Announcements

  • Download available presentations from TMC's 2024 Annual Meeting ...

    Download available presentations from TMC's 2024 Annual Meeting, recently concluded in New Oreleans.

    Link follows:

    https://tmcconnect.trucking.org/communities/community-home?CommunityKey=b18fd71d-e5bc-4020-b79b-018adc4643f0

  • Just a few days more until TMC's 2024 Annual Meeting

    Just a few days more until TMC's 2024 Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition.  If you haven't downloaded the mobile app from Google Play or the Apple App store, do it now.  Search keyword ATA Events.

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    A PDF of the onsite meeting program is also available here at this link in TMC's 2024 Annual Meeting Presentation Library

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    https://tmcconnect.trucking.org/communities/community-home?CommunityKey=b18fd71d-e5bc-4020-b79b-018adc4643f0

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    See you in New Orleans!

  • VMRS Codes Committe Meeting

    As part of the TMC 2024 Spring Meeting the S.5 VMRS Codes Committee will conduct a public meeting on Monday March 4, 2024 from 8:30am to 9:00am local time.

    The Agenda will be as follows:
    1. Introduction - P. Moszak
    2. Review ATA antitrust guidelines - P. Moszak
    3. VMRS Update - P. Moszak
    4. Open VMRS Discussion - ALL

    To register for the TMC 2024 Spring Meeting go HERE

  • TMC Publishes Position Paper on NextGen Tractior/Trailer Interface

    TMC has published S.1 ELECTRICAL STUDY GROUP POSITION PAPER: 2024-3 — RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING TECHNICAL NEEDS FOR NEXT GENERATION TRACTOR/TRAILER ELECTRICAL AND DATA CONNECTIVITY.

    This position paper lays out the technical performance needs for a new tractor/trailer electrical interface for both power and data, so as to provide a set of technical characteristics to facilitate advancement of trailer technology through modernizing the truck/trailer interface in a way that minimizes the burden on fleets and individual owner/operators, and allows for the best opportunity for successful industry adoption without causing unnecessary business disruption yet still provide the necessary expansions to accommodate future truck/trailer functionality.

    The S.1 Next Generation Tractor/Trailer Electrical Interface Task Force is utilizing these criteria in its continuing work to evaluate various proposals for the NextGen Interface for potentially replacing the SAE J560 connector with a new standardized interface.

    The Position Paper is availalble for download at:  https://ata.msgfocus.com/c/19Ph8moVoJZt8a4iip

  • TMC, UTI, Partner to Provide New Technician Scholarship Offering

    TMC and Universal Technical Institute (UTI) have partnered to offer a total of four (4) one-half scholarships in 2024. The four (4) half-scholarships will be awarded for UTI's diesel technology program or the combined automotive/diesel technology program, with attendance to one of the following UTI locations — Avondale, AZ, Long Beach, CA, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Sacramento, CA, Austin, TX, Houston, TX, Dallas, TX, Lisle, IL, Exton, PA, Orlando, FL, Miramar, FL, Canton, MI, Bloomfield, NJ, NASCAR Technical Institute, Mooresville, NC. Scholarship award to be used for tuition only. These are post-secondary programs and the scholarship must be used within one year of issuance. 

  • TMC Releases Latest Standard Repair Time Labor Report for Commonly Performed Tasks

    ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) has released its latest “Fleet & Service Provider Average Standard Repair Time (SRT) Survey,” which was administered in the second half of 2023

     The purpose of the study was to aid in establishing baseline repair times that will improve shop productivity and profitability. This is the fifth year that TMC has conducted the survey, providing a four-year comparison of year-to-year SRT data.

    The survey was based on Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS) making it easier to aggregate repair times. Participants were asked to provide the time in hours to install specific parts or to perform needed labor in their facilities, not the rates that participants necessarily charge their customers. Data presented in this report is based on the labor description and the corresponding VMRS Code Keys for each task using VMRS Code Keys 15 (Work Accomplished) and 33 (Component Code).

    The list of top 10 most labor intensive tasks was dynamic as compared to last year, with "New Truck In-service" topping the list for 2023. Conversely, the list of top 10 least labor intensive tasks was dynamic as compared to last year, with "R&R generator/alternator belt" topping the list for 2023.

    The data collected for 2022 showed large increases in the times of per- forming repairs in many categories, whereas the data for 2023 shows labor times are stabilizing. Five new items joined the list in 2023. Seventy-one (71) tasks decreased in time to complete task; 24 increased; three were unchanged.

  • TMC Fleet Members Top Maintenance Concerns Continued to Shift in 2023

    The things that keep fleet managers up at night continued to shift through the end of 2023, according to a survey conducted by ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) — at least when it comes to TMC fleet members’ top maintenance worries. 

    More than 400 TMC fleet members were asked to share their current top five fleet maintenance concerns, based on a wide-ranging list of 85 possible choices from which to select. Of those responding, the following were identified as the top reported concerns in descending order, even though the list did not prove to be a clean top five:

    1. The top maintenance issue identified in the fall 2023  survey was technician staffing.
    2. Aftertreatment was identified as the number two maintenance issue facing fleets.
    3. Roadside breakdowns was identified by fleets as number three.
    4. Data management, new technology challenges, and vendor reliability were identified as number four (tie).

    New equipment availability was identified as number five.

     
    Roadside breakdowns, data management, new technology challenges, and vendor reliability appeared in the TMC top five list for the first time in the fall of 2023. New equipment availability returned to the top five list after being absent in the summer of 2023. It appeared in the top five in the spring of 2023.

    The list changed from the last time TMC surveyed fleet members on this question in the summer of 2023. At that time, members said their top five concerns were:

    1. Cost Containment
    2. Aftertreatment
    3. Technician Shortage
    4. Technician Staffing. Parts Shortage/Availability, and Emissions (tie)
    5. Outsourcing, Reliability, Technician Recruitment (tie)

                  — Robert Braswell, TMC Executive Director

  • TMC Prohibition on Unauthorized Recording of Meetings

    As an important reminder note to all: Recording of any TMC meeting, including on platforms like Zoom, TEAMs, etc. is strictly prohibited by ATA/TMC legal/procedural policies and antitrust concerns unless specifically authorized by the TMC Board of Directors.

  • TMC Survey - Average Standard Repair Times for Common Maintenance Tasks

    TMC Seeks Input in Assessing Average Standard Repair Times for Common Maintenance Tasks
     
    ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), through its S.5 Fleet Maintenance Management Study Group,  is conducting this member survey to assess and evaluate standard repair times (SRTs). The objective is to determine baseline repair times that will improve shop productivity and profitability.

    The survey is based on the Council’s Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS), which will help the Council in aggregating reported SRT data. Participants are asked to provide their average times in hours for the 100 common maintenance tasks listed. NOTE: TMC is collecting data on actual labor/repair hours – not rates that participants may charge customers.

    Please provide data for as many of the 100 repair tasks as you can, based on your operation. You do not have to answer all 100 questions.

    We do ask contact information in order to follow up with you should questions arise, you may also choose to answer anonymously.

    All response will be kept strictly confidential and only aggregated results will be shared by TMC.

     


    To take this survey, click the link below:
     
  • Motivation Bites Video from Steve Gilliland

    As a small gesture of appreciation to everyone who attended Steve Gilliland's keynote presentation, he wanted to share one of his popular Motivation Bites™ videos with all of you.

    Click the link below to view:

    https://youtu.be/O5CISV46mxM

  • TMCSuperTech is done...now we await the results!

    TMCSuperTech 2023 Group Photo
  • Station Winners from TMCSuperTech 2023 and Day 1 Finalists for the Heavy-Duty Track

    Here are the listings of Station Winners from TMCSuperTech 2023 and Day 1 Finalists for the Heavy-Duty Track who will move onto Day 2's Hands-On Skills Challenge.

    https://tmc.trucking.org/news

  • TMC's 2023 Fall Meeting just days away!

    TMC's 2023 Fall Meeting & National Technician Skills Competitions is just days away.  See you in Cleveland Sept. 17-21, 2023.

    event logo
  • New Cybersecurity Benefit Webinar - Learn More About This NEW TMC Benefit!

    American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council and SERJON, LLC announce a new collaborative effort to bring commercial vehicle cybersecurity online training to TMC, American Trucking Associations, and other ATA Council members. The collaboration provides their members access to the certification training at a discounted price.

    SERJON designed the module-based cybersecurity training program to better enable practitioners and decisionmakers to secure and defend their business information technology systems, equipment and companies against threats and attacks, as well as to build incident response-capable and resilient organizations.

    SERJON leveraged Jonson’s cybersecurity expertise in the transportation sector — especially heavy-duty vehicles — to create a special module within the series entitled Defending Heavy-Duty Vehicles, which will help students understand the unique cybersecurity threats against trucking companies and heavy vehicles, such as bring-your-own-devices, USB drives, HD radio, Bluetooth, telematics/ELD devices, general RF attacks, maintenance system/tools and service providers; general concepts and strategies for risk mitigation; and how to get help if your heavy vehicles experience a cyber attack.

    For a detailed overview of the eight training modules,
    click here.

    For more information or to register for the cybersecurity certification courses, visit https://serjon.getlearnworlds.com/atatmc.

    Use the Member Discount Code ATATMC10 for special pricing.  


    To find out more about this new member benefit,
    join us for this TMC webinar!


    Click here to join the meeting

    Meeting ID: 252 047 594 181 

    Passcode: FS9Ymz 


     

    Or call in (audio only)

    +1 703-719-4689,,132047160#   United States, Arlington

    (888) 304-9471,,132047160#   United States (Toll-free)

    Phone Conference ID: 132 047 160# 

  • New Cybersecurity Series and Defending Heavy-Duty Vehicles Certification

    TMC Offers Members New Opportunity for Online, Fleet-Focused Cybersecurity Training

    Council Working with SERJON, LLC to Provide Members Access to Cybersecurity Certification Training at a Discounted Price.

    American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) and SERJON, LLC announce a new collaborative effort to bring commercial vehicle cybersecurity training to TMC, American Trucking Associations, and other ATA Council members. The collaboration provides their members access to the certification training at a discounted price.

    SERJON designed the module-based cybersecurity training program to better enable practitioners and decisionmakers to secure and defend their business information technology systems, equipment and companies against threats and attacks, as well as to build incident response-capable and resilient organizations.

  • TMC 2023 RP Manual Supplement Now Available to Members

    TMC's 2023 RP Manual Supplement Now Available to Members. Go under the Red Bar on the Home page on TMC Connect under RPs and Other Technical Reports and you can access the new Supplement online as part of your TMC member benefit package.

    The direct link to the online manual is here. Bookmark it to have ready access to it without the need to go through TMC Connect.