DEARBORN, Mich.–It takes many years of studying, coming to know U-Haul vehicles inside and out, to become a master technician. But attaining that title doesn’t mean the learning ends.
Twice a year, U-Haul invites master techs to Dearborn for an event called T4—Top Tech Training and Tour. Every spring and fall, a select group of U-Haul Trained Master Technicians gets a mix of intense advanced diagnostic training and a tour schedule to enhance their education of our U-Haul fleet. The tour aspect gives them a better appreciation of how much goes into the production of our U-Haul equipment. This past fall, 15 technicians from throughout the Company participated and got to tour places like Novi Manufacturing and the Ford Ohio Assembly Plant where our new JH-D and E-450 DC and TT trucks are built.
“T4 was by far the greatest thing I have done in my 13 years with the company,” shared Master Tech Aaron Witthauer of Council Bluffs (Iowa) RERS. “The level of respect and appreciation we were all shown was second to none.”
Most importantly, the events give master techs an opportunity to network with one another and share their own experiences, questions and solutions to challenges they’ve faced in the field. Those channels of communication prove invaluable in years to come when diagnosing a problematic U-Haul vehicle. Master techs who need a second opinion or a sounding board when brainstorming a way to resolve the issue walk away from T4 with a list of trusted colleagues to whom they can turn.
To date, more than 50 U-Haul Trained Master Technicians have experienced the T4 events, including this spring’s participants. But just as the learning process doesn’t stop after one has earned the right to be called a master tech, there’s still more to master after a T4 event.
“U-Haul looks at the training as a necessity and a way to not only grow our people but more importantly to better serve our customers,” Master Tech Scott Greenstreet from Kar-Go of Albuquerque added.
That’s why plans are now in the works for a T5 program that will continue to advance the knowledge of our crews, and keep U-Haul the leader in the self-moving business.
What parts of the T4 tour would you most like to see? Tell us in the comments!
