CYPRESS, Texas — School bus technicians and inspectors convened here this past weekend to test their skills in the 16th annual America’s Best competition.

This year’s event, held Dec. 6 to 8, was hosted by the transportation department at Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) said in a newsletter on Tuesday. David J. Webb Jr. of South Carolina placed first in the school bus technician category, while Wayne Southard, also of South Carolina, took the top spot in the inspector category.

Theresa Anderson, NAPT's Region 5 Director and chair of the 2019 America's Best competition, said, according to NAPT, that the event featured 24 competitors from 16 different states. She also said that winners in each category received a complimentary registration to the annual NAPT Conference and Trade Show as well as complimentary registration to the annual IC Bus University technician training at the school bus manufacturer’s facility in Tulsa, Okla.

Other sponsors for the event, according to NAPT, included the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), Daimler, Heavy Duty Bus Parts, Hydrotex, Synovia, and Thomas Built Buses.

Here are the 2019 top competitors:

Technicians

1. David Webb, Fairfield County School District, Ridgeway, S.C.
2. Stephen Wagner, Napoleon Area City Schools, Defiance, Ohio
3. Greg Elrod, Loudon County Public Schools, Ashburn, Va.

Inspectors

1. Wayne Southard, Chesterfield County School District, Ruby, S.C.
2. Randy Hargett, Brazosport (Texas) Independent School District
3. Mike Moriarty, Wake County Public School System, Raleigh, N.C.

View photos from the event, posted on America's Best School Bus Technicians and Inspectors Facebook page, below.