Since its inception in 1945, U-Haul has prided itself on being a pioneer in the do-it-yourself moving industry.
With the constant changes and advances in the automotive industry, our dedicated U-Haul technicians have to be on top of their game and versed on the most up-to-date information. For this reason, the U-Haul Technical Center in Tempe, Ariz., has developed a training program that guides technicians through courses pertaining to U-Haul specific vehicles.
Dean Cerimeli, director of truck product at the Tech Center, explains in this video the Master Tech program and its importance to our Team members and customers.
“The Master Tech program is an opportunity for everyone who works on our trucks to be able to be educated on how they can fix the trucks,” Cerimeli explained. “Master Tech is about 120-130 hours of online training that covers all kinds of categories like chassis, electrical and air conditioning and those types of mechanical systems that they need to be educated on.”
To suggest the Master Tech program is catching on would be an understatement. Participation in the program has increased by more than 1,000 percent since 2013. Not only is this program beneficial to U‑Haul employees, but to our customers as well.
There are currently 69 Master Technicians and more than 350 technicians who have completed Technician Fundamentals, which is part one of the training.
In Atlanta, Shop 173 Manager David Taylor and his team have embraced the Master Tech program and its benefits.
“We believe in being the best at what we do,” Taylor noted. “The U-Haul Master Tech program gives Team members a unique training opportunity to help us perform and operate at a high level,”
“This training is important as technicians continue to develop and stay current with the ever-advancing U-Haul fleet. We have set aside two areas in our shop and we allow Team members to complete the training here at the shop.”
“We have approximately 40 Team members that have completed the Technician Fundamentals and proudly display their patches on their uniforms. We have two Master Technicians and we plan to have 100% of the repair operations staff certified on the fundamentals by the end of 2015. Training is what makes people strong and competitive and that is why we choose to train at 173,” Taylor continued.
These courses combine U-Haul University (UHU) courses and Ford and General Motors (GM) training website programs to enhance our technicians’ knowledge of U-Haul trucks and trailers. The program objectives for technicians include:
- Advancing product knowledge and diagnostic skills.
- Becoming first-class professionals by having their work stand out to others.
- Increasing their level of service, thereby benefiting our customers.
- Making well-informed repair decisions, which will effectively increase shops’ performance.
Have you participated in our Technicians Training program? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
