Thank you for giving a serious answer! I found my local contract and looked through it and found a few answers. I have almost a decade worth of auto repair experience, unfortunately none of it on heavy equipment. Says starting pay is 85% of journeyman wage and it's a 2 year progression. Mainly I'm looking for stability and consistent work and it seems UPS is either busy or super busy. Meanwhile the dealership was always a cointoss which sucks when you're flat rate. I actually like nightshifts so that would be perfect for me. Any idea how many mechanics work at a hub usually? Again, thank you!
Well, there is definitely consistent work here. I would say it's the inverse or opposite of most dealership/retail repair shops; in that you will have so much work, it's important to
only diagnose/repair whatever problem the truck was written up for. The only time you'll spend looking over equipment for needed maintenance/repairs is the PMI/federally mandated inspection (trailers-annual, tractors-about every 5 or 6 months, the step vans probably vary more-depending on if they're gas/diesel/hybrid and mileage). As far as how many mechanics; I believe they use a ratio of 30-45 powered units per mechanic. So if a hub has about 200 step vans, it would have 5-7 mechanics each assigned their own 'fleet' to work on (typically overnights, 8PM to 5AM would be typical), and maybe 1-3 tractor-trailer mechanics (typically day work, and they may be called on for 'road service')(maybe more if responsible for outlying service centers equipment). It actually can be a struggle to keep up; gas trucks racking up the miles too quickly needing oil changed, reman parts you just installed are either a 'no-go' or a 'come-back'.
"Stability", well that depends on if they use a "coverage" mechanic in your area; where you might have to cover for other mechanics shifts while they're on vacation, maybe even at other hubs/centers. Until you're higher on the seniority list.
With ~10 years experience, you should certainly be able to handle all the maintenance and a good portion of diagnostic work on the step vans & straight trucks: changing brake pads/shoes/rotors/drums, lights, fluids, greasing what few fittings that aren't connected to an autolube system, batteries/starters/alternators etc. Have you ever serviced or replaced a roll-up garage door (torsion spring, cables, panels)? As long as you know when the spring/cables are under tension, it's pretty straightforward.
From what I've seen, the shops are pretty well equipped:
except, no lifts. Jacks/stands/creeper.
The only welding I can think of "commonly' needed would be the occasional brake chamber bracket that broke off an axle, or stainless chain on the back of trailers as a secondary latch. And those aren't all that common.
Thanks for the input, what exactly is a PMI? I understand there is a probationary period if you're hired. During this period is there some kind of training? Kind of off topic but what would you say the average tenure of the techs at your hub is? Last dealer I was at had sink or swim philosophy and because of that had a revolving door of techs coming and going. Sorry about all the questions just trying to get a good understanding.
Training during probation is most likely OSHA/corporate safety procedures. There is some technical training online via the company's internal web/cloud. Probably more for installing new systems onto older equipment, like the remote keyless entry push button start/stop, telematics monitoring system, repair bulletins from chassis/body/powertrain mfrs, etc. Hopefully you'll have somewhat helpful and knowledgeable co-workers; and on the flip side, there's probably stuff you know that they don't.
Average tenure-work as long as you want to keep working, or as soon as you think you can afford to retire (just imagine, instead of having to pay expensive healthcare premiums, you could actually afford to contribute to a 401k plan; on top of a pension). Expect a 40 hour workweek for most of the year.
Some 'truck' type stuff you may not be familiar with: air brakes, adjusting clutches (yes, you adjust the clutch itself, not the linkage), Budd and Dayton truck wheels, automated manual transmission/clutch (as compared to a conventional automatic transmission with torque converter)...
