U.S. Xpress MAXimum Tech Competition [Photos]
The 30 technicians at the competition were chosen based on their scores on written tests from U.S. Xpress’s 600-plus techs at locations around the country. Photo: Deborah Lockridge
The event was the brainchild of Senior VP of Maintenance Gerald "Gerry" Mead, right, here joking with some of the techs in between station rotations. “Part of working at a company is having fun.” Photo: Deborah Lockridge
U.S. Xpress Chairman and co-founder Max Fuller, left, for whom the competition is named, chats with Gerry Mead, senior VP of maintenance. Photo: Deborah Lockridge
Happy winners pose at U.S. Xpress headquarters. All competing techs got a tour of HQ and got to meet the top execs. Photo: U.S. Xpress
James Teglas, the top tractor tech winner, takes a closer look. Photo: Deborah Lockridge
The competition was greatly expanded from the first year, approximately doubling the number of competition stations and the number of techs. Photo: Deborah Lockridge
With warm spring breezes coming in the open bay doors, technicians rotated through the stations, with a buzzer denoting the beginning and end of the 20-minute time limit. Photo: U.S. Xpress
Photo: Deborah Lockridge
U.S. Xpress hopes to gain insight into areas where more training is needed. If these top technicians are struggling in a particular area, it’s a safe bet that others are, as well. Photo: Deborah Lockridge
The event was patterned after TMC’s SuperTech competition, focusing on the organization’s Recommended Practices rather than specific company or manufacturer procedures. Photo: Deborah Lockridge
Air disc brakes were part of the challenge on both tractors and trailers. Photo: Deborah Lockridge
Trailers were added to this year's competition. Photo: Deborah Lockridge
Photo: Deborah Lockridge
Photo: Deborah Lockridge