TravelCenters of America LLC (TravelCenters) operator of the TA® and Petro Stopping Centers® travel center brands, competed and set a record-breaking performance at the annual TMC SuperTech, North America’s premier skills competition. Four technicians from TA Truck Service facilities throughout the U.S. earned titles in three hands-on skills challenges and an overall score title. These wins represent the commitment TA and Petro have to seek to hire the best technicians and provide them with comprehensive training in order to have the best truck service maintenance and repair centers on the highway.

The TMC SuperTech is an elite competition that brings the best truck service and repair technicians from U.S. original equipment manufacturers, trucking companies and repair facilities together to compete nationally. The competitions consist of written tests and nine hands-on skills challenges, including wheel-end, engine diagnostics, brakes, preventive maintenance, and more. The challenges are designed to help technicians improve their knowledge and skills. Winners are selected for each station, as well as overall scores.

Winners, including four TravelCenters professionals with a combined 28 years of experience with TravelCenters, were announced for the TMC SuperTech on September 24 in Orlando, Florida. All four TA and Petro technicians that won are ASE-Certified Master Technicians. Steven Fraser of Petro Sparks, Nevada, placed first in the Coolant/DEF skills challenge, Robert Anderson of TA Mobile, Alabama placed first in the Brakes skills challenge, and Russ Whitaker of TA Rawlins, Wyoming placed first in the Tire and Wheel skills challenge. Mike Gavrielides of TA Madison, Georgia, finished eleventh overall.

“Our trucking customers expect our technicians to be experienced and certified to keep them rolling. Our extensive on-going efforts in recruitment, training and mentoring have helped TA develop our repair professionals into a deep resource of technical expertise that is relied upon by customers operating a very wide variety of equipment. The TMC SuperTech competition gives TravelCenters, and individuals who are part of the TravelCenters team, a great opportunity to be recognized for their skills. Only the hard work and dedication shown by our winners this year and by all of their team members throughout the country can provide the quality truck service our customers demand, and I couldn’t be more proud to congratulate our winners, and our other participants, not just for the wins, but for representing the only nationwide travel center that even showed up to compete at the leading technician skills competition in the country,” shared Tom O’Brien, President and CEO of TravelCenters.

TA Truck Service and Petro:Lube technicians are distinguished by more than 2,300 ASE certifications they have qualified. The TA Truck Service and Petro:Lube network includes 241 truck service facilities, more than 1,000 repair bays, more than 3,000 technicians, a fleet of more than 1,600 RoadSquad Connect™ emergency roadside assistance vehicles and a growing fleet of RoadSquad OnSite mobile maintenance vehicles. TA Truck Service, Petro:Lube and RoadSquad services are available 24/7/365.

TA Truck Service and Petro:Lube Truck Service centers are consistently Voted Best in annual independent driver surveys* for Best Overall Maintenance Shops, Most Competent Technicians, Best PM and Lubrication Services, and Best Roadside Assistance.

*Results based on TA and Petro independent surveys of Overdrive magazine readers.

About TravelCenters of America LLC
TravelCenters of America LLC (TravelCenters), headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, is a leading travel center business in 43 states and Canada operating under the TA® and Petro Stopping Centers® brands. With 256 convenient full-service locations off interstate highway exits, TA and Petro Stopping Centers offer customers diesel and gasoline fueling services, more than 500 full- and quick-service restaurants, 24-hour convenience stores, heavy truck maintenance services, RoadSquad Connect™ (24/7/365 emergency roadside service), Reserve-It™ (truck parking reservations), and many other services – all within large, high traffic facilities. TravelCenters also operates gasoline/convenience stores primarily under the Minit Mart brand name. For more information on TravelCenters, TA, and Petro Stopping Centers, please visit www.ta-petro.com. For more information on Minit Mart, please visit www.minitmart.com.