The Technology & Maintenance Council announced that its new Friends of the Technician program helps fund efforts to attract new technicians to the trucking industry.

TMC’s Professional Technician Development Committee sponsors scholarships, advertising campaigns aimed at students and guidance counselors, outreach efforts and other high-visibility
efforts. The committee is organizing TMCSuperTech2005, TMC's inaugural National Technical Skills Competition, to be held Sept. 18-20 in conjunction with TMC's 2005 Fall Meeting, Sept.
19-22, at the Valley Forge Convention Plaza in Valley Forge, Pa.
Friends of the Technician sponsorships include four levels - Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze - that reflect annual sponsorship levels by companies, organizations or individuals at the $20,000, $10,000, $5,000 and $2,000 level.
As of May 17, Platinum level sponsors include: WyoTech technical college, Fleet Maintenance Magazine/Cygnus Business Media and Wheeltime Network.
Gold level sponsors include: Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems and ArvinMeritor. Bronze level sponsors include: Universal Technical Institute.
Information on how to become a Friend of the Technician sponsor is available online at www.truckline.com/aboutta/councils/tmc/ptdcsponsorship, or by contacting David Miller, TMC exhibit services manager, at 703-838-1927 or dmiller@trucking.org.