Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/412479
21 Service Bay W W W . T R U C K P A R T S A N D S E R V I C E . C O M N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 4 | T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E That's the path New Jersey- based Campbell Supply has taken. "We are a major sponsor and also sit on the board of a local diesel technical school," Campbell Supply President Scott Campbell says. "We attend numerous job fairs that the school conducts. We participate in veterans' job fairs across the state. We also are a member of the Univer- sal Technical Institute and participate in their technician recruitment program." Clark suggests anyone in need follow that path. "Give us a hand," he says. "It's your guys, the technicians, that we're grooming." Rush Enterprises has shouldered some of the re- sponsibility for tech training internally by developing a year-long mentoring program for new technicians. The pro- gram "develops not only the younger technicians that are coming into the business, but it also develops the techni- cians that are more mature and wanting to refi ne their leadership skills," says Mike Besson, Rush's vice president of service operations. "The interesting part, on the fl ip-side, is watching the development of the mentor, not just the mentee," he says. "The mentor gets a grade, too. What kind of leader was he?" Rush Enterprises also has a recruiting department and has a relationship with Ca- reerBuilder to list vacancies. But Besson says it's the job of all company employees to seek out qualifi ed applicants. "Everybody in a location is a recruiter. I don't care what your job is," he says. "We do a very good job of working at selling ourselves as being the place to go to buy parts and service. It's just as important that you badge yourself and sell yourself as the place to work." Expansion has driven Campbell's need for appli- cants, and even being deeply involved with a local program hasn't made the search neces- sarily easier. "We are constantly in the hunt for qualifi ed techni- cians," he says. "In September 2013 we moved into a new facility and almost doubled our service capacity. This intensifi ed our need for technicians," he says. "[It is] always a challenge fi nding techs. We are located in New Jersey where there are many dealers and independent shops competing for a small technician pool." Omaha, Neb.-based Truck Center Companies has implemented a recruitment approach designed to reach students before they leave high school, meeting them on the playground of the 21st century — the Internet. The company has created a series of 10 "webisodes" to in- troduce high school students to the technical career path. "We looked at the state of the industry and our own business and decided to do something proactive about it," says Trey Mytty, Truck Center Companies CEO. "Being a diesel technician is a reward- ing career. Without them, the trucks that deliver goods and raw materials across the U.S. can't stay on the road. They really keep America going." Mytty says the video series is designed to showcase the need for qualifi ed techni- cians, but also detail the daily demands of the job. To build awareness about the video se- ries, Truck Center Companies A recruiting mix of using local tech schools, classifi ed ads and specialty recruiting sites can pay dividends. Tech pay by market Q Government $49,320 Q Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies merchant wholesalers $42,000 Q Manufacturing $42,160 Q Truck transportation $38,250 Q Repair and maintenance $38,880 According to the report, The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,820, While the top 10 percent earned more than $63,250. Footnote: About 10 percent of all techs work in government. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics