Forkliftchick, I disagree. Most In house guys in the states cut it just fine at the factory dealerships they worked for, they just found it easier to make more money leaving said dealerships and having an account all to themselves. At a factory dealership, the grade "A" techs get to run around and clean up after the lesser skilled techs and its a constant headache putting out fires you did not start. If the factory dealerships could not provide compensation for your skills, somebody else would. Its called a job, not a hobby. The bottom line is exactly that. The more money I earn for my family, the better. Also some in house guys have access and use the same repair tracking software you speak of. This is not a selling point any longer that is exclusive to the "Factory Dealers". Also, most forklift dealerships offer truck specific certification classes just as commercial truck dealers. As an owner of a large fleet of equipment, it makes better sense long term and short to save the labor dollar from the get go. As for me personally, having worked for major dealerships in the past, the only bashing I will do now is when they dont treat me as a valued customer. Knowning how they operate internally has helped me as an in house guy achieve that.