Originally appeared in Commercial Carrier Journal. When the industry talks about the ongoing technician shortage, the conversation usually circles back to the usual suspects: competitive pay, sign-on bonuses and recruiting perks. While selling the job is essential, it overlooks a much larger, structural hurdle — the growing gap between what […]
Technicians
46 posts
Originally appeared in Commercial Carrier Journal. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels like the industry has been in more or less a holding pattern since 2023. But thanks to several coinciding factors, capital equipment orders have rebounded from this time last year and sales are heading in […]
It’s nearly time for Brake Safety Week, is your fleet ready? Scheduled for the week of August 23-29, CVSA conducts Brake Safety Week to promote the importance of brake maintenance. During this annual, week-long initiative, roadside inspections are conducted throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, where inspectors check vehicles for […]
Originally appeared in FleetOwner. Fleet operators face no shortage of challenges in today’s volatile business environment. While some factors are outside their control, others are not. One area where fleet leaders can have a significant impact is employee retention, particularly among diesel technicians. As I noted in recent blogs, a […]
Originally appeared in Commercial Carrier Journal. If solving headaches in the shop were as simple as plugging in a device and having it report data, then most of our problems would disappear overnight. The reality is a bit less rosy. Despite leaps in technology, a vast amount of data at […]
Originally appeared in Commercial Carrier Journal. I’ve been writing about the challenges of hiring quality diesel technicians for years, and frankly, it hasn’t gotten any easier. As we move through 2026, thousands of positions remain open across the industry. With trucks becoming more technologically complex and freight demands evolving, fleets […]
Originally appeared in FleetOwner. According to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the diesel technician shortage is actively impacting vehicle uptime, maintenance costs, and fleet growth. But the skills shortage is exacerbating an already bad situation. At a recent NationaLease meeting, Chris Disantis, VP of maintenance at Aim NationaLease, highlighted a key driver […]
Originally appeared in FleetOwner. In a recent post, I discussed the need to upskill diesel technicians to keep pace with rapidly emerging technologies. One of the biggest forces driving that change is artificial intelligence (AI), often viewed as a silver bullet capable of streamlining processes, cutting costs, and improving accuracy […]