CINCINNATI – First Vehicle Services fleet technician Doug Skelly, from the City of Pittsburgh, was awarded First Prize in the Safety and Environmental category at the SuperTech2008 competition in Nashville, Tenn.

Organized by the American Trucking Association’s Technology and Maintenance Council, the competition highlights the knowledge, safety, and technical skills of commercial vehicle maintenance technicians. More than 150 technicians from across the country participated in this year’s competition.

Skelly was one of five First Vehicle Services technicians to compete. Other First team members included Bob Larson, from Scottsdale Unified School District, Ariz.; Jason Kotouch, also from the City of Pittsburgh; and Joby Hammond and Bryan Johnson from Richland County, S.C.

The first round of the competition requires technicians to complete a written exam along with hands-on skills testing. Those with qualifying scores move on to the next round — an eight-hour, hands-on skills competition, where contestants compete in 14 different areas or “skill stations,” ranging from Engine and Brakes to Safety and Environmental. Four of the five First Vehicle Services technicians advanced to this round of the competition, for which only 96 contestants qualified.