When the scores were tallied at the recent Arkansas Trucking Championship, Haston Hellum of Rush Truck Centers once again earned top honors at the Mitchell 1 Service Information Skills Station. The recognition reflects not only Hellum’s technical knowledge, but also the ability to quickly find and apply the right repair information under pressure.
“A big shout-out to Haston on his outstanding performance at this year’s Arkansas Trucking Championship,” said Bryan Bernetskie, product manager for Mitchell 1’s Commercial Vehicle Group. “We also applaud all of the competitors who demonstrated the knowledge, professionalism and diagnostic skills that keep commercial vehicles safely operating on our nation’s highways.”
Bernetskie noted another accomplishment from this year’s competition. Both the Mitchell 1 Service Information Skills Station winner and the Truck Technician Grand Champion, Canaan Silcox, represented Rush Truck Centers.
“It’s especially impressive that both winners came from Rush Truck Centers,” said Bernetskie, who administered the station at Arkansas for the past two years. “That says a great deal about the company’s commitment to providing technicians with the tools, training and support they need to succeed in today’s diesel repair industry.”
A Celebration of Professionalism and Expertise
Haston was among Arkansas’ top 39 heavy-duty technicians from leading fleets and truck dealerships who competed in the 2026 Arkansas Technician Championship.
The event, hosted by the Arkansas Trucking Association on June 26, attracted technicians from many of the state’s leading fleet and transportation companies, including Walmart, Rush Truck Centers, JB Hunt, Tyson Foods and McKee Foods.
Competitors rotated through 14 hands-on skills stations and completed a written exam that tested their diagnostic knowledge, troubleshooting skills and repair expertise.
For Mitchell 1, supporting technician skills competitions is about more than recognizing individual achievement. It’s about celebrating the professionals who keep America’s trucks safely operating while encouraging the next generation of diesel technicians.
“It’s important to recognize the quality of work these technicians do, especially at a time when our industry continues to face a technician shortage,” said Bernetskie. “Competitions like this reward their hard work and dedication while helping attract, develop and retain skilled technicians.”
A Test of Real-World Skills
At the Mitchell 1 Service Information Skills Station, competitors had just 20 minutes to complete a 20-question challenge based on the same repair scenarios they encounter every day.
Using Mitchell 1’s TruckSeries repair information software, they quickly navigated through repair procedures, wiring diagrams, labor information and other service data to pinpoint the correct answers.
The competition focuses primarily on heavy-duty Class 8 trucks, and every question is designed to mirror situations technicians encounter every day in the shop.
“Our goal is to evaluate a technician’s overall knowledge of major truck systems, including the engine, brakes and transmission,” said Bernetskie. “The questions ranged from labor times and standard repair procedures to more advanced topics, such as identifying a specific sensor in a wiring diagram. Overall, we tested a technician’s ability to find and apply service information.”
Although competitors spend only about 20 minutes at the Mitchell 1 Service Information Skills Station, months of preparation go into developing the test.
Each year, Mitchell 1’s Content and Editorial team creates an entirely new set of questions using its diesel repair expertise. Many members of the team are former diesel technicians, allowing them to develop realistic service scenarios that challenge competitors while reinforcing the value of accurate repair information.
The team also validates and documents the path for every answer using TruckSeries.
“They create a breadcrumb trail to the answer to show how it’s found within TruckSeries” Bernetskie said. “It’s essentially an open-book test. Competitors are given a laptop with TruckSeries access. Once the timer starts, they use the software to answer the questions as quickly and accurately as possible.”
Designed to Mirror the Shop
The Mitchell 1 Service Information Skills Station isn’t about memorizing specifications. It’s about knowing where to find the right information quickly, just as technicians do every day in the shop.
To keep the tests current, the questions are updated annually to reflect on evolving vehicle technology, new repair procedures, and feedback from previous competitions.
The TruckSeries portion of the competition also mirrors a technician’s normal workflow. Instead of switching between different vehicles for every question, competitors answer several questions about the same truck before moving on.
“We group four or five questions around the same vehicle,” Bernetskie explained. “That way, competitors only have to select the truck once in TruckSeries before moving on. It keeps the competition moving while closely reflecting how technicians actually work.
As commercial vehicles continue to become more sophisticated, competitions like the Arkansas Technician Championship underscore the growing importance of technical knowledge, ongoing training and the ability to quickly access accurate repair information.
For more than two decades, Mitchell 1 has supported state and national technician skills competitions, including serving as the Service Information Skills Station sponsor at the annual TMC SuperTech competition since its inception.
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