The following comes from the May 2018 issue of Truck Parts & Service. To read a digital version of the magazine, please click the image below.
The shortage of technicians in the heavy-duty truck service industry has been an ongoing problem, leading many businesses to seemingly try everything and anything to hire techs they need now. While filling today’s needs, many in the industry also are trying to develop a steady stream of future talent.
“Nothing we have done has allowed us to hire all the people we want. We could hire 40 more techs right now and put them to work,” says Greg Klein, president and CEO at Inland Truck Parts & Service. The company has 35 locations, 29 of which offer repair services, and it employs more than 150 technicians.
Tim Grabow, vice president of operations at Blaine Brothers, is one of many in the industry who shares Klein’s frustration. Blaine Brothers is part of a family of companies that includes nine total locations, employing approximately 180 technicians.
“We’re trying so many things. Nothing is off the table,” Grabow says. “If we think we can get some traction with an idea, we try it.”
