Joseph (Joe) Bell is a former truck and automobile technician with several years of hands-on experience which includes the US Army, truck fleet maintenance, and Chrysler dealerships. During this time, he experienced first-hand the transition in automotive and truck technology due to electronics in the 70’s and 80’s. Like many technicians, he considered automotive engineers to not have much practical knowledge so he decided to become one to "show them ___ engineers how to do it right". After several years of part-time classes, Joe became the first college graduate in his family when he received a BS in Electrical Engineering Technology from Purdue University and promptly became one of those ___ engineers. He then spent the next 30 years at International Truck and Engine (Navistar) and John Deere Power Systems (JDPS) as an engineer. Engineering responsibilities at Navistar included lead electrical test engineer for the High Performance Truck series, the first truck to make extensive use of SAE J1939. At John Deere, Joe was a senior diagnostic engineer in the customer support organization. Upon “retirement” from John Deere, he worked as a contract engineer for Cummins on HD-OBD before returning to Deere as a contractor. Joe maintains his ASE Master Truck, L2, and Master Automobile certifications and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). He is an inventor with 25 US patents related to truck electrical systems and diesel engine diagnostics.
