With over 43 years of experience in the automotive field as a technician, service manager and shop owner, longtime Motor Age contributor G. Jerry Truglia has seen many sides of training. From certifications—some of his include ASE World Class, Triple Master Auto, Truck, School Bus Technician, A9 (Light Vehicle Diesel Engines), ASE L1 (Advanced Level), L3 (Light Duty Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Specialist), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), and Undercar Specialist and Service Consultant—to being the founder and current president of Technicians Service Training, Truglia stands as a lauded leader in the industry and as an inspiration for those new to service repair.
A quick glance at Truglia’s list of wide-ranging titles and accolades could prove to anyone that working in the service industry requires a high level of technical knowledge, experience, and dedication. However, Truglia says the biggest challenge he has faced and still sees in the industry today is a lack of respect. “Technicians and mechanics are not looked up to but rather looked down on. It’s hard to get paid for what you know if you’re not respected,” he notes.
Truglia recognizes that respect within and for this highly technical industry goes hand in hand with maintaining expertise and professionalism through training. He states, “Training is very important because the vehicles and the systems on them constantly change. If we do not update, we will evaporate.” Helping the image of technicians and mechanics involves certification, Truglia adds. “ASE certification shows professionalism. Other hands-on training, such as the TST electrical/computer certification, is important as well.”
Truglia, who has co-hosted Motor Age webinars with Pete Meier, encourages those in the industry—both rookies and veterans—to remember that training is available in many forms. “Read everything you can and get involved in training. Utilize the Internet by watching webinars and training videos on YouTube.”
From presenting multiple times at SAE World Congress and at the Clean Air Conference and IM Solutions to authoring a variety of automotive books, Truglia has always explored different avenues in the service repair world, and he encourages fellow mechanics and technicians to do the same. “If a mechanic or technician can explore different jobs in the industry they will find the job that works best for them and/or one that they can switch to in the future. Since the job is physical, there comes a point when a tech can no longer physically perform as well and may want to move on to being a service adviser, manager or something else.” Truglia continues, “As the ARMY states, be all you can be. My wide range of involvement has taught me that if you work hard and keep yourself updated, you can move on and up. It’s a great industry that has been good to me. As technicians, we can only expect to get out the effort we put in our industry.” Clearly, Truglia is a perfect example of that.
