With so many shops struggling to find and hire qualified technicians, we often see shops rushing the hiring process which, unfortunately, can lead to some poor hiring decisions. While it is normal for a new employee to take 3-6 months to adjust to a new position, there are some red flags shop owners and managers can be on the lookout for to determine if there’s an issue with the technician beyond simply adjusting to a new job. 4 Signs of a Bad Hire Technical skills aren’t as expected. Throughout the hiring process, you should have been able to get a good grasp on the technician’s experience ..read more

Fernando Miranda, Vice President of Transformers Institute, walks us through how everyone sets their own meaning of success in their career and life. He talks about how to create a positive mindset, ways to stay consistent through the highs and lows of life, and the importance of finding your inspiration. Watch the Full Episode <span; Show Notes About Our Guest Fernando Miranda Vice President, Transformers Institute fernando@transformersinstitute.com Sponsor Jasper Engines & Transmissions About Our Host Jay Goninen Co-Founder & President, WrenchWay jayg@wrenchway.com | 608.7 ..read more

WrenchWay offers some great free resources to help automotive, diesel, and CTE instructors build relationships with and get more support from local shops and dealerships. But, we also have tons of free resources for auto, diesel, and CTE students that instructors can share with their students or use to enhance the classroom experience and better prepare students for industry. Even if students aren’t sure about a career in auto or diesel, this content can help give them a better picture of what it is like working in the industry. Oftentimes, as an instructor, you are a middleman between your st ..read more

There is a lot of technology that impacts service departments. The hard part is evaluating what software or digital tool could be useful for your shop. Corey Smith, National Fixed Operations Training Manager for APCO Holdings, LLC, discusses how to get team buy-in for new products, the importance of training on new technology, and how to evaluate post-implementation. Watch the Full Episode <span; Show Notes About Our Guests Corey Smith National Fixed Operations Training Manager, APCO Holdings, LLC csmith@apcoholdings.com Sponsor RepairPal About Our Host Jay Goninen Co-Founder & P ..read more

Guest Blog Post by Josh Arnold, Master Technician Have you ever looked at your toolbox filled to the brim with years of collecting tools, and thought about packing it all up and moving halfway across the states? Neither did I, until a job offer came across the table that would make me insane enough to attempt this task. On paper, this seemed a simple task, but in practice, this was quite the job I’d gotten myself into. From Built-In Tool Boxes to Beautiful Big Red My now previous dealer had built-in toolboxes which allowed me to amass quite a collection of tools over my seven years in this ind ..read more

If you have ever scrolled through WrenchWay Shop Talk, chances are you have seen a post or two by Craig Zale, CEO & ASE Master Technician at Craig’s Car Care. Craig is a true star of Shop Talk, sharing engaging industry polls, shop update videos, and posts of his team! In this article, learn how Craig’s Car Care has leveraged their WrenchWay Top Shop membership to get in front of the automotive community, fully staff their team, and start growing a bench of potential future candidates. Becoming a Top Shop to Recruit Differently Over the years, shops are realizing that traditional recruitin ..read more

WrenchWay partners with Hireology to help dealerships better hire technician talent. Tiffany Czerwinski, Director of Automotive Partnerships at Hireology, discusses the impact this new partnership will have on dealership recruiting. She also addresses several challenges the automotive industry is currently facing, including talent shortages and the absence of clear career paths. Lastly, she offers dealers valuable recruiting tips you won’t want to miss! Watch the Full Episode <span; Show Notes About Our Guests Tiffany Czerwinski Director of Automotive Partnerships, Hireology tczerwins ..read more

Chris Craig, the Fixed Operations Content Owner from RockED, is back to talk about service department communication. In this episode, he dives into the current state of the automotive industry, gives various management and communication advice on how to support shop staff, and shares great tips for service advisors. Watch the Full Episode <span; Show Notes About Our Guests Chris Craig Fixed Operations Content Owner, RockED Follow Craig on Social Media Chris’ last episode: Making Your Service Advisors a Priority ft. Chris Craig Sponsor Jasper Engines & Transmissions ..read more

Hireology, the top-rated applicant tracking system trusted by 1 in 4 automotive dealerships in the U.S., announced today a new partnership with WrenchWay, the only platform designed to connect technicians, service advisors, students, and instructors with top shops. The goal of the partnership is to help dealerships combat today’s technician talent shortage through technology and education. Hiring technicians today has never been more challenging as Baby Boomers age out of the industry and enrollment in tech schools continues to drop. In fact, the TechForce Foundation estimates that the industr ..read more

Technicians can now search pay rates across the country based on location, industry, type of shop, and years of experience. Recently, we conducted a survey to better understand the earning potential of technicians in different regions and throughout various stages of their careers. We received nearly 3,000 responses from across the U.S. The data was very interesting, and here is a very small sample to share: Auto Dealership Auto Independent Diesel 0-3 years experience $48,533 $56,819 $57,367 4-10 years experience $81,902 $69,546 $75,045 11+ years experience $108,105* *Avg. exper ..read more