diesel mechanics

Props to you. I like wrenching but would hate to have to work on crappy fleet trucks that are covered in grease and dirt.

So I just work on my own when I ain't driving it.

IMHO the "technician" industry is just like the driver industry. Mills (career schools) to license the masses.

 

Very true. I sure hope you live close to me. There are lots of so called 'mechanics' but not many who apply common sense to anything anymore. I hate to pay someone to do a job and then have to do it myself to get it right.

 

If I have time, I usually visit the wash bay to hose the nastiness off before I turn the truck or trailer over to any shop...they tend to appreciate that.

 

They need to change their criteria for hiring wrenches then they might have better luck, I'm not certified, but I have been around some of these tech school graduates and I can wrench circles around them. I'm not sure what they were taught but they don't have a clue.

I have been passed over for jobs before due to the fact listed above, yet I can teach myself new stuff in limited amounts of time without help, something most newer techs cannot do.

Sorry for the rant, just gets on my nerves when these places say they need help but won't give some people the time of day.

 

Hey.those ase cerified morons will tell you right off there better cause they have a degree in how to plug the computer in to the thing that reads the computer, I.ve seem some that had no idea what s vom was or what it would ever be,used for, then theres that guy who wants to replace everything because he can.t find the plug to hook up to tell him what to do. lol stupid ase boys.

Oh by the way a vom is short for voltage,ohm meter.

 

I was very lucky to have worked with some of the best mechanic, fabricators, welders, My uncles.
When I decided what I wanted to do, it took 4 years after high school, we had a good program threw unemployment insurance to get you into a 6 months Pre-apprenticeship program. I got a job at a logging operation and they had everything from converted steam equipment to the first computerized tension yarder, from their I went to a engine dealership, then a trucking company to a truck dealership.
Their is a big difference between someone that pulls wrenches and a mechanic.
I was very lucky to have worked with some very smart guys, that were willing to explain things to me. Being willing to learn, and willing to share your knowledge. Sometimes it helps to just verbalise a problem with someone else, that's views you trust.
I learned from equipment operators, salesmen, truck drivers, and have taken multiple courses. It is a never ending thing, and was always amazed when the younger guys, would want me to tell them what was wrong but never wanted to learn how to figure it out themselves.
I can tell you more about an engine with a bar against my skull than any computer can, but you have to be able to integrate both the computer, and what it says and what you feel to get it right.
Mind the rant!

 

It seems a shame to me that more and more the broad industry is looking for and training mechanics/techs to be nothing more than installers/parts changers that follow outlined procedure. Service writers (salesmen) often start the repair off in the wrong direction. This can cause inflated billing to the customer or loss of productivity to the mechanic and therefore loss in wages when labor times becomes unbillable. I never could understand why a service writer was allowed so much control over a repair when more often than not does not carry the knowledge to direct the repair wisely and efficiently for an ultimate end result for all parties. Good seasoned knowledgeable mechanics and the customers get the runaround from these practices but it continues due to the fact that the service writer has limited experience and knowledge and must follow a book. It's very difficult for a mechanic to reach or maintain his/her potential in this book controlled industry environment. The odds of a service writer directing the repair in the proper direction are 50/50 at best because they fail to even look at the vehicle or comprehend what they're being told by the customer. The mechanic must then fight to redirect the repair when checking the vehicle. The formalities created in these procedures seem to be the most difficult part of the job and eventually wears the tech down to mediocracy. I will never give in to the norm, it kills off my creativity and yearning to learn all the new technology.