2016 Motor Age Roundtable: Shifting paradigms and perceptions

Nov. 22, 2016
Automotive professionals with various industry perspectives — from trainer to shop owner — discuss solutions to some of the biggest challenges troubling the automotive repair industry.

In this year’s Motor Age Roundtable, automotive professionals with various industry perspectives — from trainer to shop owner — parallel their passion for fixing and improving vehicles by discussing solutions to some of the biggest challenges troubling the automotive repair industry today, such as staying up to date with ever-changing technology, raising awareness of the importance of training, altering the public’s perception of the industry and attracting young talent.

Editor’s note: Some responses were edited for length or clarity.

Who was at the table?

Tayor Hill is Manager of Larson’s Service in Peabody, Mass., and is an active member of two Program Advisory Council committees, in which she speaks to local technical high school students.

Pete Meier is the Director of Training and Technical Editor for UBM Americas Automotive Group. He holds ASE CMAT certification.

Jeff Peevy is the president of Automotive Management Institute (AMi) and has been involved in industry training and education for over 20 years.

Brad Pellman is the owner of Pellman’s Automotive Service Inc. in Boulder, Colo., and is an ASE Master Technician and an Accredited Automotive Manager with AMi.

G. Jerry Truglia is a nationally recognized trainer and author and founder and president of Technicians Service Training (TST).

MOTOR AGE: Industry training initiatives and events are becoming more frequent and attendance has significantly increased. Why do you think there has been a sudden growth in training opportunities?

BRAD PELLMAN: The spark for me is the technology in the cars. I think technicians are realizing that they have to get training to continue to be good at their jobs and to make the money that they want to make. I think shop owners are also realizing that they have to step forward and create an environment where training is part of what we do; it’s expected in the business.

PETE MEIER: To be honest, I think a lot of it had to do with what we got accomplished at Automechanika Chicago last year. Many people who came to Chicago had never been to training because they hadn’t had the opportunity to do so or couldn’t afford training. There have been other initiatives as well, such as ASA’s regional events, SERVICE-EDU and Garage Gurus, to name a few, that have been very successful.

G. Jerry Truglia

G. JERRY TRUGLIA: I would agree with both of those ideas. I think the spark was started at Automechanika Chicago in 2015, which offered training with top instructors in the country for free. We had a big year with the TST Big Event with over 350 attendees, and we had a small fee of $75, thanks to sponsors. Sponsors see the value of these training events. They’re touching their customers, the end user, who’s going to buy their products. It’s a win-win for them and a win-win for the industry. I would also agree that technology has been a big push. A shop feels the pain when they can’t work on certain systems or fix a problem vehicle.

MEIER: Automechanika Chicago wasn’t really “free.” It was free to the attendees, but the bills and all the speakers got paid; we just went to a different source for the funding. TST’s out-of-pocket expense for the attendees was reduced significantly because they went to someone else for funding. Maybe it’s that different model. These people want the training but sometimes it’s a matter of being able to afford it. Secondly, a lot of techs will tell us that their bosses aren’t supporting them — not giving them time off, not covering the cost, etc. I think a lot of owners are realizing that it’s to their benefit to support that and create that culture for the business.

Jeff Peevy

JEFF PEEVY: There’s a divide in this industry between those who get it and see not just training, but learning, as the source of a sustainable, successful future and then there’s a large group that hasn’t been exposed or realized the need for it yet. Anything we as an industry can do to give that group a taste or a feeling for the need for training is a really big deal. I think a strong effort to reach out to that group is important, and I think the events that have been mentioned are a good example of the open door for that group.

While an increase in industry training events has certainly benefited repair shops, spreading awareness that these opportunities exist is key to the success of training resources. The panelists weighed in on the importance of not only sharing industry news, but in sharing knowledge that is gained via training.

Pete Meier

MEIER: Motor Age and other publications have been harping on this message for years — that our industry is a continuing education business. Aftermarket companies have stronger YouTube and social media presences, and that allows people to share content more easily. The industry knows that if they don’t want their parts coming back and the auto manufacturers know that if they want to keep their brand recognition, that the people working on these vehicles need to know how to fix them correctly.

TAYLOR HILL: We’ve definitely seen that information is not getting out to shops that need to know about training or are possibly too late in understanding that they need training. I know of two shops in the area that have closed down because they weren’t able to stay up to date to fix the cars. Once they found out that they needed the training, they didn’t have the money necessary to get said training.

Brad Pellman

PELLMAN: How many shop owners are working in the shop instead of the office? The owners who work in the shop don’t have time to look at information on training. Being professionals in our industry requires us to be up to date on everything that is out there. If we’re not utilizing all of the training resources and we’re not passing that information down through our shops on a daily basis, then we don’t have the right environment.

PEEVY: You have a learning culture in your shop and what comes with that is an expectation and a commitment to learn and an expectation to share your knowledge. We are in this together; we’re going to share what we know.

MOTOR AGE: The technician shortage continues to be an issue for the industry. What should shops and the industry as a whole be doing to attract young talent?

PEEVY: The qualified technician shortage is a result of several issues and environments. One is that we no longer have the car culture we once had, and young people in general are just less interested in cars. Secondly, the school systems and the majority of parents believe the only way for kids to be successful is to go to college and have a white collar career. We need to look long and hard at our industry and our image. We are a very dynamic industry, and it’s probably as high-tech as any. We need to portray that better.

PELLMAN: We have to change the perception at the high school level for those who are graduating. It’s not about finding kids who don’t want to go to college; it’s about finding the right kids and changing the perception of the advisors in those schools of what our industry has to offer. AYES [Automotive Youth Education Systems] does a lot with schools to try to find the kids with the right values and interest. They’re also trying to do a lot working with the advisors in high schools to change the perception. There is a force out there that’s working in that direction.

PEEVY: I once led a study about the best way to write “Help Wanted” ads. We found that the best and the brightest next-generation candidates wanted to work somewhere where there was an expectation to learn and share knowledge internally. They wanted to work somewhere where they could give back to the community. They were not just civic-minded but socially-minded. It has to be more than that expectation to have experience and tools. We need to look really hard at ourselves as an industry on how we can become more attractive to that generation.

Taylor Hill

HILL: I was interested in this industry because I really just enjoyed fixing cars in the driveway with my dad. The perception of the industry initially deterred me from becoming a part of it. Everyone told me, ‘Oh, you don’t want to work there — you’re going to get harassed’ and ‘It’s a trade job.’ So many people have that perception that women shouldn’t be in this industry. I met Diane [Larson], and here I am. She showed me that the automotive world is more evolved within the actual industry itself than the public’s perception of it. My family was a little skeptical at first but now they’re seeing what I do and how professional this actually is. Now they’re fully supportive.

While many shops are working hard to change the public’s negative perception of the industry, which impacts more than just the industry’s ability to attract new talent, the panelists noted that some shops are tainting the image and perpetuating the stereotype.

TRUGLIA: Perception really has to be changed at the public level. A consumer does not know the difference between a professional brake job and a $59.95 brake job. And it seems like the vast majority of consumers have the idea that brakes are brakes, tires are tires. If a parent sees that a technician is no more than a grease monkey, whether through media or by visiting a dirty repair shop, they’re not going to be encouraging their child to get into our industry. The public needs to see the technician as a true professional and respect them as such. In Australia and Europe, a technician is in the engineering group. Most people here in the U.S. see a technician as being at a way lower level than they would a plumber or appliance repair technician.

HILL: We get comments all the time from a lot of our clients who are women. One of the reasons they feel safe coming here is because it’s a clean environment. The overall appearance is welcoming. If you have a bunch of tires near your front door or the bathroom is a mess, who wants to go to a place like that? People don’t feel comfortable in those environments anymore.

MOTOR AGE: Over the next 10 years what do you foresee being the biggest challenge for the service repair industry and what are you looking forward to most as an automotive professional?

TRUGLIA: The challenge that I see is still attracting people into the industry. It’s all image and perception. I’ve been very fortunate in my career to have been able to teach and to have been a guest speaker in many different venues around the world. We need to show the people coming into our business that there is a career path — that the industry is not limited to turning wrenches. You can move up to good career positions in automotive, such as contributing to magazines, being an instructor, being the leaders of organizations, etc.

Besides retirement, what I’m looking forward to is technology. I love technology, and I love to see these new things come into our field. I think it’s job security for the technician who is up to date, and I think it’s a great challenge staying current. Since I was a kid I’ve always enjoyed finding out what makes something tick and finding a way to fix it or make it better. There’s a great challenge and satisfaction in doing things with your hands, and I think there’s plenty of young people out there who are still interested in that.

MEIER: I think I can answer both of those questions with the same word: technology. The challenge that’s going to be presented is just keeping up with those changes and having people who have the critical thinking skills required to solve problems when something doesn’t work right. On the same side of that, technology is what I’m looking forward to. Technology promises to make our roads safer, to save lives and reduce injuries. At the same time, it’s creating a whole avenue of new career paths for technicians. The companies in Silicon Valley that are producing this technology are looking for auto professionals and technicians to work in the labs and run the test tracks. There are and will be plenty of new opportunities that never existed before.

PEEVY: I would offer that even a larger challenge than keeping up with the rate of change in technology is shop owners being able to manage their business in a way that they can remain profitable and continue to make the investment in tools, equipment and training. It’s going to close any tolerance that there has been over the years in any deficits in management knowledge. To be able to manage profitably while facing these changes in technology is going to be one of the biggest challenges for sure. What is exciting is the fact that we are witnessing more change to the automobile in a few short years than previous generations saw in their careers. I believe the coming generations of successful repair professionals will become more respected and admired by the motoring public.

PELLMAN: I think where I see myself in the next ten years is continuing to help change the perception of the industry. I have to admit that when I was young I felt like I had a chip on my shoulder when I told people what I did for a living. And now I’m more proud of it and feel great. For me, changing the perception is one of the goals I look forward to — starting at the basic level and teaching my employees that what they’re doing is a professional job and that they should be proud of it.

HILL: I’m looking forward to purchasing this business in the next three years and changing the public’s perception of the industry. What I really love is that I’m on multiple committees that work with kids who are up and coming in the industry and being able to show them that they have a lot of different options in the auto industry. One of the biggest things that drew me to all of this, other than the fact that I have a passion for fixing vehicles, is the fact that it’s constantly changing. I have that kind of personality that if something just gets stagnant, I don’t like it anymore. This industry is constantly moving forward and bettering itself — I love being a part of all of that.

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