Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) of American Trucking Associations, Inc.

What Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) of American Trucking Associations, Inc. does

The Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) is a non-profit, member-driven industry council and division of American Trucking Associations, Inc. (ATA), established in 1956 to develop and maintain standards for commercial vehicle maintenance and technology. For nearly 70 years, TMC has produced member-driven Recommended Maintenance and Engineering Practices (RPs) that set de facto standards for fleet maintenance operations and influence OEM equipment design. Its core proprietary assets are the Vehicle Maintenance Reporting System (VMRS), a standardized coding system covering 25 key maintenance system categories, and the RP Library, a continuously updated technical standards body. The organization serves over 3,000 members across fleets, owner-operators, OEMs, suppliers, service providers, educators, and technicians, primarily in North America.

TMC's product and services portfolio includes the TMC Connect members-only online portal, the Recommended Practices Library, VMRS licensing and Certified VMRS Specialist certification, the TMCSuperTech and TMCFutureTech national technician skills competitions, technical publications (including the Radial Tire Conditions Analysis Guide and Troubleshooting Ride Complaints Manual), the TMC Journal of Commercial Truck Technology, the Ten Minutes With TMC podcast, and the Tech Talk with TMC weekly segment on SiriusXM. It also produces large-scale benchmarking reports, most notably the quarterly Decisiv/TMC North American Service Event Benchmark Report covering 7+ million assets and 5,000+ service locations, and the annual TMC-Fullbay State of Heavy-Duty Repair Report.

TMC operates a community-led, diversified revenue model spanning annual membership dues (subscription), event registration and exhibit fees for the Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition and Fall Meeting (transaction), and one-time publication and product sales through ATA Business Solutions. Members receive up to 25 percent discounts on publications and reduced event fees. The organization is governed by an elected member Board of Directors, with Robert Braswell serving as Executive Director, and is supported by strategic data and research partnerships with Decisiv, Fullbay, SAE International, and the FMCSA-led Tech-Celerate Now program alongside ATRI, OOIDA Foundation, and the ITS Joint Program Office.

Name

Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) of American Trucking Associations, Inc.

Legal name

Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) of American Trucking Associations, Inc.

Website

https://tmc.trucking.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) is a non-profit, member-driven industry council under American Trucking Associations, Inc. that develops Recommended Practices, the VMRS coding standard, and benchmarking reports for commercial vehicle fleets, OEMs, suppliers, and service providers across North America, serving 3,000+ members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Fees: Annual membership fees providing access to TMC Connect, reports, benchmarking data, and member benefits including discounts on TMC products and publications (up to 25 percent) and event registration fees.
2. Products and Publications Sales: Sale of technical manuals, guides, and publications such as the Radial Tire Conditions Analysis Guide and Troubleshooting Ride Complaints Manual through ATA Business Solutions.
3. Event Registration and Exhibit Fees: Revenue from annual meetings, fall meetings, and the Transportation Technology Exhibition, including booth fees and registration for the TMCSuperTech competition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

TMC is a membership-based industry council that develops and maintains Recommended Maintenance and Engineering Practices and the Vehicle Maintenance Reporting System (VMRS) standard for the commercial trucking industry. It offers benchmarking reports, technician competitions (TMCSuperTech), certification programs, and technical publications, all distributed primarily through the members-only TMC Connect online portal and annual meetings.

Product overview

TMC offers a portfolio of industry standards, professional programs, publications, and member resources focused on commercial trucking technology and maintenance. The core offerings include the Recommended Practices (RP) Library and VMRS coding standards for fleet maintenance, accessed through the TMC Connect online portal. Professional programs include TMCSuperTech and TMCFutureTech technician competitions, certification programs, and the Leadership Development Program. Publications encompass technical journals, position papers, the Troubleshooting Ride Complaints Manual, and the Radial Tire Conditions Analysis Guide. TMC also produces regular benchmarking reports including the Decisiv/TMC North American Service Event Benchmark Report and the annual State of Heavy-Duty Repair Report in partnership with Fullbay. The organization also hosts the Ten Minutes With TMC podcast and manages scholarship programs for technician training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TMCSuperTech: National technician skills competition program for professional and student technicians in the trucking industry.
• TMCFutureTech
• VMRS (Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards)
• TMC Connect

Products and services

• TMC Connect Online Portal Members-only online portal providing access to TMC's Recommended Practices library, Study Groups, Task Forces, membership directory, and community engagement resources for fleet maintenance and engineering professionals.
• Recommended Practices (RP) Library Member-driven maintenance and engineering practices that set de facto industry standards for commercial trucking fleets to specify and maintain vehicles effectively, and provide design guidance to manufacturers.
• Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS) Standardized coding system for fleet maintenance data with licensing programs for corporate, developer, distribution, and electronic catalog use; the foundation for TMC's benchmarking reports covering 25 system categories.
• TMCSuperTech National Technician Skills Competition National competition for professional heavy-duty truck technicians testing knowledge and proficiency across multiple skill stations; addresses the trucking industry's technician shortage by recognizing excellence and promoting technician careers.
• TMCFutureTech Student Competition Student technician skills competition track within TMCSuperTech for students in diesel technician training programs, designed to attract new entrants into the commercial vehicle technician workforce.
• Certification Programs Professional certification programs including the Certified VMRS Specialist program and other industry credentials for fleet maintenance and engineering professionals.
• Troubleshooting Ride Complaints Manual 100-page manual based on TMC Recommended Practice 648A covering identification, evaluation, and troubleshooting of commercial vehicle ride complaints; sold via ATA Business Solutions.
• Radial Tire Conditions Analysis Guide TMC's best-selling publication providing guidance on analyzing radial tire conditions for fleet maintenance; available via ATA Business Solutions.
• TMC Journal of Commercial Truck Technology Official technical journal publishing research, analysis, and best practices for commercial truck technology and maintenance.
• Decisiv/TMC North American Service Event Benchmark Report Quarterly benchmarking report on parts and labor costs across 25 VMRS system level codes, analyzing over 7 million assets and 300,000+ monthly service events at 5,000+ service locations; produced in partnership with Decisiv.
• TMC-Fullbay State of Heavy-Duty Repair Report Annual industry report on heavy-duty repair shop operations, counter sales, labor rates, and profitability metrics, analyzing data from 1,000+ survey respondents and shops across North America; produced in partnership with Fullbay.
• TMC Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition Annual in-person event featuring an exhibit hall with approximately 380 vendors spanning 500,000 square feet, technical sessions, Study Group and Task Force meetings, and networking opportunities for fleet, manufacturer, and supplier participants.
• TMC Fall Meeting Semi-annual in-person meeting with technical sessions, Study Group and Task Force meetings, and industry networking for TMC members and industry stakeholders.
• TMC of Tomorrow Leadership Development Program Multi-year leadership development program dedicated to developing future leaders of TMC and the transportation industry; graduates a cohort annually.

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• DecisivcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2024Partnership with Decisiv Inc. to produce quarterly Decisiv/TMC North American Service Event Benchmark Reports. Reports track parts and labor costs across 25 VMRS systems covering more than 7 million assets and over 300,000 monthly maintenance and repair events at 5,000+ service locations.
• FullbaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership with Fullbay to produce the State of Heavy-Duty Repair Report, analyzing counter sales, labor rates, and shop performance data from 1,000+ survey respondents and shops across North America.
• FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTMC participates in the Tech-Celerate Now program led by FMCSA to accelerate ADAS adoption in trucking. Phase 2 is a four-year program developing technical information and guidelines for ADAS technologies.
• ATRI (American Transportation Research Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerATRI serves as program co-principal investigator for the Tech-Celerate Now program, analyzing adoption of active safety technologies alongside TMC.
• OOIDA FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOOIDA Foundation participates in Tech-Celerate Now program for ADAS adoption in trucking industry.
• SAE InternationalcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with SAE Health-Ready Components & Systems (HRCS) Consortium using SAE JA6268 recommended practice for Intelligent Vehicle Health-Ready Maintenance demonstration projects.
• ITS Joint Program OfficemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerITS Joint Program Office partners with FMCSA on Tech-Celerate Now initiative to reduce crashes and fatalities through advanced driver assistance systems.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE): Independent non-profit that certifies automotive and heavy-duty truck technicians, including ASE's Medium/Heavy Truck certification. ASE is a direct peer in the truck technician training, certification, and workforce development space that overlaps with TMCSuperTech and TMC's certification programs.
• NTEA (Association for the Work Truck Industry): Trade association for the work truck industry, including upfitters, distributors, and manufacturers of vocational trucks. NTEA is a direct peer as a commercial vehicle-focused standards and industry body that serves overlapping fleet, OEM, and supplier audiences in the work truck market adjacent to TMC's heavy-duty trucking focus.
• NAFA Fleet Management Association: Membership association for fleet professionals managing vehicle assets across commercial, government, and corporate fleets. NAFA is a direct peer serving fleet managers with education, certification, and benchmarking resources that overlap with TMC's fleet maintenance audience, though broader across vehicle types.
• SAE International: Global standards body for mobility engineering, including heavy-duty vehicle and commercial truck standards. TMC and SAE co-develop technical recommended practices (e.g., SAE JA6268 Health-Ready Components), making SAE a direct peer in setting truck industry technical standards that fleets and OEMs rely on.
• Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA): Trade group representing heavy-duty component and system suppliers to the commercial vehicle industry. HDMA is a direct peer as a heavy-duty truck supplier association whose OEM and supplier member base overlaps significantly with TMC's manufacturer and supplier membership, often sharing events and audience.
• American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI): Not-for-profit research arm of the trucking industry, partnering with TMC on the Tech-Celerate Now program and producing industry research. ATRI is a direct peer as a trucking-focused research organization that produces operational and policy research for the same fleet and regulatory audience TMC serves.

Broad incumbents

• American Trucking Associations (ATA): Parent federation of 50 state trucking associations and industry councils including TMC. ATA is the umbrella trade body for the U.S. trucking industry, with TMC operating as a specialized maintenance-focused council within it, making ATA the most directly comparable peer in scope and audience.
• American Public Transportation Association (APTA): National trade association for public transit and bus operators that sets standards and best practices for vehicle maintenance. APTA is a broad incumbent peer in the commercial vehicle standards and maintenance space, with overlapping supplier and OEM audiences but a transit rather than trucking focus.

Emerging players

• Fullbay: Cloud-based shop management software for heavy-duty repair shops, partnering with TMC on the annual State of Heavy-Duty Repair Report. Fullbay is an emerging peer in the commercial vehicle maintenance data and software space, sharing TMC's service provider audience but competing on technology rather than standards.
• Decisiv Inc. Provider of service event management technology for commercial vehicle fleets, partnering with TMC to produce the quarterly North American Service Event Benchmark Report. Decisiv is a closely aligned data and technology partner, but operates commercially rather than as a standards body, making it an emerging/adjoining player in TMC's data ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TMC4Trucks
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrygXTKJvbaZ7ateZ_hYIdQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/TechnologyMaintenanceCouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/truckingtmc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) of American Trucking Associations, Inc.