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Thread: The automotive technician shortage

  1. #1
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    Default The automotive technician shortage

    Depending on who you talk to 50%-75% of the people that enter the automotive technician trade, leave within two years. Technicians with many years invested are also packing up and starting over elsewhere. Why is this?

    We have to buy a lot of tools. We get burned, cut, and dirty. In the winter, road slush will fall off vehicles into your mouth, eyes, and ears. In the summer, the shop is sweltering. It is a mentality and physically hard job. But no different than any other trade.

    Every minute of my day is timed. Every task that I do is on the time clock. I have even had employers time my bathroom breaks. I have a permanent time clock hung over my head. The purpose of this is to keep track of my billed hours. My employers want to make sure I bill one hour for each hour they are paying me for. But this is not good enough. The expectation is that I bill at 200%. The "goal" is I bill 16 hours a day. Every hour that I'm at work, I have to produce 2 hours of labor. Using labor times that are designed to reduce the manufacturers warranty costs. Finding keys, finding the car in the parking lot and test driving, filling out work order notes, talking to service advisors, getting parts, none of this is factored into my billed hours.

    Every single employer that I have had has told me I work too slow. I'm usually around 80% doing mostly diagnostics, interior, and a bit of internal engine repair on basically all European makes/models. I almost never have comebacks and have a very high diagnostic success rate. Yet, many times, from many different employers, I have to sit in their office and defend my 80%. Billed hours is the most important thing, apparently.

    "What can we do to help you achieve 16 hours" this is a hollow offer. When you actually bring solutions to the table. Eeer, that's too expensive. Or, oh, we can't do that. Just work smarter and harder and no changes will be made.

    Maximizing billed hours leaves no time for training and education. I'm required to bill as many hours as possible. If I run into a problem that I don't understand. I cannot just spend an hour reading service information to educate myself. That happens on my own time, unpaid. Same thing with apprentices, my own billed hours are made to be more important than training future technicians. Not being given the time to pass down knowledge to someone who actually wants to learn and will be the next generation, is very disheartening. OE manufacturers literally scour the globe picking up the best and brightest to design the most complex personal transportation known to Man. Technicians are expected to learn how they work on their own time unpaid, in an environment that discourages learning, and at 200% efficiency.

    The shortage and bleeding are going to continue until something changes. I understand that these billed hours keep the lights on. But, we are putting the cart in front of the horse. Technicians and apprentices are put into the shop and expected to produce and not given the time to learn about these complex systems that didn't exist a few years ago. Pizza party's are not going to fix this.

    I do not have the answers to for this. But, we could take a experienced technician who has the desire, and put him/her into an educator role. No ridiculous billing expectations, just help and educate those who need it. Budget better, or let go of some greed, and give technicians the proper amount of time to learn about what we are trying to repair and not have to financially suffer or get yelled at.

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    Much of this could easily be solved by a variety of charge-out rates. If the shop needs $200/hr then they can charge their most experienced or best Subject Matter Experts out at $250/hr, apprentices out at $100/hr and everyone else between. Assign a blend of staff to each project to target an overall blended rate of $200/hr.
    Another method would be to offer 3 rates to customers. Cheap, average and expert. If experts are better because they actually spend more than 9 seconds diagnosing and more than 5 seconds verifying that their work actually solved the issue, then they can charge more. Even hair salons do this!
    "200% Efficiency" is somewhat over selling it when a guy like me can match some task's flat rate labour hours on my garage floor with consumer tools. But I certainly understand the frustration of a simpleton bean counter trying to motivate you with bullshit MBA speak. "Do more, with less!"

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    Quote Originally Posted by ThePenIsMightier View Post
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    Much of this could easily be solved by a variety of charge-out rates. If the shop needs $200/hr then they can charge their most experienced or best Subject Matter Experts out at $250/hr, apprentices out at $100/hr and everyone else between. Assign a blend of staff to each project to target an overall blended rate of $200/hr.
    Another method would be to offer 3 rates to customers. Cheap, average and expert. If experts are better because they actually spend more than 9 seconds diagnosing and more than 5 seconds verifying that their work actually solved the issue, then they can charge more. Even hair salons do this!
    "200% Efficiency" is somewhat over selling it when a guy like me can match some task's flat rate labour hours on my garage floor with consumer tools. But I certainly understand the frustration of a simpleton bean counter trying to motivate you with bullshit MBA speak. "Do more, with less!"
    Much of this already happens. Things like diagnostics have a lower effective labor rate, so the door rate increases to counter it. I spend 3 hours diagnosing a battery draw, I bill 3 hours. My coworker does a set of ball joints, he spends 3 hours and bills 6. I'm now sitting in the office being told I should be more like my coworker. Because of this, very few technicians can diagnose battery draws and a lot can do ball joints. The way things are going, there is more diagnostics than ball joints to do.

    Every one that takes the cheap option is going to expect expert level service.

    National technician efficiency is around 65%. If you suck the gravy train all day and do simple work, you can do well on flat rate. If you are doing diagnostics, you have to bill a shit load of 0.2's to get 16.
    Last edited by Flexray; 09-20-2024 at 09:03 AM.

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    We've already lost 3 long term experienced techs to city jobs. Better pay, better hours, better benefits and actual retirement packages.

    The pizza party reference kills me cause its like heyyyy you guys have to stay for a un-paid after work meeting but we're providing PIZZA!! Yay!!! BUT only 2 slices/person!
    Last edited by dj_rice; 09-20-2024 at 09:30 AM.
    Originally posted by GTS Jeff
    You know those bored stay at home moms who's entire lives revolve around driving their kids to soccer, various cleaning accessories, and worrying about neighbourhood rapists? The kind of people that watch the View and go "uh huh..." Those unfulfilled people who try to fill the void in their empty lives by writing whiny letters to the editor complaining about shit that no one really cares about?

    Well imagine if instead of writing that letter to the editor, she just posts on a car forum for car enthusiasts. That's Kritafo.

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    I agree that the best techs can ususally make more money with less stress by leaving the normal shops. Maintnence and repair on garbage trucks would be chill as fuck in comparison, and likelymuch better total comp too.
    Quote Originally Posted by ExtraSlow View Post
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    I'm sure I said something earlier, but maybe it wasn't clear, but I also probably can't be clearer. Dang.

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    I agree with the OP, I went to SAIT and completed the Automotive Service Technology degree, worked in a light duty shop for about six months and quit. Almost every single person I went to SAIT with either never even wanted a job in the field, or lasted a couple months and quit. Some people moved into Heavy Duty mechanics where the pay is much better with better hours and benefits. I moved into heavy duty parts back then and within two years was making more money than an licensed automotive mechanic without having to buy tools, and beat up my body everyday. It's a rough industry, and like you said will get worse with battery electric's and even more complex alternate fuel technologies coming down the pipe line.

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    It's amazing how successful giving workers free food really is, though.
    "Thanks for doing an extra thousand dollars worth of work. Here is $12 worth of food you could've bought with 15 minutes of your time. Let's sit here for 75 minutes and talk about teamwork."
    Last edited by ThePenIsMightier; 09-20-2024 at 06:07 PM. Reason: "amazing" wtf was winnowing

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    Penis has unwittingly revealed the crux of the issue here OP. There's a lot of "I" being bandied about right now and while we hear your concerns, I think you have to remember, there is no "i" in team.

    I think you need to reflect on that and we can circle back to it in your quarterly review. Once you stop being so tunnel visioned on your own issues, you just might be pleasantly surprised at the outcome in your attitude.
    Last edited by JRSC00LUDE; 09-20-2024 at 05:41 PM.
    Originally posted by SJW
    Once again another useless post by JRSCOOLDUDE.
    Originally posted by snowcat
    Don't let the e-thugs and faggots get to you when they quote your posts and write stupid shit.
    Originally posted by JRSC00LUDE
    I say stupid shit all the time.
    ^^ Fact Checked

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    Ya I think this is all billable hour jobs.
    Tap, Rack, BANG!

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    Quote Originally Posted by JRSC00LUDE View Post
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    Penis has unwittingly revealed the crux of the issue here OP. There's a lot of "I" being bandied about right now and while we hear your concerns, I think you have to remember, there is no "i" in team.

    I think you need to reflect on that and we can circle back to it in your quarterly review. Once you stop being so tunnel visioned on your own issues, you just might be pleasantly surprised at the outcome in your attitude.
    Remember that time when I asked for regular performance reviews? You told me you don't have time for that, and if there is a problem you will come talk to me. I guess I will just wait until one of us is pissed off enough and forces a hostile sit down.
    Over the last week, I lost 5 hours off of my pay because I was being a team player. I guided the apprentices and made sure they didn't destroy something and cost you money.
    I think I'm going to pack up my tools and take my pleasant attitude somewhere else.

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    This sounds like most consulting outfits where billable hours are life.

    The worst part I see here is the physical labour and on one's body - I could never do it, too soft.
    Ultracrepidarian

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    Quote Originally Posted by msommers View Post
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    This sounds like most consulting outfits where billable hours are life.

    The worst part I see here is the physical labour and on one's body - I could never do it, too soft.
    I actually really do enjoy most aspects of this job. The physical part is one of them. I would describe fixing cars like a slow motion HIIT workout. You keep a good steady pace while you, push, pull, lift, lower, stand up, get down, and bend over. For like 8 hours.

    It forces you to have a healthy lifestyle. I have a daily exercise and stretching routine, with a good quality health diet. Most of the old guys that you see in the trade are not overweight and take care of themselves.

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    Auto repair charges are absolute fucking bullshit. No doubt about it.

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