Scarcity of specialty technicians growing in trucking

[kscarbel2]

Sean Kilcarr, Fleet Owner  /  December 12, 2016

Body repair and paint technicians are one breed of truck technicians that’s getting harder to find, especially in the face of changing customer demands for such “specialized” disciplines.

Dick Schmidt will tell you that 10 years ago, when a truck owner needed body repairs and/or paint work for their equipment, it had to be done with high quality – even if it meant taking extra time to do it.

Nowadays, however, while the demand for quality remains the same, most truck owners want it done as fast and as cheap as possible – putting more pressure upon two technician disciplines that are already in short supply.

“Because body filler and paint are so expensive these days, waste is a big concern – especially since truck customers want it fixed faster and cheaper so they can get their vehicle back on the road making money,” Schmidt, director of collision center operations for Rush Enterprises, told Fleet Owner here during the 2016 Rush Technician Skills Rodeo.

“And it’s getting extremely hard if not harder to find these [body and paint] technicians compared to regular service techs,” he added. “It’s an almost old school [technician] discipline; it’s manual labor. Most young guys just don’t want to do this. They’d rather work with computers.”

Schmidt said Rush operates some 26 collision repair facilities within its network of more than 100 dealerships; facilities spread out from “Los Angeles to Florida and Chicago down to McAllen, Texas,” he noted.

The company employs some 250 to 300 body repair and paint technicians and five from each discipline – for a total of 10 technicians – are competing among the 165 semi-finalists at this year’s Rodeo, which is being held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio.

Complicating matters in the “real world” outside of the Rodeo are the cost pressures now being placed on truck body repair and painting services, Schmidt said – meaning technicians in those specialties must be able to work fast without sacrificing quality or overusing body filler and paint supplies, which drives up repair costs.

For example, Marcy Fernandez, North American fleet manager for the commercial transportation segment at paint-maker Axalta, said some high-end truck paints can cost $3,500 a pint and with the large amount of surface area on a Class 8 truck to cover, overusing even a little bit can make the job unprofitable in a hurry.

“It’s not like the automotive world, where paint is layered on coat by coat, which can help blend out imperfections,” he pointed out. “Because trucks are so big, we must take a ‘one-and-done’ approach – and applying one clean coat requires a [paint] technician to make the [paint] mixture just right and apply it with even-handed discipline.”

Being forced to apply two coats due to a mistake can be a bottom-line buster, Fernandez added. “That turns a $1,400 job into a $3,000 job; you just can’t afford to use a quart or two extra anymore,” he stressed. “That’s why we also say there’s a little ‘magic’ needed when you are applying high-solid paints in one coat. Because if it is not done just right, you’ll see the imperfections.”

John Spoto, national heavy duty commercial fleet manager for 3M, noted that the same pressures are being felt by body repair technicians, too.

“For example, when you are repairing dents in this competition, we’re looking not just at the final appearance of the repair, but how much material did you use and whether you followed the proper procedures,” he emphasized. “Anyone can take a gallon of filler to repair a dent. But that is adding cost to the repair, and if there are lots of sanding scratches, it’ll require more paint to cover [the repair] as well.”

Part of the problem, though, is that such “specialty” technicians as a group are older than the main population of truck technicians, said Spoto – averaging around 53 years in age.

Thus he feels it will be doubly hard finding new entrants to this particular technician specialty because not only must they work primarily with their hands – something that’s becoming a “lost art” in the vocational schooling realm – but they must also bring a high degree of “mental focus” to the job as well.

“Safety is the most important variable; you must make a repair that is safe and that will be durable,” Spoto stressed. “It is all about the will to improve yourself and the ability to apply your knowledge.”

In many ways, he said the “mind must overcome the hands” in terms of learning for instance how much force to apply, or not to apply, when hammering out dents so as not to overstress the metal.

Rush’s Schmidt added that body repair is becoming more complicated as more and different fiberglass and plastic materials are being used on trucks – just like what’s occurring in the automotive world – in lieu or steel and aluminum.

“They are of better quality and more durable but as they [the OEMs] change the product, we need to change our repair and paint procedures,” he said. “What doesn’t change is the need for greater productivity, efficiency, and safety, while ensuring minimum waste of material.”

[hurstscrambler]

I've always had a lot of respect for guys who can do quality body work, there is no doubt it takes alot of skill to work sheet metal and filler.  I'm good at the metal work, but awful with filler and sanding.  Andy

[fxfymn]

There will come a time where it will be cheaper and faster to just replace panels, or entire assemblies, than it will be to repair them. Particularly in a fleet environment where the assemblies can be pre-painted to match the standard colors.

Another option will be to have the local shop replace an entire assembly and then send the damaged assembly to a centralized repair facility where it will be more economical to have specialized tools such as presses to do the repairs. 

[eddeere]

The same thing is happening in most of the skilled trades. My neighbor is a retired journeyman electrician keeps getting calls from his former employer wanting him to come back to work full time, part time, or any time. I know a retired machinist who is gets the same requests. Their employers say young people just do not want this type of work. The paper mill where I worked had a few journeyman millwrights retire recently. the company talked a couple of them to come back to work part time and work the hours they wanted. The younger ones there after they got their apprenticeship in just did not want to work. Their answer was I have never done that job before and do not know how to do it you better call some outside contractors in for that.

[41chevy]

Machinists, welders, carpenters, mechanics anything that has to do with manual labor, which schools frown on.   Paul

[blackdog2]

Nobody wants to pay !!! I had United Concrete in Wallingford ct call me looking for a experienced Mechanic on Macks and offer 13.00 an hour I told him to keep looking told  I just turned down a job for 28.oo an hour plus a service truck think hes cheap and that why he is growing he use every angle from temp service to subs nobody works for the actual company .

[BillyT]

41, and all you guys, every one of you is correct!! The educational system in America has been pushing all students to go to college! Not the kids fault there is an unwritten and USUALLY unspoken level of condensation for skilled tradesman! Stereotypes abound ! Greasemonkey,plumber digging around in poop, You can always drive a truck if you can't make it in college! Well,many of you have degrees and still want to drive a truck! From what I've seen most of you could easily pass college boards! My freaking co driver and business partner was an accountant at US Steel Research and a Mensa! Lost his job when the steel industry left America! We have gone from a manufacturing economy to a technological and financial one.That means that a large percentage of manufacturing jobs will never return,no matter what we do to promote them! So the majority of kids will have college forced on them and be in debt til they're 50,even if they might have enjoyed one or more skilled trades. The ideal situation in my opinion is to have college along with one  or more skilled trades! The guys and gals who lost their jobs in manufacturing already have mechanical and other skills that would make them ideal  candidates for training in skilled trades! Plus they've been in the real world and know how to survive! Our infrastructure is beginning to resemble the third world, who's going to replace it a banker? A computer programmer? When the steel industry went away in the 80s everyone who lost a steel related job was offered free retraining,including four years of college or trade school lets do that again! Don't tell me we can't afford it! 

[BillyT]

Blackdog, good point! They need too get off their wallets! In 1978 I welded a dump trailer for a mack mechanic who wanted to try dump trucking. This was in Pittsburgh, he was making 12.00 an hour in 1978! I made the mistake of telling him I was a driver,he talked me into training him, he had only bobtailed as a mechanic! He still owes me 90 bucks! That's ok he put an R model day cab with a 237 maxidyne with as straight 5 speed and highway gears under a dump trailer! Wonder how long that lasted?😁

[blackdog2]

In 1978 I went to work full time for a c-store chain in ne while full time in hi school well they closed my phone rang rang I chose a rigging company I was the youngest mechanic and did well and moved on and still the phone rings now I own a bunch of old MACKS  10 + and still having fun after 40 s years but slept in LJ- b-models must be in the blood .or geens  .                @54MACK

[Red Horse]

6 hours ago, blackdog2 said:

Nobody wants to pay !!! I had United Concrete in Wallingford ct call me looking for a experienced Mechanic on Macks and offer 13.00 an hour I told him to keep looking told  I just turned down a job for 28.oo an hour plus a service truck think hes cheap and that why he is growing he use every angle from temp service to subs nobody works for the actual company .

EJ-This guy live in a cave?  Does he read newspapers or watch the news?? Obama wants every kid asking.."you want fries with that"? to make 15 bucks and this guy thinks he can get an experienced heavy truck mechanic for 13 bucks??-  that's the septic tank outfit right?

[41chevy]

l

7 hours ago, BillyT said:

41, and all you guys, every one of you is correct!! The educational system in America has been pushing all students to go to college! Not the kids fault there is an unwritten and USUALLY unspoken level of condensation for skilled tradesman! Stereotypes abound ! Greasemonkey,plumber digging around in poop, You can always drive a truck if you can't make it in college! Well,many of you have degrees and still want to drive a truck! From what I've seen most of you could easily pass college boards! My freaking co driver and business partner was an accountant at US Steel Research and a Mensa! Lost his job when the steel industry left America! We have gone from a manufacturing economy to a technological and financial one.That means that a large percentage of manufacturing jobs will never return,no matter what we do to promote them! So the majority of kids will have college forced on them and be in debt til they're 50,even if they might have enjoyed one or more skilled trades. The ideal situation in my opinion is to have college along with one  or more skilled trades! The guys and gals who lost their jobs in manufacturing already have mechanical and other skills that would make them ideal  candidates for training in skilled trades! Plus they've been in the real world and know how to survive! Our infrastructure is beginning to resemble the third world, who's going to replace it a banker? A computer programmer? When the steel industry went away in the 80s everyone who lost a steel related job was offered free retraining,including four years of college or trade school lets do that again! Don't tell me we can't afford it! 

All my grandson ever wanted to do was be a diesel mechanic on  heavy equipment. His high school "career counselor" wouldn't help him apply to a tech school. Told him he would be better in college instead of doing "immigrant work". Told him only stupid people did manual labor. I went to the school to see this counselor. The gentleman told be only stupid poor people whom never amount to anything and live from paycheck to paycheck did that work. I asked him if he owned a house and if he had a mortgage on it and was his car paid for. Than informed him the we own 5 houses, a salvage business, a hobby shop a farm and 300 acres in Virginia. They are all paid for, and the last new car we bought I paid 100% cash for. No bills, no mortgages, no credit card debt. Oh and FYI. . .  I'm a truck driver and a mechanic . . .a$$ hole and left. Grandson went to tech school., got hired right out of school by H.O.Penn in Medford and now works as a field tech / diagnostician for Cat in Virginia.  Not bad for a 25 year old.     Paul

[carlotpilot]

it will be a cold day in hell when i pay 3500.00 a pint for paint to put on a truck . i also find it hard to believe that a paint mfgr. would have the audacity to ask that kind of money for a PINT of paint something has to be wrong with that storey

[Red Horse]

Hopefully the guidance counselor 41 Chev's grandson had to deal with has retired.  I know a problem here in Mass is there are not enough vacancies in the tech high school system to handle all the applicants.  Plus from what I have read, back in the dark ages (my youth) it seems tech high schools were just that- you learned a trade.  

Today-again at least around here, a kid can go to a tech high school and still get his share of courses so he can also apply to a college for a 2 yr associates or 4 yr bachelors program.  Think of it, a graduate engineer who knows how to weld or properly build a concrete form!

The sad fact is, you have kids-and parents-that get big loans while the kids pursue absolutely worthless degrees-"philosophy", "communications" etc and then come out and work in Starbucks.  My hope is people are starting to recognize a "degree" does not insure long term financial security.

[blackdog2]

Yea Bob, but he's making pipe and a lot of other precast pieces and trying to get into parking garages. He owns places all over east coast. He was caught skimping on rebar by the state and had to pay a big fine well he discounted material to the state for TAX purpose . He hired a person after all that for a couple years, then laid him off due to lack of work and he tripled in business with the state along as you get on the Friday list lunch & drinks till 6-7 between 20-40 people every week hes on both sides of rt-68 .

[fxfymn]

Not to be elitist, but it takes a certain amount of intelligence to do the skilled jobs we are talking about. Unfortunately a person with the smarts to do this work is also smart enough to do a cleaner job such as computer systems or electronic repair. I firmly believe that is why it is so hard to find young people who want to do these kind of jobs. Their work ethic is the same as our generation, and every generation before, but they have moved up to a less physically demanding job that has a better future.

My youngest is in computer security. No college degree, makes north of 100K, and is constantly being recruited to join other companies. He is the 21st century version of what my Dad was; a skilled mechanic who can diagnose a problem and then go fix it. Dad did it on machines that made clocks, son does it on machines that communicate to the world. Dad got greasy and worked on a factory floor, son works in an air conditioned office. Why would he go to work on a factory floor to make the same money?

There are skilled young people out there doing these types of jobs, but only because it is a true "calling" for most of them. 

Every generation faces a changing work place. I'm sure there were a lot of older gents sitting around a wood stove at the local country store in the early 1900's bemoaning the fact that their kids were leaving the farm to go to work in a factory. The kids thoughts were why should I get up twice a night to milk cows when I can work 8 hours , get a steady check, and enjoy life. No different today.

I do hate the fact that "education inflation" has crept into the work place. A job that used to require a GED now requires a 4 year degree, even though the job has not changed at all. The kid gets stuck paying for an education that never returns a better salary than what a high school diploma returned in my generation. 

Edited December 18, 2016 by fxfymn

[TeamsterGrrrl]

The counselors are just fulfilling the dreams of the parents, tell kids the truth and advise them to go into the crafts or tech and you'll find your position eliminated. I got a BA and some graduate credits while driving truck, but every job I've had didn't even require a high school diploma or GED. Had friends in social services try to talk me into getting licensed as a social worker, I had the prerequisites but said no thanks. Biggest mistake I made was letting a counselor talk me out of getting an engineering degree, now that I'm a senior and can get damn near free tuition I may fix that mistake...

[41chevy]

21 hours ago, Red Horse said:

Hopefully the guidance counselor 41 Chev's grandson had to deal with has retired.  I know a problem here in Mass is there are not enough vacancies in the tech high school system to handle all the applicants.  Plus from what I have read, back in the dark ages (my youth) it seems tech high schools were just that- you learned a trade.  

Today-again at least around here, a kid can go to a tech high school and still get his share of courses so he can also apply to a college for a 2 yr associates or 4 yr bachelors program.  Think of it, a graduate engineer who knows how to weld or properly build a concrete form!

The sad fact is, you have kids-and parents-that get big loans while the kids pursue absolutely worthless degrees-"philosophy", "communications" etc and then come out and work in Starbucks.  My hope is people are starting to recognize a "degree" does not insure long term financial security.

Career Counselor is still working. Two of the main tech class problems in N.Y. was the need for liability insurance in case of any injury (Cold Spring Harbor was sued and lost to the tune of $550,000 for a few stitches on a leg caused by rough housing)  and lack of teachers for any tech classes from Wood Shop, CAD,  Metal shop, Automotive and even Home Economics.

Counselors are saying what the parents want to hear, than parents and schools are not doing their jobs and passing the buck.

 

11 hours ago, TeamsterGrrrl said:

The counselors are just fulfilling the dreams of the parents, tell kids the truth and advise them to go into the crafts or tech and you'll find your position eliminated. I got a BA and some graduate credits while driving truck, but every job I've had didn't even require a high school diploma or GED. Had friends in social services try to talk me into getting licensed as a social worker, I had the prerequisites but said no thanks. Biggest mistake I made was letting a counselor talk me out of getting an engineering degree, now that I'm a senior and can get damn near free tuition I may fix that mistake...

Did you force your children to go into a career they really didn't want to be in?

We discussed our children's career options and possible results of their choices and gave them alternative choices. They all turned out happy in their careers. Two went to college and they are working in the fields they wanted from the beginning.one is Senior VP of development at Light Path, one is a software developer and one is a restoration carpenter for Mystic Sea Port. 

Edited December 19, 2016 by 41chevy

[TeamsterGrrrl]

5 minutes ago, 41chevy said:

Did you force your children to go into a career they really didn't want to be in?

No.

[41chevy]

1 hour ago, TeamsterGrrrl said:

No.

Good for you!!!  Families who talk things over and help each member make positive decisions (with enough nudging to make the best choices) seem well ahead of the curve.   Paul

[fxfymn]

Quote

Did you force your children to go into a career they really didn't want to be in?

I think most of us are lucky enough to stumble into a career we like. Picking what you want to do at age 18 rarely works out. That is why engineers end up driving trucks and welders end up in engineering school.

[BillyT]

Carlotpilot, some douchebag put a 12 inch dent in my pickups quarter in a parking lot it cost me 100 bucks for a quart of plain white urethane  enamel a gallon of reducer and wet sandpaper and some stir sticks! I took a chance and primed it with a rattle can,looks good but I thought I was a lot of money! A couple years ago my son painted my riding lawn mower with blue rust oleum don't know what reducer,looked good!his first time with a paint gun. No concours job, but maybe we need to experiment,the price of materials is ridiculous! Maybe try mixing it to get other colors. You wouldn't paint a high end street rod with it or your high buck road horse, but the frame on your old B model, or the undercarriage etc, your old farm tractor and so on! At some point the epa will veto all non waterborne paint not in Fla yet except possibly commercial shops! I remember when DuPont Imron was eighty bucks a gallon,very toxic, do they still make it?

[carlotpilot]

I`m pretty sure imron is still available but only to the pros.

[BillyT]

Teamster Grrrl my youngest son used to date a girl who was a graduate anthropologist, couldn't buy a job! She was the librarian at univ. Of fla,was getting a teaching degree the last time I talked to her! He graduated from Wake Forest on a football scholarship (thank god for football!) Was  40k a year in 94! He ended up building yachts and becoming a cabinetmaker! His older brother dropped out of h.s. and saved enough to go to computer school. He owns homes in three states and recently took a job as a bank vice president (at a significant reduction in salary) so he could spend more time with his kids! He lives In Nashville Tn and works in Pittsburgh by computer has less than two years of technical  school! So college is great,but not the only way to prep. Yourself for a career (or careers) Hard work is still the main factor! Degrees in subjects like social work,philosophy,and anthropology to name a few,often take years of experience to earn a living wage and some never do! Having said that,if you LOVE a field no matter what it is you will rise to the top in that field! If you hate your work you will suffer your whole life and be miserable to be around! 

[BillyT]

Have a funny story on the subject of guns in trucks and truck security!  Met a freight jockey who used to pull tanker he was pulling the tank into the old Hunts Pt market...had a reefer behind him. The guy in the tank stopped at a red light! The reefer guy says on the radio "tanker you ain't gonna believe this, an ( insert ethnic slur) just jumped on the back of your tank with a hammer and a can of refrigerant !" Most of you road drivers know how a thief can spray refrigerant on a lock(to make the loop brittle) and break it with a hammer!! Well this dude must have been on his first rodeo!  The tanker guy says " let's have some fun" so they call the cops on the cb and the reefer guy stays close enough that the thief is afraid to jump off thru a couple red lights til the cops come an take him away! I wonder if the guy ever figured out you can't break into a tanker? And if you could what would you do with 5000 gal of whatever if you could?😁 lol

[41chevy]

The Hunts Market approach at night was a gauntlet. The Crickets and Beans would push stripped cars in the street to slow or stop you. A  half dozen would literally un load you as you drove. We would literally ram the junk out of the way and stop for nothing. The HPM and going into Alphabet City (plus into the South Bronx) were like a Mad Max movie  Near the 59th Street Bridge in Manhattan at the Spanish produce market  "El Guappo"  watched a Ching a Ling  (Puerto Rican Biker Gang)  punch a hole in a vans gas tank for a couple of gallons of gas and let the other 10 or 15 gallons run down the street,  .  Those NY cut down bumpers weren't for beauty, they were done so as to not wrap into the steer. 

Edited December 29, 2016 by 41chevy