Is Trucking Running Out of Technicians?
I recently saw a Student Driver Placement magazine and couldn’t help but notice the headline on the cover: “Trucking is almost out of technicians!”
As you can imagine, that’s pretty attention grabbing for a company that provides mobile truck repair and maintenance services. It all comes back to numbers. Sources like TruckingInfo.com report that for every 10 technicians retiring, only 2 new ones are coming into the industry. So why is that?
Why It’s Happening
The simple answer is that the technical skills aren’t being taught or promoted in our education system like they have in the past. Sure, some of that’s on them, but a lot of it is on the transportation industry. As Kenneth Calhoun, Vice President of Customer Relations at Truck Centers of Arkansas says, “this is an industry that supports careers, but we don’t talk about it that way.”
Really, what he is saying here is that many people in the transportation industry, at all job levels, started out as technicians. It’s a way to build skills and gain an understanding on how things work in trucking. Simply put, there are so many opportunities, not just for drivers; but for technicians as well.
Creating a Helpful Environment
At Dickinson Fleet, we believe in our technicians. We believe in giving them the tools and the training needed to provide the best mobile truck repair and maintenance services out there.
Oddly enough, this isn’t the case with all companies. This is another reason why there is a shortage of technicians in the industry. It’s one that’s a little more difficult for fleets to acknowledge because they don’t want to own it; much less do anything about it.
While many think it’s all about creating an environment that makes it easier to recruit the younger generation of technicians, it’s really simply about creating an environment to show you care. Care about what? About technicians developing the skills to do their job and advance their career in the industry.
The Future – Diesel Technicians
The bottom line here is that as the industry and equipment evolve, companies employing technicians need to evolve. This means embracing technology. This means finding out what’s important to the “next generation” of technicians and empowering them to succeed.
Our philosophy is simple at Dickinson Fleet. We are committed to making our technicians feel like an extension of your business. And we are committed to giving them the tools and atmosphere if takes to minimize your downtime and improve profitability. No matter what happens with the diesel mechanic shortage, we will always work to find, not just ANY technician, but the RIGHT technician.
Contact Us
We want to be your fleet maintenance partner. We will find, hire and train the right technicians to work on your fleet so you don’t have to worry about it. Call us at 855-DFS-4111 or contact us online!
