Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/591411
Hiring Focus Continued Once enrolled in training pro- grams, the panel says their interest and commitment to trucking quickly continued to grow. "I loved every second of it," said Karl Kerutis, a recent WyoTech graduate who finished third in this year's FutureTech contest, and is now working at a Volvo-Mack dealer- ship in South Dakota. They looked for similar levels of enthusiasm when choosing their employer. Kerutis and last year's FutureTech Champ Gunnar Lueck said they were courted by fleets and dealers when they finished school. In both cases, the techs said the business they chose was the one that did the best job of making them feel comfortable. Lueck in particular was impressed by how his new coworkers at Bruckner Truck Sales introduced themselves and welcomed him to the family. Each tech said they would encour- age students finishing tech school to look for the same atmosphere. "Everyone wants to work in a shop that is like home," says Wal-Mart Tech Nick Moeller. Somewhat surprisingly, the group seemed less focused on compensa- tion. While most techs said their employers met their financial expec- tations coming out of trade school, the group noted business culture, skills training, company leadership and career mobility as larger drivers in their hiring decisions. Safety matters, too. Techs won't take a job if they don't feel safe. Compensation doesn't mean much "if I can only work three months because a truck dropped on my leg," says Moore. "There's no replacement for work- ing in a clean, safe shop," Moeller adds. And when asked about recruit- ing their contemporaries, the group was frank—trucking has to sell its technology. "I don't think you can say some- one is too smart" or qualified for this career, says McLean. "The trucks today are getting smarter and smarter … techs need to keep up with that." > www.jobsfor teams.com JOBS for TEAMS | 28