2 technicians place 1st in ATA national competition

Technicians for Doggett Freightliner of Arkansas, which has multiple locations across the state, and Springdale-based Tyson Foods Inc. recently received first place at stations in a national skills competition.

Jesse Elmore, heavy-duty truck technician for Doggett Freightliner, and Sean ‘Kade’ Bring, trailer technician for Tyson Foods, represented Arkansas at the American Trucking Associations’ Technology and Maintenance Councils’ National Technician Skills Competitions (TMCSuperTech) in Cleveland.

Elmore was first in the brakes station on the heavy-duty truck track, while Bring was first in the hydraulics and drive belts station on the trailer track. They competed against 140 technicians from across the country at the first SuperTech since 2019.

They qualified for the competition after winning grand champion in the truck and trailer technician championships hosted by the Arkansas Trucking Association at the Rogers Convention Center in June.

“Both the state and national competitions provide an opportunity for technicians to demonstrate how much they know and do to keep commercial vehicles safe for the communities they visit every day,” said Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association. “Jesse and Kade had already proven their expertise and skills at the state competition. We are proud of them for going on to show the entire trucking industry what they’re capable of and the caliber of professionals that call Arkansas home.”

Elmore of Van Buren has worked in the industry for 17 years. He’s certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and studied automotive, mechanical and electrical engineering in college.

“The Doggett Team is extremely proud of Jesse and his consistent pursuit to achieve a high level of proficiency as a technician,” said Shawn Smith, general manager for Doggett Freightliner of Arkansas. “We appreciate him.”

Bring of Dover has worked for Tyson Foods for 10 years. He’s an ASE-certified technician with carrier refrigeration factory certifications.

“Kade is very deserving,” said Ronnie Keene, maintenance manager for Tyson Foods. “He has worked hard to achieve this accomplishment and has enjoyed the whole ATA TMC experience in Cleveland. We are all blessed to have Kade on our fleet maintenance team.”

The grand champion of the 2022 TMCSuperTech was Phillip Pinter of FedEx Freight.