Ryder Announces Champion of Annual “Top Tech” Skills Competition
Warren Smith awarded $50,000 grand prize in best-of-the-best competition of truck maintenance mastery
Ryder System, Inc. has crowned Warren Smith of Ontario, Canada as the 2024 Ryder Top Technician and awarded him with a $50,000 cash prize.
The annual Ryder Top Technician (“Top Tech”) Skills Competition, now in its 23rd year, is designed to identify, showcase, and reward Ryder’s top performing truck maintenance professionals among its 4,800 U.S.- and Canada-based technicians. Held in a new city each year, the 2024 championship event took place at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“Congratulations to Warren Smith as this year’s Top Tech and a heartfelt thank you to all our finalists and competitors for another successful and inspiring display of truck maintenance mastery,” says Robert Sanchez, Chairman and CEO of Ryder. “Since 2002, our Top Tech competition week and grand prize are just one of the many ways we highlight the value of our skilled technician workforce – celebrating their indisputable talent and showcasing why Ryder techs are the best in the business.”
Ten finalists went head-to-head in a series of rigorous hands-on skills challenges, rotating every 30 minutes across ten trucks while a panel of judges evaluated their performance. At each station, finalists were presented with modern diagnostic challenges designed to test their technical expertise in preventive maintenance, collision avoidance system diagnostics, electronic engine diagnostics, aftertreatment system diagnostics, multiplexing/diagnostics, automated transmission diagnostics, heavy-duty electrical systems, and more. The stations were developed in partnership with various Ryder supplier partners and OEMs to showcase the caliber of technical training needed to ensure quality service on the nearly 250,000 commercial vehicles that Ryder maintains. This year’s finalists outperformed 1,200 other Ryder technicians in the first round and advanced through the regional qualifier round to compete in the championship in Pittsburgh.
Ryder Top Tech finalists Kyle Walton of Ryder’s Bristol, PA shop and Benjamin Cheaney of Ryder’s Evansville, IN location, placed second and third, respectively. After the competition, finalists were recognized at an awards ceremony hosted at the Heinz History Museum, where each received a $10,000 cash prize.
“It was particularly fitting to celebrate Warren Smith and each of our finalists in the ‘City of Bridges’ this year. At Ryder, we serve as a bridge between our customers and their clients, helping to navigate obstacles to ensure they deliver on their promises to customers. Our skilled Ryder technicians are essential in this process, providing the expertise and support needed to keep operations running smoothly,” adds Bryce Kinsley, vice president of maintenance operations at Ryder. “We take pride in being the preferred employer of these top technicians as they continue to deliver the best service and workmanship in the industry.”
As part of the annual competition, finalists and their guests enjoyed a week filled with activities, entertainment, and opportunities to explore Pittsburgh’s history and connection to transportation, logistics, and related industries. This year, finalists were treated to a tour around the Steel City, experiencing the Carrie Blast Furnaces, a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game, the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, and the incline railways.
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