Why Technicians are Leaving the Industry ft. Matt Fanslow, Bob Higgins, & Lunden Herndon
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- Опубликовано: 15 июн 2021
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On this week’s episode, we talk with three former technicians about what struggles they experienced working as techs, why they think techs are leaving the industry, and actions shops can take to boost technician retention.
About Our Host:
Jay Goninen
Co- Founder & President, WrenchWay
jayg@wrenchway.com | 608.716.2122
About Our Guests
Bob Higgins
Service Adviser, Northwest Imports
thatbobguy8@gmail.com | 617-957-0971
Lunden Herndon
Automotive Technician, Rob's Automotive & Exhaust
lundenherndon@gmail.com
Matt Fanslow
Shop Manager/Diagnostic Technician, Riverside Automotive
Resources:
- Download the free WrenchWay app in the App Store or on Google Play: resources.wrenchway.com/downl... 
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I was a service manager and a technician at another shop. The customers are the absolute scum of the earth. The technician side of it isn’t much better when you’re forced to work under terrible management. As a manager I grew tired of having to deal with bad attitudes during the pandemic. Went back to school for IT. FUCK this industry. I’ll never return
30 years in automotive industry. RUN.
26 years in and I CONFIRM RUN!
25 years away. So glad I RAN!
What about diesel industry
As an automotive technician who made the jump to diesel truck technician and now 10 years into trucks I’d still say run. I saw an improvement in pay but it’s now stagnant in diesel Industry as well. Most mechs hired after me were forced to sign an employment contract with a particular freightliner dealer to stay on for a certain time or they have to pay the dealer back a certain amount for the factory training. The old heads are still wanting to keep 1foot back in the 90s while trying to step into EV truck technology at the same time. All the senior mechanics who worked on that 90s mechanical injection technology have retired out and took the knowledge with them leaving a skills gap. I’m burnt out and ready to throw it away and start in something new. I’m being expected to work on engines I’m not trained on anything from 1987-2024 model trucks and that’s at dealer level. It takes Diamler trucks a week to get back to our technician assistance requests. Owners are frantically trying to get trucks repaired for the cheapest possible even if it means skipping troubleshooting procedures on a hunch. I’m $60k in personal tooling last I calculated 2 years ago. I could write a novel why it’s honestly not much different today.
@@Tyler-gb5sl Thanks for chiming in on that. My experience is purley automotive. Mechanical and collision repair at both dealerships and independent shops. The management is horrific in these places! The whole system is broken and the companies place no value on experience or the length of time you worked there. My biggest mistake was staying in it for too long but atleast I'm out of it now and my tools will never leave my house again.👍
The questions should be: Why are technicians not staying in the industry? Managers, service advisors, compare your paychecks to the technicians' paycheck, compare how your clothes, your hands, your work areas and your faces look at the end of the day, how much your back hurts, how much you spent on tools this year, how many hours of training you took last year, there it is part of your answer. Also the modern technician has a high education level and it keeps getting higher: the more educated a person is the more conscientious he is about his condition when compared to others.
My advice to any young guy out there: do no go into the automotive mechanic trade. Underpaid, overworked and not appreciated. Dealer/shop charges $500 labor for a brake job, and the technician gets maybe 15% out of that money: the technician provides his labor (possibly injuring his body in the long term), his knowledge, and his tools. It sounds like a great deal for the dealer/shop. Stay away from the auto tech trade.
I run a nonprofit called the Clear the Air Foundation in CO. I recycle old cars and turn them into tuition and tool scholarships for auto tech students. $308,000 awarded to date. One of the biggest issues I see is that a student will graduate from college with an Associate's and start at a dealership at $14 an hour. Oh, and they need their own tools. In addition, I've seen these same people put on flat rate immediately! The amount of time, effort and money it takes to get to be a Master Certified Automotive Technician makes me wonder why anyone would do it. They would make more money faster in nearly every other trade. Carpenter, welder, electrician, plumber, etc. Experienced techs are retiring in droves, and there aren't enough coming into the trade to fill the gaps.
Same thing here in Canada. I'm a tech and 56 years old. I'll be retiring in 9 years, and I fear for the future of the trade...no one is available to fill in the jobs.
@@laveritesurlestemoinsdejeh8522The pay isn't there man I got right around 24-25 mabie 26 as I've been wrenching since 10-12 years old I'm 37 now and I'm leaving this bs field as a MT making 80-90k a yr with 250k in tools. It ain't worth it when other job on the planet's pay has doubled ours hasn't..
Earlier this year, I finished tech school. I worked my ass off learning how to read wiring diagrams & use a labscope. Paid for electric vehicle training, too. Got hired at a top-rated indie shop. I was coming home with cuts, bruises, burn marks, sore body, stressed out due to deadlines. I found out that my recent graduate college friends were being hired at $30+/hr!! They're computer and IT majors. I'm quitting and going into something else.
Smart man. Stay away from mechanic. It's a dead end job. Stress, low pay job, tools are very expressive. Every shop wants fast and bite book time. 25 yes expensive. I'm done. I better flip hamburger then go back to mechanic.
same man, Im a top level master tech, with Nissan master tech certs, master ASE cert. and EV certs, I make 30/hr. I'm having a horrible time with finances right now, I'm leaving the industry on to the tech industry, learning to code and hopefully use my technical and computer skills to make a better life. automotive tech career is done.
I'm taking a hard look at this also paying off student loans and tools leave me with less net take home pay
Smart man
Quick question how much were you making?
Cause I been hearing master techs making 25 an hour or less which to me is horrible.
I work at cintas the uniform company and I started off at 23 an hour. And all I do is wash clothes 🤣.
Master dealership tech of 24 years experience. Cash pay labor rate is currently 185$ an hr. Service manager makes an average of 200,000$ annually. Service advisors average 75 to 100,000$ annually. Average veteran technician owns 50,000$ in tools. Most Texas technicians annually produce 40 to 75,000$ annually. Most dealerships demand techs to work from 7:00am to 6:00pm Monday-Friday and every other Saturday. They often shame us to work until 9:00pm and every Saturday. I can keep going……
Slave. Run for your life. It's better to be homeless than work for dealer. Been there done that. Stress, stress, and stress.
Mt here 80-90k a yr I'm done with this field. Young people saty away from this field.
Sorry technology sucks. Doing auto collision 43 years. Now we have self driving cars?? Useless!! Bad enough bumper sensors all different for LH& RH . Always wrong parts.
@@glennsvoboda6602 I work with someone with the same last name as you.
@@eric63377 Suffolk County L.I.N.Y
I am leaving the industry because the pay at auto repair shop is not competitive. They require a lot of experience but their pay is not enough. I went to get my 4 year degree in automotive industry at BYUI. Plus I became a ASE mater technician. I was comparing some jobs that pay better than being a auto tech. For example, in Illinois restaurants offered me $ 18 to 20 dollars per hour, and a repair shop offered me 12 dollars. How a restaurant pays better than a repair shop. Restaurants do not require me some training. I ask my self where is the motivation to continue this path? I decided to apply for other companies that are not related to my degree. They offered me a better deal. They also included good benefits. It is so sad to see this in the automotive industry.
Just got a job working for a place in jersey doing light equipment maintenance, great money, health benefits, paid time off, paid vacations, Fridays off during the summer, pay raise after 90 days, and the best part they supply all the tools so my box stays home.
I get tired of people flipping a gasket when I ask what I need to do the job. I’m a carpenter by trade, and it’s a dying trade. Not many under 40 years old. And residential carpenters make nearly nothing. I no longer am willing to fix other peoples houses up for them if they are unwilling to pay me. Funny thing is, they act like I’m the one that’s unreasonable. I say let the whole country crumble until they realize that our skill has value. Then all the paper pushers of the world might get their noses out of the air.
Amen
One of the laws of power is make yourself scarce. Thats the problem with the labor market. There is constantly another fool because immigration willing to take your place. The message for higher wages doesnt get through.
@@gormenfreeman499 fair enough
Residential construction is bursting with money . I would assume the carpentry would also pay high.
@@Matt-kt9nm the market was flooded with cheap labor decades ago. Wages haven't really gone up since the 80's by much. Unfortunately the value of the dollar keeps going down.
I'm currently listening to this because it's getting more and more tempting to find another field.
Maybe find bus mechanic. Easy, less stress and pay more. Make sure union
@@peterchen9194In my home town I heard about a guy working on exotic cars like Jags I bet he was doing well.
I'm a senior tech and have to say you guys have said it all👍
Been in the industry 17 years and it is def tough… I am master certified tech working for Gm the last 15 years and I make good money. A lot easier fields to make the same money on with less cost… my cousin became a nurse practitioner and makes $115k a year, but took him much longer to make that money due to schooling. But this field gets physically harder as you get older… most other jobs get easier
I worked in a flat-rate shop. Some of us there worked so long for so little that we made less than minimum wage. I had to report the shop to the state labor board. We got the back pay, but still, minimum wage!
20 years out now and happy.
I really enjoyed this video and especially Bob's straight-forward view of how things are. He's 100% correct, I myself have in the past joked about breaking my leg or getting covid, at least I won't have to work then for a few weeks. I hear the boss saying, "that customer said thanks, you did a great job repairing his car". What I don't hear much, if ever is a sincere thank you from the boss himself. When you work for a shop for almost 4 decades and haven't had a raise in almost 20 years, that hurts, you go to work and wonder why am I doing this? Does anyone really appreciate me working 6 days every week, day in day out?
I've been looking myself into leaving the industry, been doing this for decades and as you get older, you still are stuck on flat-rate pay, yes I have plenty experience to work flat-rate, but my body isn't up for that task like it used to be. Instead of rewarding loyal, hard working techs into staying in the industry, paying them a good wage to work and at the same time train a new tech or tech's, these tech's end up walking away from the industry because of all the aches and pains of having to work so hard with limited help.
The industry has treated me well but it's taken a big toll on my lifestyle over the years, missing out on many things / hobbies from only having one day a week off and limited days off for holidays, etc. I see friend/family getting a week off for holiday's, etc and I'm getting 2 days off or working every Saturday when others are out with their kids or friends enjoying the summer, etc. In todays world, I still say kids need to get into the trades field, but not the automotive trade field.
Your story is a reason toolboxes have wheels.
@@crashm1 yep and I see alot of techs rolling them into there garages making more money at home then working at a shop . I use to be against this and use to call these guys shade tree mechanics but this is far from the truth . There are a ton of techs who are certified , have equipment and are making good money from home . As far as laws against this? I see people who work for the police department even going to home techs getting there cars repaired. The only people crying about it is the shop owners saying “ hey joe that use to work here is working on cars down the street and killing my business “ 😂
I was an ASE certified mechanic for 10 years, doing drivability and electrical work when I quit. You truly need an engineer level knowledge to be a good mechanic. I went to get real degrees, bachelors in biology and masters in chemistry. My job now is much easier than being a mechanic and I make 5x the salary. Working on flat rate for peanuts is a scam for the mechanic.
I can do a tire rotation and oil change in one hour at $100 for the ticket. I can do 4 brand new tires in 30 minutes. 4 new tires are from $500-1400. I get paid $16 an hr. See the problem? I work 8 hrs a day bringing in $800+ and I get paid $130 for that labor. If i open my own shop I’d pocket it all
Let me school you to run a shop there is going to be overhead you have to pay, licenses and shop equipment tire machines, balancer, alignment rack, even a tech like you to do the work. Remember your not going to make a million dollars by yourself. It takes a lot to run a shop.
got out of the field and work for the gov. taking home $5000 a month and not even half the stress as this job
What do you do?
@@davekohler5957 corrections in a prison. i’m over $5000 a month now bc we get raises every yr
Been a Diesel mechanic for 22 years. So much has changed. When I first started. When you became a old timer 40 plus. You we either a shop foreman or had gravy jobs. The shortage has made all jobs equal. We have guys 60 plus still doing brake jobs or dirty work. I am 48. I gave up trying to get promoted to Foreman. Most shops have gotten rid of it. They cheat and call it Lead. It’s the same job as Foreman. Except you are not a supervisor or get the pay or perks. I left my last shop over a promised Shop foreman position. After I left. My old coworker who was 28 got the Foreman position. You get penalized for being the best at your job. My current shop. My coworker got Fleet manager at 29. Was just a Diesel tech. Never was a lead or foreman. Guy was on his phone half the day. I gave up. I just do my job and go home……
Been a mechanic for 22 yrs if you are not the top 1% you won't make any money. Get out the industry not worth the time and the money you are getting.
17yr mechanic here. I recently decided to take a break. I'm officially on strike, you find me assembling furniture and cutting grass for about the same wage.
I chose not to go back because I didn't want to deal with another corporate fleet or another egotistical manager. I honestly don't know if you could pay enough to do automotive again, diesel maybe. Automotive would take alot of incentive to put up with that again.
I do thank the flat rate system for my get it done bust ass work ethic.
Automotive = pay every one's paycheck before your own
Fleet = All you do is spend company money
Poor attitudes and all around ignorance burned me out
Wrenching is a tough trade!
Add flat rate to the mix, it brings out the greedy monsters in many people!
Develop thick skin!!
My advice,
Work smarter than harder
Go high line-
Specialize in one manufacturer, IE Mercedes, BMW etc
work for the dealer and get your training! Some dealers have expedited training, 9 months
no flat rate until you’ve been sufficiently trained!
5- no gravy work when you’re an hourly tech
learn to DIAGNOSE!!!
Nobody’s your friend, especially scum bag management!!!
Let me school you my friend, as a Bmw dealer tech the training that you get familiarizes you with a model, in school they don't give you certain skill sets like usings a oscilloscope. When I was at bmw you had a long list of parts you could not change on a vehicle without getting permission from BMW North America submitting forms for authorization to do so. So now you're spending time to submit forms to replace something and not getting paid to do so. The dealer route is ok, but it's not what you make it out to be.
If the tech schools would explain the flat rate at the beginning it would weed out a bunch
The industry has so many issues, and it always starts at the top, the owners who make the final decisions kill it.
I worked for Toyota early in my Varner in 2002, they shorted me 46 cents an hour for 3 months on a raise they promised me. 46 cents an hour.
I was recently bait and switched to a tune of 6 dollars an hour, I quit my job, moved my box and my first day he pulled me aside, and cut my wages from 29 to 23. I was jaded from that point on. I didn't work hard there.
I watched this video few years ago. I’m still in contact with a lot of friends in the industry and I can tell you from what I hear and see it’s only gotten worse.
As an HVAC tech that "hit by a bus" comment was dead on for me.
2 years later, nothing has changed, in fact its only gotten worse.
Matt Fanslow continues to be an essential voice in this business. Once again he shows his knowledge diversity, his sincere love for the business and his ability to future proof his game. Bob, excellent job reaching out with honesty and integrity. Outstanding job here to all of you folks. Look forward to hearing and seeing more of Matt's insights .
in the automotive industry. been flat rate for about 4 months now. pay is better than hourly but i dont think its worth the constant pressure to keep putting hours out. Thinking about going into the heady duty mechanic side of things, heard diseal techs make more and are not on a flat rate system. Anyone here hd mechanic? how has it been treating you, thanks.
1 year left in my IT Management Bachelor's and I realize, I don't want to do this shit!
Atta-boys are great. Appreciation is nice. $$ talks. Show me you appreciate my hard work, quality repairs and busted body by paying us a quality wage. 20 year guy here who will be out of it in two weeks for all of the reasons expressed by these gentlemen. No respect, undervalued, high knowledge and skills set needed to maintain and repair these modern module-driven vehicles while not getting compensated for the work. It has not changed in my 20 years. I do not see any trends to indicate it will change. Time to get out.
Make it harder for shops to get technicians will increase pay and appreciation. If laws were passed requiring a person to be licensed before they can even step foot in a shop, it would create a technician deficit.
Yes and no, as far as the laws are concerned there's not enough regulatory personal to enforce the laws. We are in a deficit of techs now and the price per hour is not moving up much.
Very educational!! Thanks!!!
If you wanna make money as a tech STOP working for small shops work for your self
Most technicians are not good business owners.
man if u have no goal for something u will never make it in or out there...the goal must be never to work for others but work for yourself in the long run.
Thank you 👍
Video great 👍 👌 👏
From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧
Automotive is my only gateway to sucess so what i need to do is to keep learning multiple skilld n growing at same time for my upcomming future advance repair shop company...!
I wish I was on here talking, giving my input
Unions.
Down to the BRASS TACKS , Trade Union jobs pay the best wage and have the best fringe benefits and working conditions ! The workers that do not agree either own the business or have never worked a Union Job .
Standard Repair Time ( SRT ) is considered a Joke . SRT’s are set on brand new vehicles without consideration of Rust , Corrosion , and Age of the vehicle !
Yeah low pay, lots of lost time in diagnosis on flat rate not worth it
Its a long way to the top, honey bunnie! STAY COOL AND GET YOUR SKILL LEVEL UP! THATS WHERE THE MONEY IS!!!
Just work harder right
Fuck that
What money? Top earners max out at an avg of $65k-$70k. Cushy office jobs pay better than that with no risk of personal injury, and no overhead.
I own a repair facility, and a couple of service trucks. Top earners in my area dont top at 60 or 70. 😆.
Thats great and all but thats not how avrgs work.In areas where the price of living is high sometimes they earn a little more but its still peanuts compared to any other trade.You'd have to be heartless to look a young person in the eyes and tell them this is a good trade to enter.@@twobalcain
Bad management . Unfortunately just like registered nurse you are too independent to become organized.
What I want to know.. could most successful auto shops or dealers actually afford to pay their mechanics more but just don’t? I’m at a dealer with a shop rate of $230/hr. I make 16.5% of that an hour.
the answer is Yes.
At 31:18 - I feel bad to see a well educated person, which typically means they can be successful in many different careers, end up choosing a path that they quickly outgrow and then feel stuck and ultimately resentful. Is a career as an auto tech compatible with people that are highly intelligent and enjoys continuously improving their skills? I am a software programmer and I can attest that my career has few limits growing in both complexity and salary for those that are willing to push themselves.
It's time to raise the labor rates and let people be pissed for a while
Get out. Get your diesel certificate, get your CDL, and get onto an 18 wheeler Semi-Truck service center. Talk, ask , beg, or prostitute yourself to get in. You're going to have similar sweat , grime, & exhaustion at the end of your shift. But you're not gonna have the DRAMA of a consumer automotive shop. Your paycheck won't be a mystery every week. The frustration that is baked into planned obsolescence in modern vehicles is obvious & diabolical. How many labor hours does it take to replace a water pump in the ubiquitous GM Equinox/Acadia/Traverse? 6 hours !?!
Any of us that have been in the business 40+ years knows unchecked illegal immigration has hurt wages. Employers can pay less, so they do.
I the illegal immigrants who own automotive repair shops. How is this even possible?
Don't think aviation is any different 😅
Open your own shop at your house thats what i did.
Two words, flat rate. It’s not rocket science.
Go to college. Let the migrants take these jobs
They are taking these jobs, also part of the problem.
Problem is the migrants need $30k worth of tooling for Each one hired. Keep in mind $30k isn’t much today in tools. It’s bare necessities. Shops want productivity from day 1 and most migrants likely will not be able to do that. They have to have a work visa or a social security number and a permanent address to be hired at most shops . This is why migrants aren’t being hired as techs large scale. Us pro level mechanics bring a lot more to the table than our employers give us credit for. We are not easily replaced due to the job requirements and expectations they place on us.
@Tyler-gb5sl to work in any sanctuary state, you don't need a visa or ssn to work in the trades. Employers hire illegal migrants because they don't have to worry about unemployment insurance, health insurance, workman's comp, etc.