TravelCenters of America Techs Compete in TMCSuperTech Competition

WESTLAKE, Ohio -- Twelve of TravelCenters of America's (TA) Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)-Certified Master Technicians from its TA Truck Service and Petro:Lube businesses recently competed in the Technology & Maintenance Council's 2011 National Technician Skills Competition, the company announced.

The competition, known as TMCSuperTech, took place during TMC's fall meeting in Raleigh, N.C., and measured knowledge of medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle servicing. Participants were tested on knowledge of theory, as well as practical application.

TA Master Technician Chuck Ralston from Gary, Ind., took first place and was named Champion in the Hands-On Fasteners category, beating the two-time Fasteners category grand champion and 107 other technicians, according to the announcement. Ralston placed 16th overall in the competition, while fellow TA Master Technician David Greenfield from Hudson, Wis., earned 20th place overall.

"I couldn't be more proud of Chuck and David for their performance in this elite competition," said Ara Bagdasarian, executive vice president of truck service at TA. "Their placement at TMCSuperTech is testament to their dedication to providing the best service to our customers in need of truck maintenance and repair."

"TA/Petro was the only truckstop repair/service network with ASE-Certified Master Technicians in the TMCSuperTech competition," added Tom O'Brien, president and CEO of TA. "I think this speaks volumes about the investment we make in technical training. We want to be the best full-service travel centers on the highway, and our well-trained technicians are helping to prove this true."

This marks the fifth year in a row that one or more TA technicians have won a SuperTech Championship. TA Truck Service and Petro:Lube operate a combined 200 locations with more than 1,000 repair bays across the United States. TravelCenters of America operates in 41 states and Canada.