Our Publix truck drivers deliver essential products to our stores. So, it’s vital that our Publix trucks are in good condition. Our fleet maintenance technician team repairs and maintains our trucks, keeping them in peak condition and safe on the roads.
The journey to Publix SuperTech
Every year, selected fleet maintenance technicians compete at SuperTech, a national competition hosted by the American Trucking Associations’ Technical Maintenance Council.
In 2023, Publix launched Publix SuperTech for our fleet maintenance technicians. This year’s event was held on April 17 in Orlando, Florida. To qualify for the competition, technicians took an exam that tested their maintenance skills. After completing the test, 15 top-scoring technicians were eligible to compete.
Station winners
The competition included a written test and 19 stations focused on maintenance, repairs and troubleshooting. Technicians were scored on accuracy and speed. The winners of each station were:
- David Bender — liftgate, recommended practices (RP) manuals, compressed natural gas (CNG).
- Michael Castro — trailer alignment.
- Will Colley — wheel end.
- Kevin DaCosta — tire and wheel, preventive maintenance inspection (PMI), electric vehicle safety, lubes and fuels, coolant and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), engine diagnostics.
- Nate Hinman — wiring diagrams.
- Ryan Sparaco — after treatment.
- Nathan Sutton — brakes, tire inflation, electrical circuits, fasteners.
- Michael Wilson — trailer anti-lock braking system (ABS), roll doors.
Category winners
Each of the 19 stations fell under an equipment category. First-place winners of each category will compete this September at the national SuperTech competition in Raleigh, North Carolina. The top 3 winners in each category were:
Trailers
- 1st place — Nathan Sutton
- 2nd place — Michael Castro
- 3rd place — Michael Wilson
Medium duty truck
- 1st place — Nate Hinman
- 2nd place — Ryan Sparaco
- 3rd place — Andy Navarro
Heavy duty truck
- 1st place — Kevin DaCosta *going to nationals for the 2nd year in a row
- 2nd place — David Bender
- 3rd place — Eddie Carmichael
Congratulations to the 2024 Publix SuperTech winners!
