PITTSBURGH -- TMC is on a roll. Attendance at the Technology & Maintenance Council’s gathering this week set a record for an annual fall meeting, while council membership is likewise up and will continue to climb, officials reported.

The larger numbers can be partly attributed to a recovering economy and a healthier trucking industry, but also are the fruits of an outreach campaign begun 18 months ago, said Peggy Fisher, chairman of membership and publicity and president of Tire Stamp Inc.

TMC now has 2,652 members, including 838 who joined this year, she said. Membership is composed of 1,153 associate members from truck and components suppliers; 1,338 fleet executives and managers; 24 owner-operators; 69 educators; 206 technicians; and 127 service providers from dealers and independent shops.

Attendance at the Pittsburgh meeting is 1,102, said Dan Umphress, TMC vice chairman of meetings and vice president of fleet services at Fleet Advantage in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The largest group represented are 540 associate (supplier) members, as well as 170 full (fleet) members and 131 in other categories.

He said 128 technicians registered for TMC’s annual SuperTech competition, also going on in conjunction with the meeting. Winners will be determined through more testing at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center downtown. Most meetings on Monday took place at the adjacent Westin Hotel.

TMC has formed a strategic planning committee to guide its operations in coming years, and has hired a consulting firm to write a marketing plan, said Kirk Altrichter, general chairman and treasurer, and vice president of maintenance at Gordon Trucking in Pacific, Wash.

The committee will continue expanding membership and explore the offering of additional services and benefits to make joining more worthwhile, especially to fleet managers, said its chairman, Bob Flesher, a retired maintenance chief at FedEx Ground.

Many consider TMC the premier source of maintenance and equipment knowledge in the trucking industry. The group is part of the American Trucking Associations, headquartered in Alexandria, Va.