Colin Woodcock, a Scania escalation technician for TruckEast, has been awarded the golden spanner award by the truck brand in recognition of his work ethic and achievements over the last year.

Scania launched a new programme introducing escalation technicians last year which included enhanced training workshops and conferences with the aim of reducing downtime for customers.

Woodcock was one of three awarded the golden spanner out of the 27 new escalation technicians in the Scania UK dealer network. He was picked out due to his investigative approach to diagnosing problems and a right first time approach.

Since the beginning of the escalation programme, each technician was armed with a Toughbook laptop that included a dedicated app that links to the technical centre and with the factory in Sweden.

The app provides the ability for direct video streaming and remote diagnosis when necessary. This has helped reduce the diagnosis time on more challenging problems.

Woodcock said: “When my name came up for the awards, I was shocked and so proud to be acknowledged for what I do.

“For me, it’s just good practice, any engine, any problem found, I create a case file, attach supporting documents, write a good explanation of the problem and of course take photographs.”

All cases logged are sent to Scania’s technical centre in Loughborough, where they are relayed to the factory while remaining as resource for the rest of the network.

Martyn Clipston, TruckEast regional aftersales director, said: “It’s been a big investment for the business, with additional technology coming in at £4,500 per escalation technician, plus continuous training.

“It all adds up, but every penny has been worth it. We’d definitely consider taking on more escalation technicians going forward.”