 9
October 2022 - NEW PRODUCTS
October 2022 - RSC1
October 2022 - RSC2
October 2022 - 11
October 2022 - 12
October 2022 - 13
October 2022 - 14
October 2022 - 15
October 2022 - 16
October 2022 - 17
October 2022 - 18
October 2022 - 19
October 2022 - 20
October 2022 - DIAGNOSTIC TECH
October 2022 - 22
October 2022 - 23
October 2022 - 24
October 2022 - 25
October 2022 - 26
October 2022 - 27
October 2022 - TOOL BRIEFING
October 2022 - 29
October 2022 - 30
October 2022 - 31
October 2022 - 32
October 2022 - 33
October 2022 - 34
October 2022 - 35
October 2022 - TOOL REVIEWS
October 2022 - 37
October 2022 - 38
October 2022 - 39
October 2022 - PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNERS
October 2022 - 41
October 2022 - 42
October 2022 - 43
October 2022 - 44
October 2022 - 45
October 2022 - 46
October 2022 - 47
October 2022 - 48
October 2022 - 49
October 2022 - 50
October 2022 - 51
October 2022 - 52
October 2022 - 53
October 2022 - BEST YOUNG TECH
October 2022 - 55
October 2022 - 56
October 2022 - 57
October 2022 - SOCIAL INFLUENCER
October 2022 - INNOVATION AWARDS PROFILE
October 2022 - CATEGORY SPOTLIGHT
October 2022 - 61
October 2022 - 62
October 2022 - 63
October 2022 - 64
October 2022 - 65
October 2022 - BIG-TIME BOXES
October 2022 - 67
October 2022 - 68
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/june_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/2022scantoolspecguide
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/may_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/april_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/february_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/october_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/september_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/pten_0821
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/pten_0721
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/scantoolspecguide2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/pten_0621
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/lift_guide_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/may_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/professional_tool_and_equipment_news_april_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/pten_0321
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_February_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_December_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_October_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_September_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_August_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_July_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_and_Equipment_News_June_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_May_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_April_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_March_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_February_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_December_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_Octoberr_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_September_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_August_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_July_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_June_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_May_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_April_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/PTEN_0319
https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/professionaltoolandequipmentnews/PTEN_0219
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com