Every segment of the trucking industry is hurt by the technician shortage. One serious hurdle would-be technicians must overcome is funding; it’s hard for an entry-level technician to shoulder sizeable school and tool fees.
“Word is not getting out that there are available funds and scholarships that kids can take advantage of in order to enter this industry,” said Lee Long, chairman of the Professional Technician Development Committee (PTDC) of the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) at the organization’s annual convention in Orlando, Fla. “There should be no reason why a student can’t find a scholarship to help him become a heavy-duty technician.”
“We need to encourage more students to enter the heavy-truck maintenance field at little or no expense through scholarships,” said Long, manager of fleet services, Southeastern Freight Lines. “We’re here to determine the best way to go about this.”
Long went on to discuss potential sources for finding and funding interested students, such as federal funding for displaced workers, the military, local civic organizations and adult education programs.
According to the committee, students don’t often pursue heavy-duty technician scholarships because they don’t think they will qualify or don’t take the appropriate steps to file or renew the necessary paper work. “Sometimes they don’t even realize these scholarships exist,” said Long.
TMC is developing ways to publicize available student funds as well as to attract students to the industry. Meeting attendees from fleets and vocational schools suggested that companies use their existing staff to reach out to prospective diesel technicians, or that they create mentoring programs and use internships to attract prospects.
The organization also recommends that managers become familiar with educational funding regulations in their own region, as there is some policy variance between states. Making contacts in local vocational schools and talking to area high school guidance counselors also was strongly encouraged by the committee.
