I have only been in this industry for 10 years now coming from the automotive side. I also owned a four wheel drive shop at the end. I can not find good techs here in Canada either and cannot find a school to send them if I did. I started my company a couple years ago and the work is there and i have paid up to $36 per hour for someone who knew how to write a resume..but didn't know half of what the papers said he did. I usually start out anyone with decent mechanical experience and a good supply of their own tools at $25 or better plus a fulltime truck and fuel card but still haven't found anyone really decent especially in the electrical end. I believe most licensed auto techs and some HD techs weren't allowed to leave the tire/lube bays but still had someone sign there tickets...that should be a crime. I am now 45 with approx 27 years solid mechanical experience and many tickets. I know there are some good guys out there but we are all in the same boat.

I use to work for a Crown delaership in So. Cal. here for over 12years and never made over $20hr. but when I saw what the competion was paying how could I not move to anouther company. I started with Crown when it was more of a hand shake and welcome abord and I picked up electrical forklifts real easy. Now I am in my 30s and working for a CAT dealership getting an $8 hr raise from what Crown was paying me and this company realizes that they have to pay to keep the good help, but in all honesty there is not alot of good help out there people with an electric lift truck background dont seem to get it anymore as it seems like electric lift truck repair is becoming a lost art. We have a few good guys that understand the theory of electric lift truck but they are going to retire in the next few yearrs and me being 34 I will be the top pick for repairing them. I am a field mechanic but the shop guy is older and has recommended me to take over the shop and I have been there and done that and dont want to do it again but they cant find any good help these days. Forklift repair is not a bad way to make a living and I find it easy and enjoyable.

in truth, you may have far better /successful/ techs, who are already used to the (previously mentioned) less than pleasant working conditions (and thus have more realistic real world expectations) by contacting your local military bases and just putting up a notice that you are hiring people with experience in equipment repair. I have observed over the years the people leaving the military after their enlistment are far more likely to be stable and really willing to work for a living, and at least in the US AIr Force, the job of a forklift repair person is so much like the job in civilian life, that the "learning curve" is extremely quick. Contact VA Services. and ask about their services for people whose enlistment is up.

This idea can be expanded to include mobile cranes, arieal lifts, and scissor lifts, etc...

That is good advice. There is certainly a need. I will try to get in touch with the right people in our area to look into this. Is there any trade school training for a model that any of the board is aware of?
Steve

Maybe start an affiliation with your local community college or trade school, donate a couple forklifts. Offer to train there class instructors so they are better informed, keep them updated with new technology. Dealers and manufactures need to invest in there future, and there survival, if they don't they will certainly fail. Community colleges, trade schools, even high schools need to know theres more opportunites out there other than automobiles or trucks!

Great subject. I opened our small company over 11 years ago on a shoestring. Seems as though not much has changed:). I have added lower skilled employee's numerous times over the years. We are not large enough to offer the pay/ benifits that the
dealerships can offer. Repeatly I have found that the lack of committment from these younger hands compromised my key customers satisfaction with our service. I guess I am old school. If a customer is paying for our service ($87 per hour) then he needs torealize that this company is paying $1.45 per minute for our service. That requires some real committment. Give the customer what he is paying for. That means keeping your service van properly stocked. Parts, tools, SAE and metric hardware an on. I am certain that all of the techs on this forum have that type of work ethic. The fact that that they spend time here honing their skills prove that.
I think that demand for what we do will drive up the labor rates. As the economy recovers I would hope to see labor and payscale rise to the point where young people consider this as a career path. A lotof young people today have probably not been exposedto a job as demanding as this can be. Shop mechanics spend 8 hours+ a day bent over, under and on top of lifttruck. A good field tech is required to have the answers to all questions, solve all problems with an impatient shift foremanover his shoulder- all with a reassuring smile that confirms that "You sir are our most important customer". What's not to love??
Steve

I would like to put my $.02 into this discussion. I have been a forklift mechanic at a crown dealership for over 10 years, I have only worked for this one employer as a fork lift mech, but I had 4 years experience as an industrial plant mechanic and also a few years as a motorcycle mechanic. I know tech's at all the noteworthy forklift repair businesses in the region, and all the service companies seem to have the same flawed strategy for hiring new tech's. Instead of hiring young auto tech's and retooling them to be fork lift tech's, they seem to prefer to try to shine up and re issue the bad pennies that get washed out of the other fork lift companies. It seems that on the rare occasions that they do hire tech's from other industries they work out well.

The pay is another problem too, and I may wind up leaving the business soon because of it. Based on what I have seen in my region, average fork lift tech's make about the same as average auto or diesel tech's, but the top tier auto and diesel guys make a lot more than the top tier fork lift tech's. I may not be the best fork lift mechanic in the business, but I am very good, however I have a friend who is the top guy at a luxury brand auto repair shop that makes almost twice as much as I do. He is my age, been at it as long as I have been, and is mostly self taught. We work together frequently on side projects, our skills and knowledge are evenly matched, except that I must be stupid for continuing to work for about 40% less per year for using the same skills. I generally like working as a fork lift mechanic, especially working on the road, but money talks and B/S fork lift companies that won't pay may have to...

So, in conclusion, for the benefit of any fork lift service company managers that may read this, the future of the fork lift repair business is in cross training young tech's from other fields, and retaining the top talents by paying them properly.

The main problem in the UK is the limp wristed, open sandal, PC do gooders who run the education systems along with the H&S people who stifle ingenuity and the "I can fix it no matter what" approach. 2nd rant first - I am not in favour of unnecessary risk taking, but if you remove the ability of people to improvise safely, they will not improvise effectively. Kids in the UK generally are brought up idle and only get their hands dirty rolling spliffs, reading dirty mags and with inappropriate acts either on themselves or their friends, (I suppose I have to acknowledge that some of these activities may be same ****, but those should not find a place in our industry, stick to hairdressing). Whats wrong with getting your hands dirty rolling spliffs, reading dirty mags and with inappropriate acts on your (different ****) friends I hear you say....well nothing, but that is for us, not tainees.... concentrate on work before pleasure!
1st rant....no more needs to be said, other than where is the careers advise that we got 35 years ago?

Basically, my view on the UK market is its not seen as hi tech enough to attract the "trainee boffins", (and they wouldnt accept getting dirty for 5 years stripping masts, steer axles, transmissions etc), but would expect to play with computers from day one and leave all the old folk to do the hard work. Not heavy enough to attract "real" heavy plant engineers like earthmoving, cranes etc. We know its different, well those who have persisted anyway.

There is the odd good one out there who will make the grade, most have the brain, but the attidude and false expectation, both self generated and resulting from "peer pressure", (have your own mind and tell them to p*** off), result in them turning out to be no hopers, if they do last the course.

Oh yes you are right about the money....lack of. With BMW dealers charging labour out at £110 per hour, why do we always end up in a dutch auction to get business, then not have enough to pay a wage that attracts the right type of person, is reflective of training, knowledge and skill..guess thats one for "management" to answer (bluff, weasel word, bull***t their way out of).

Well this hasnt answered the question, which is both very valid and even more serious, but I hope its given at least one of you a chuckle on the way.

ahhh yes, it is a hard sell; "the joys of being underpaid"...
I see your point there...

I am not saying anything in particular about skill sets. Its about living wage. You wonder why there is a shortage of new techs? This is exactly the reason.

hourly wage amounts in different parts of the country are hard to compare, there are lots of other variables, what does health insurance, state tax, and a million other things that equal out to "standard of living".

You do know, there are guys like me (30+ years in this business) that look at the "topped out" in 5 years guys, and say , (best 'bugs bunny' voice) "what a maroon, just because he hasn't had a butt whipping from a forklift in a couple of years, he thinks he knows it all," and you know there is nothing that makes those of us (who know it all) madder than those who just -think- they know it all
;-)

At least how I see this business in the States, this industry requires tech skills of expert level in so many different trades there is no way someone can become "master level" within 5 years.
Maybe in a union shop/state where you are greatly limited in what you are authorized to do, someone could learn all about the limited number of types of units, but most places I see hire forklift dealerships to maintain the fleet, in part because the union employees can ONLY do but some specific task.
and I see dealership techs expected to know the whole ball of wax, from trouble shooting a light bulb or "no start", to how many man hours will be required for the quickest way to move a 5 high full container handler and spreader, that washed down a hill in a hurricane.

around here non union shops top out at 25 to 29hr. the union shops are higher at 32-36hr. I feel like any trade skill you should top out in 5-7 years. look at most other skilled trade and that is the normal rate for a dedicated employee. not this new crap where 10-15 is the norm.

electek123, can you further explain what you mean by "should have been topped out 2-3 years ago. Not making $23 hr."?

you have just pointed out what is wrong with the industry. After 10 years you should have been topped out 2-3 years ago. Not making $23 hr.