Any attendee to the Technology & Maintenance Council National Technician Skills Competition, TMCSuperTech2013, and the TMC Fall Meeting may take advantage of additional educational opportunities by attending the Professional Technician Development Committee (PTDC) Technician Training Fair. Held in conjunction with the two events, the fair is a series of training sessions designed specifically for technicians, shop supervisors and fleet managers to help them stay up-to-date on the latest vehicle service and maintenance technologies and techniques.
The fall meeting, TMCSuperTech and training fair will all take place between and Thursday, Sept. 9 to 12, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.
TMC (tmc.trucking.org), North America's premier technical society for truck equipment technology and maintenance professionals, works to improve transport equipment, its maintenance and maintenance management. A group within TMC, the PTDC promotes professionalism of commercial vehicle technicians.
The PTDC training qualifies for National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) (www.natef.org) continuing education credits. The primary mission of this non-profit foundation is to improve the quality of automotive technician training programs nationwide through voluntary accreditation.
What's more, TMCSuperTech competitors who attend any of the training fair sessions are awarded bonus points which count toward scoring on the TMCSuperTech.
Fleet Maintenance (www.vehicleservicepros.com) is proud to be a Platinum Sponsor of the TMCSuperTech.
There are five training sessions scheduled for this year's PTDC Technician Training Fair. Each session is repeated during the two-day educational event to maximize the number of training opportunities.
TUESDAY SEPT. 10
- 8 - 9:30 a.m. Training Session 1 - Fastener Training 101. This session will provide attendees with the ability to identify cap screws, nuts and washers for their grade and finishes. Also covered will be the importance of proper torque and how to determine correct fastener length.
- 9:45 - 11:15 a.m. Training Session 2 -Compressed Natural Gas Engines - Spark Ignition Components. This will be an overview of the spark ignition system and its various components. The construction, operation, heat range and failure analysis of spark plugs used in compressed natural gas engines will also be addressed.
WEDNESDAY SEPT. 11
- 7 - 10:30 a.m. Training Sessions 3, 4 and 5 will each will be repeated at 7 - 8 a.m., 8:15 - 9:15 a.m. and 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
- Training Session 3 - Compressed and Liquid Natural Gas Technology and Safety. This course will cover the properties of liquid and compressed natural gas as a vehicle fuel, the various components on natural gas-powered vehicles and the safety procedures technicians must know. Laws and regulations related to natural gas vehicles and repair facilities will be discussed as well.
- Training Session 4 - Fifth Wheel Upper Coupler Technology and Inspection. Information about the upper coupler technology design and function, in addition to preventative maintenance and inspection guidelines, is the focus of this course.
- Training Session 5 - Computer-Based Total Vehicle Diagnostic Routines. Here, attendees will learn the benefits of using computer-based diagnostic tools to identify electronic-related issues occurring in the repair and maintenance of heavy and medium duty vehicles. Included will be examples of in-shop evaluations for general repair order and preventive maintenance processes with and without total vehicle diagnostic routine integration.
