The fleet technician hire-to-retention pipeline discussion isn't anything new among the government fleet community. It's something many within the public sector space have debated, discussed, and pondered.

While that might seem discouraging to those on the outside looking in, the reality is that with each discussion, each talking point, we hopefully get a little closer to understanding what it takes to bring on the right people to support a successful fleet operation.

About two months back, I covered this very topic in an article sharing my thoughts as someone who has spoken with a multitude of fleet teams about technician hiring and retention. While I hoped it would offer insight to readers, or at least a jumping point for operational planning, I was pleasantly surprised when I was contacted by industry veteran and fleet thought leader Bob Stanton with some follow-up points.

So in the spirit of shared learning and continuing the thread of topical discussion, I'd like to offer another layer of thought to the conversation in hopes of carrying it forward.

Stanton weighs in on a couple of points below (responses have been edited for clarity):

• Training: New techs, whether experienced or not, want to know 'how am I going to grow my skills?' Or, more importantly, 'how will you, as my employer, support my growth?'
  

When a fleet hires a technician, that technician’s skills may be sharp, up to a point. As the next model-year vehicles are introduced, the skills your techs possess begin to age. So, how do you prevent that? Fleets can consider adding OEM training hours and service tools to bid documents and purchase orders. An accepted and common rule is adding eight hours of skills training per vehicle. 

If it's a piece of heavy equipment, add more hours per unit. Fleets find it hard to justify the cost of a service tool along with annual software subscription updates. Consider adding the needed tool to the purchase contract. We did this with heavy trucks and heavy equipment.

It’s pretty simple to include a $10,000 tool and software when the equipment costs are now so high.

• Neighboring Agencies: Government fleets often have neighboring public agencies (cities, school districts, state highway departments, counties, etc.) that face similar technician training and operational challenges. Partnering with these agencies may yield dividends in many ways.
  

For instance, by sharing costs, training resources may be easier to access. If a neighbor has a solid technician with a particular skill, perhaps they can be employed on a part-time basis to train your techs in that skill or perhaps that technician can be called upon to solve a unique vehicle issue.

We brought in a trainer from the West Coast on a quarterly basis and made those sessions available to neighboring agencies for a fee that helped offset the trainer’s expenses.

• Training Resources: Service tool providers (e.g., Diesel Laptops, Noregon) offer training on-site and have technicians available by phone or remote login when a particular issue presents itself.
  

They are useful resources that customers fund through their purchases of these tools.

• Career Ladder: Some technicians are not interested in advancement. Those who are deserve to have a roadmap showing them which steps to take to reach the next level, and the levels beyond.
  

I worked at one fleet that offered a specific section of the annual review where progress, or lack of it, was charted so techs who were on a career track toward advancement could see and discuss their next steps in the process. We, as managers, were charged with ensuring that progress was openly encouraged and supported.

• Retention: Fleets should consider reinforcing the use of technicians in roles beyond turning wrenches. For government fleets in particular, these opportunities abound and are usually encouraged. 
  

Examples include:

• • • Participation in a safety or accident review committee.
    • Establishment of a technician review board where new technician candidates are screened by the people they’ll be sharing shop space with.
    • Encouraging technicians to take skills classes outside of their field (governments often offer such courses).
    • Have techs participate in the selection of a new chassis or vehicle type.
    • Bring a technician or two when traveling to a vehicle delivery review (e.g., ambulances, fire apparatus, transit buses). 

Demonstrating respect for a technician’s value beyond their skills can become one of the strongest retention strategies a fleet can have.

• One of our best retention tools was making a video about fleet management in which our existing technicians talked on camera about why they worked there.
  

We distributed copies at career fairs. It was a terrific way to highlight the advantages of working in the public sector, especially the wide variety of vehicles and equipment technicians would be exposed to.

Thank you, Bob, and thank you to our readers who continue to innovate despite setbacks and who press forward despite the challenges. And if you'd like to continue the conversation, send me an email at nichole.osinski@bobit.com.