Penske Truck Leasing is the first-ever company to receive I-CAR's Gold Class designation for the repair of heavy-duty trucks, at a pair of Georgia Penske truck collision repair facilities, in Norcross and Lithia Springs. I-CAR has been a leader in providing automotive collision repair knowledge and training for 40 years.
Penske Truck Leasing associates were formally recognized for attaining the I-CAR Gold Class heavy-duty designation for the company's Georgia collision repair facilities, at the HD Repair Forum in Fort Worth, Texas. In this photo, from left: James Svaasand, Penske vice president of collision center development and operations; Brad Keiter, Penske body shop manager in Norcross, Georgia; Steve Harden, Penske body shop manager in Lithia Springs, Georgia; and John Spoto, 3M national heavy duty/commercial manager.
James Svaasand, Penske vice president of collision center development and operations stated: “We are very pleased to receive this Gold Class designation from I-CAR. This program allows us to further refine and standardize our processes at all our collision repair center locations. Our highly trained collision repair associates are now learning new industry best practices and applying these methods to the work we do for our customers."
What did the process entail?
- Identifying Penske technician roles and mapping those roles to I-CAR's automotive Gold Class recognition roles.
- Scheduling in-person assessments to confirm their knowledge levels and focus training on areas where it was specifically needed.
- More than a dozen online, live and virtual courses.
“We applaud Penske Truck Leasing for the company's foresight, dedication and commitment to implementing this comprehensive collision repair training program for the heavy-duty truck market," said Nick Notte, I-CAR senior vice president of sales. “I-CAR believes there is broad segment demand for this type of training, and we intend to build a training protocol that will support the necessary skills and knowledge for heavy-duty repairs."
By “Move Ahead" Staff
Svaasand is also an advisory board member for the forum, which is the only program exclusively dedicated to the heavy-duty collision repair industry.
The Blue Hilton helped change the landscape of auto racing, as it was the precursor to today's impressive closed transporters that carry cars, parts and equipment to race tracks all over the globe.
The truck was purchased from George Boyd of Urbana, Illinois, who had utilized it while competing in various racing series until retiring it to a spot on his property. He was the only owner of the truck after its days at Team Penske.