The shortage of qualified truck and coach technicians is creating a serious operational challenge for trucking fleets and heavy-duty maintenance facilities.
Research discussed by TruckNews.com found that 65.5% of surveyed trucking maintenance shops were understaffed, with an overall vacancy rate of 19.3%. The research also found that 44% of surveyed technicians were considering leaving trucking for another profession.
These figures come from the North American research discussed in the original TruckNews.com article and should not be presented as Ontario-specific statistics.
Why This Matters
An understaffed maintenance operation can experience increased downtime, scheduling pressure, technician fatigue, delayed repairs and additional strain on the employees who remain.
Recruiting more technicians is important, but hiring alone will not solve the problem if the workplace cannot retain the people it already has.
Key Industry Takeaways
- Many trucking maintenance shops are operating with technician vacancies.
- Fleets are competing for a limited supply of qualified technicians.
- Competitive compensation establishes an important foundation for retention.
- Work schedules and the quality and variety of work also influence whether technicians stay.
- Entry-level technicians benefit from structured onboarding, mentoring and supplemental training.
- Tool costs can create a barrier for people entering the trade.
- Certification and career-development opportunities can create a visible path for progression.
- Stronger training can support productivity, repair quality and employee confidence.
- Retention and recruitment must be addressed together.
Halbert Shop Consulting Perspective
Technician shortages are an industry-wide problem, but the effect on each maintenance operation is different.
A fleet may be experiencing problems with compensation, scheduling, onboarding, training, leadership, communication, workflow or workplace culture. Unless those issues are properly identified, an employer may continue recruiting new technicians while losing experienced employees through the same unresolved problems.
Halbert Shop Consulting helps truck, trailer and fleet maintenance operations examine the real conditions affecting technician engagement and retention. This provides management with practical recommendations based on what is happening inside the operation — not assumptions.
Source
Source: “What can trucking fleets do to hire, retain technicians?” written by Neil Abt and published by TruckNews.com on April 7, 2026.
Read the Original TruckNews.com Article
