At the Industry Awards Luncheon of the American Trucking Associations' Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC), Bradley Van Riper, vice-president — research and development of the Truck-Lite Co, was presented with TMC's highest award, the Silver Spark Plug.
Van Riper became the 142nd recipient of this award since TMC was founded 47 years ago. He is the first from Truck-Lite.
The Silver Spark Plug is a lifetime achievement award “given in recognition of an individual's outstanding contributions to the cause of improving heavy-duty vehicle maintenance,” according to the official description of the award. Van Riper earned his Silver Spark Plug for contributions to Recommended Practices dealing with wiring, electrical, and electronic devices and with the driver environment. During his 14 years as a TMC member, he has appeared often as a panelist and expert presenter at TMC technical sessions. Van Riper has been with Truck-Lite for 25 years.