Industry Honors 2006 Technician of the Year at HDAW

      Tyson Sontag was named the 2006 Technician of the Year during the Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) Awards program and reception held last month in Las Vegas.
      Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, Dayton Parts, Haldex and SKF created the technician recognition program in order to honor a fleet's superstar technician who exemplifies the best qualities of the profession, including his or her technical and mechanical experience, service specialties and overall contributions to the industry.
      Sontag is a technician for McKee Foods Transportation, located in Gentry, Ark. Serving the heavy-duty repair industry for 13 years, Sontag has achieved various honors that qualify him as an excellent selection for the Technician of the Year award. He is a certified Master Heavy Duty Technician (ASE) and is a member of the Arkansas Trucking Association's Maintenance and Technology Council. Additionally, Sontag serves on the American Trucking Associations' Professional Technicians Development Committee where he won the National Technician's Championship. Sontag also won the TMC SuperTech 2006 National competition.
      Jim Robertson, fleet maintenance superintendent of McKee Foods Transportation, said Sontag manufactured a bracket that enables the technician to rotate the transmission in such a way that the bracket doesn't have to be removed during repair or rebuild. Sontag also fabricated a tool to enable technicians to remove and replace the EGR heatshield and valves in a significantly shorter time.
      An independent panel of judges reviewed the pool of nominations. The panel consisted of heavy-duty trucking experts holding backgrounds in various areas of the industry – from nationally recognized heavy-duty trucking magazine editors to former fleet managers to heavy-duty aftermarket product manufacturers.
      For more information on the Technician of the Year Program, visit www.techoftheyear.com.