Is there a forum such as this for medium-duty truck mechanics?

What I have in mind is commercial trucks Class 4-6. But since this is a heavy truck forum I'll ask a few questions there too.


Are there any shops that service both MEDIUM-duty as well as heavy-duty CMV's? Do any hire mechanics that only service MEDIUM-duty vehicles or do truck/diesel mechanics generally service trucks in both medium and heavy categories?


I was a 63B10 in the United States Army. Light-wheeled vehicle mechanic. My MOS only dealt with light-to-medium tactical military vehicles. This ranged from pickup trucks to 5-ton trucks under 26,000 pounds GVWR. I'm considering entering the civilian trade as a repairer of commercial trucks. What trade training do I need over military mechanical experience to be job-marketable? Most military vehicle mechanics are "certified parts changers" as I was. I never received any training or experience in removing engines and transmissions. I was never trained to adjust valves on diesel or gasoline truck engines. None of my army vehicle has such amenities as car stereos, power windows, cruise control or air conditioning. Army trucks are highly Spartan tools of warfare.


I want to specialize in power trains. Knowing how to correctly adjust valves interests me. Engines, transmissions, clutches, torque converters, PTO's, drive shafts, U-joints, live axles, transfers. I don't like tire/brake/suspension/steering work nor do I like complex electrical diagnostics work. I hate routine services like lube/oil/filter. I like to diagnose things and fix broken things. Busting one's back with commercial tires, wheels and drums is peon work. I did a lot of that crap for seven years in Army motor pools.

 

Thanks for your reply, 201. I did have to remove the steel cab from an Army Hough wheel loader once and that was outside my MOS. As a civilian career, I would want to specialize in the powertrains of road-going trucks. For road-testing, I gather a diesel truck mechanic might need a CDL for Class 7+ equipment. Speaking of the heavy trucks, I prefer Kenworth and Peterbilt.

I don't know if I would put the following one my resume: I don't do tires, brakes, wheels, steering and suspensions. I don't do "heavy junk" or buses. I don't do trailers. I don't do vehicle electrical and lighting. I don't do trucks above Class 6.

Many rental trucks and moving vans are in the medium-duty range. So are a lot of trucks in the fleets of utility companies.

I feel I would need to attend a trade school to specialize in diesel on-road power trains FOR CMV'S. I'm not sure if diesel mechanics tear down/rebuild engines and transmisions in shop or just replace these as whole assembies.

I don't know what mechanics will have to fix when the oil runs out. Probably wood-burning steam locomotives. Maybe they will someday have all-electric trucks. Corn-oil-fueled vehicles?

 

One could just say, "I specialize in this and have certification or concentration in that" too avoiding negative terms. One might go to a trade school and get specialized training in engines and transmissions. Ok, one such power train specialist might have to do a brake job or a LOF once in a while. Ok. I have a dim view of this jack-of-all-trades approach.

Some mechanics may specialize in Kenworths but don't know squat about Volvos.

Vehicles are just too sophisticated these days for each and every mechanic/tech to know each and every one of those trucks from in-dash radio transistors to torque converters. One would not hire a dentist to perform brain surgery in the medical profession, would they? New vehicles are about as tricky in design as a human body.

 

Yes, sir, on top of that all, I still believe in good old-fashioned training. Does a diesel mechanic have to work strictly for a dealer? What about wrenching for a company that owns and operates a fleet of vehicles? In the Army, I serviced only a fleet of vehicles the federal
government owned and the military operated. Technologically speaking, as a truck mechanic for the Army, I did not have to know much more than a half dozen different truck models or series. Gasoline vehicles were pretty much phased out including jeeps and Dodge pickup trucks after my first year of service. We had GM-diesel-V8 powered Hummers, 800 series 5-ton, 900 series 5-ton, deuce and half, light-duty GM diesel trucks and that is about it for my MOS. A few trailers and water buffaloes to service also. What is nice about a fleet of trucks is that you have many of the same kind parked online. During troubleshooting procedures, you could swap out a suspected bad part for one that is known to be good from another vehicle if the same kind. Kinda a cheat method. The army trucks had these black boxes on the firewalls called protective control boxes. Swaping these out was a simple diagnosis. The engine won't start if one of these puppies is defective. I was a certified parts changer for army motor pools.

Fleet owner/operators hiring their own in-house mechanics are likely going to have a bunch of similar vehicles. Possibly a lot of the same models. Motor freight carriers tend to be brand loyal. They might, for instance, have a whole fleet of Kenworth tractors made over the past 20 years. This simplifies things when you have a bunch of the same kinds of vehicles to service. Working on nothing but Kenworths everyday will make a fleet mechanic a Kenworth expert over time.