{"id":10715,"date":"2021-04-14T13:50:10","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T11:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=10715"},"modified":"2021-04-14T13:50:10","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T11:50:10","slug":"technician-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2021\/04\/14\/technician-4\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the difference between a technician and a mechanic?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As vehicle technology has evolved, so has the role \u2013 and title \u2013 of those who service commercial trucking equipment.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The role of an individual who services and maintains commercial vehicles has shifted significantly over the last several years, as has their title.<\/span><\/p>\n

While some will use both mechanic and technician interchangeably, there are notable distinctions between the two. According to experts at TechForce Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on recruiting and supporting the vehicle service workforce, \u201cTechnicians are all about critical thinking, focus, attention to detail, and using deductive reasoning to \u2018put the pieces together\u2019 in a strategic approach to their work. Whereas mechanics are thought mostly to be doing physical work. As the industry has evolved, it is revealed how inadequate the term \u2018mechanic\u2019 really is in describing all that today\u2019s techs do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was younger and cars were more mechanical, \u2018mechanic\u2019 was truly the term,\u201d notes George Arrants, vice president of the ASE Education Foundation. \u201cBut today with all of the technology, technicians are doing more research and diagnostics.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A technician\u2019s role involves exactly what the name suggests \u2013 a more technical focus requiring comprehensive training and utilizing complex tools to diagnose and repair vehicle issues. Examples of vehicle complexity today\u2019s technicians are tasked with include driveability concerns, electrical system diagnosis, pinpointing various vehicle computer system issues, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Mechanic\u2019 is just a term that we all grew up knowing because we were doing mechanical things,\u201d suggests Arrants. \u201cBut then as vehicles evolved, the terms \u2018technology\u2019 and \u2018technician\u2019 came more into play.\u201d Arrants advises that regardless of level of expertise in the shop \u2013 from entry-level technician to master-level technician, all shop service technicians include the distinct \u201ctechnician\u201d in the title.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why make the distinction?<\/span><\/h3>\n

It more frequently happens outside of the commercial vehicle maintenance world that I hear the term “mechanic.” Let me be clear, for those who call themselves a mechanic by trade: While there is nothing inherently wrong with the title of \u201cmechanic,\u201d I believe it’s time we recognize the distinct differences in job responsibilities for the two titles. A technician title more aptly defines the full scope of skill set and training necessary for the individuals servicing heavy duty vehicles today.<\/span><\/p>\n

While it may seem like a simple change, removing the \u201cmechanic\u201d title in exchange for \u201ctechnician\u201d can reinforce a positive view of the career and the industry for those not intimately familiar with the job requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recruitment for a highly engaging and technical field is critical, and those students completing professional coursework and degrees to obtain service technician certification should be given the respect they deserve for having the knowledge to service the vehicles on the road today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s generation entering the workforce grew up understanding how to use technology such as smart phones and tablets from a very young age, not only for gaming and socializing but also as part of their process for communicating with everyone and learning about everything. Due to the inherent nature of today\u2019s entry-level technicians\u2019 native technological capabilities, they have a developed acumen to better understand how technology operates and its applications. This naturally translates to understanding the complexity and computer systems on commercial vehicles, as well as the sophisticated technology used to diagnose and repair such systems.<\/span><\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t to say additional training on electrical systems, scan tool usage, and comprehensive training of vehicle systems isn\u2019t necessary. And it certainly doesn\u2019t mean an entry-level technician won\u2019t get their hands dirty completing preventive maintenance inspections, doing oil changes, or replacing brake lining. But, overall, the skill set of today\u2019s technician is more nuanced and requires a higher level of expertise to perform mechanical hands-on tasks as well as diagnose and troubleshoot vehicle computer issues. They are often required to utilize diagnostic tools such as scan tools, digital multimeters, and oscilloscopes, plus navigate where to find supporting repair information, wiring diagrams, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

TechForce experts provide the example of rebuilding a transmission in today\u2019s vehicles: \u201cConsider the detailed knowledge and ability to perform precise measurements needed to assemble an engine. With the complexity of today\u2019s vehicles, even the most mechanical tasks require a deeper understanding than ever before.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn my opinion, if you’re going to work in the transportation environment, unless you are a specialist at one thing and one thing only \u2013 you know disassembly and reassembly \u2013 you are a technician, not a mechanic,\u201d says Arrants. \u201cThose people who use the term \u2018mechanic\u2019 are uneducated to the occupation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, many on the maintenance side of the business already call their staff by their proper technician titles. To encourage the status earned by this level of vehicle servicer, it is critical we call out and course correct the outdated \u201cmechanic\u201d title.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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By Erica Schueller<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.fleetmaintenance.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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As vehicle technology has evolved, so has the role \u2013 and title \u2013 of those who service commercial trucking equipment. The role of an individual who services and maintains commercial vehicles has shifted significantly over the last several years, as has their title. While some will use both mechanic and technician interchangeably, there are notable…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[53,192],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10715"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10715"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10717,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10715\/revisions\/10717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}