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forbushd
Active Member
USA
13 Posts |
 Posted - 06/05/2019 : 05:04:04 AM
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Hello all! I’ve been a school bus driver for 4 1/2 years now. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working with our fleet technician doing routine maintenance (oil changes, grease jobs, 60-day inspections, etc.). I’ve been interested in the field for a while, and I’d like to start working toward certification so I can be a full-fledged technician.
The question is, what would be the most useful certification I can get? Our entire fleet is diesel, but other districts in our area have been switching entirely to propane, and I think ours will likely head that way in the future. (I’m in my early 20’s, so I’ve got a long time to prepare for.) I’m not sure if a certification in diesel repair is very applicable to propane/gasoline applications, but I’m also not sure if a certification in general automotive repair is sufficient for fixing the diesel buses.
What would you all recommend? |
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RonF
Top Member
867 Posts |
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aaronwilmoth80911
Top Member
538 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2019 : 10:22:58 AM
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| If you can get into a community college program for auto/diesel, it would help a lot. Don't waste a ton of money on schools like Wyotech or UTI. Get on the job training and go to classes and eventually work you way towards you ASEs like Ron said. |
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RonF
Top Member
867 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2019 : 11:02:46 AM
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Also, and this goes for everyone out there. Work with your district, company, what have you to get compensated for what you do, being certified. Right now my difference in pay for being certified is $9005 a year more than if I weren't. $4.31 an hour difference. This is according to our new pay scales that will take affect July 1st. The last two years I have received pay raises that equal a great car payment per month, more like an Escalade.
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US Army retired CMBT |
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td083
Senior Member
195 Posts |
Posted - 06/06/2019 : 07:23:18 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by aaronwilmoth80911
If you can get into a community college program for auto/diesel, it would help a lot. Don't waste a ton of money on schools like Wyotech or UTI. Get on the job training and go to classes and eventually work you way towards you ASEs like Ron said.
^^ agree 100% community college training is the way to go if you are starting off . The big tech schools are a rip off and I don't believe the training is near as good most of the time as your community college programs . You may want to start with a beginner diesel education class and see if you like it and as far as certs like they said ase is the standard now . |
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willism
Advanced Member
United States
250 Posts |
Posted - 06/06/2019 : 09:44:21 AM
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| The vatterot uti things are a joke. Got a kid in that was half way through one of those and he didnt know what a pop rivit gun was. We trained him up and he became a good tech that moved onto a better job. |
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bwest
Administrator
United States
3820 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2019 : 05:37:35 AM
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It really depends on the state and location you're in if you "need" certification. I agree that you need schooling. However, if you aren't mechanically minded, you won't enjoy what you're doing. I love fixing things. I just love the idea that I took something that is not working and making it function like it should. I really enjoy doing things out of the ordinary. One thing that really erks me though is something that's engineered wrong. That is that something keeps giving trouble for no other reason than the people who made it either weren't thinking or were trying to cut corners. Of course there's always the Maxxforce engines but that's a case where the engineers were being forced to go in the wrong direction even though they had told them it was the wrong direction. But I digress. Working on school buses is a rewarding occupation. At your age you need to listen to older people in the business and set goals. One goal I'd recommend is to retire by 60 to 65. You may say, yeah that's the idea. But you have to plan for it. Get a job that pays decent but that has a good retirement and health insurance. Don't go deep enough in debt that you can't have everything completely paid off by the day you retire. Forget a new car, they are a waste of money. Buy one that's a few years old. You're a mechanic, you should be able to handle a few repairs on an older car and save yourself a boatload of money. OK, I'll quit now.  |
Bryan |
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aaronwilmoth80911
Top Member
538 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2019 : 07:34:38 AM
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| Excellent points Bryan!! |
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khpayne
Active Member
13 Posts |
Posted - 06/17/2019 : 03:03:54 AM
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| just my opinion and not trying to ruffle feathers but I went to UTI 23 years ago and I found that it was like anything else, You get out of it what you put in to it. I've been working on school buses now for 21 years and love it. as for certification, the district doesn't do the certification incentive. I wish they would but they not willing to pay anymore than they have to. they want us to be certified but will not make it worth while pay wise. ( Am not going anywhere else ,Have 4 years till retirement at 25 years as of April) |
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Shopdog
Active Member
11 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2019 : 11:43:48 AM
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| I agree on the you get out of it what you put into it. I went to a small local tech school and have had great success in my career. I have meet many guys along the way who went to the expensive tech schools and they have all said they wish they had gone to a local one instead. The company I work for currently does not offer pay incentives for certifications to my knowledge. |
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scot1337
Senior Member
119 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2019 : 06:40:58 AM
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| I went to WyoTech in 02, for high performance engine building and basic automotive, and 6 years later I was working on school buses. The district I currently work for gives a stipend for college credits and my hours at WyoTech counted. As far as certifications, I have met plenty of people who are certified but not qualified! To me, nothing beats hands on experience. Take classes and don't be afraid to tear into a repair. A basic mechanical and electrical background will take you further than you would expect. |
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bwest
Administrator
United States
3820 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2019 : 09:43:13 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Shopdog
I agree on the you get out of it what you put into it. I went to a small local tech school and have had great success in my career. I have meet many guys along the way who went to the expensive tech schools and they have all said they wish they had gone to a local one instead. The company I work for currently does not offer pay incentives for certifications to my knowledge.
I went to Nashville Auto Diesel over 30 years ago. I have never regretted it. The one thing I have regretted is not continuing on and getting a degree with it instead of a diploma only. I always say, a diploma from NADC and a buck will buy you a 12 oz soda at the local convenience store (it may not even do that now). What gets you a job is some combination, or at least partial combination, of the following; Upbringing (followed you dad around in a shop he owns since you're ten/ live on a farm that makes its own repairs), schooling (in the field of course), experience (in the field), ability to convey your thoughts through spoken or written word, and opportunity. What keeps your job doesn't normally include the previous items (except maybe conveying your thoughts). Performance, work ethic, perseverance, and getting along with others keeps your job. Also, if you aren't a team player in this business, you're going to have a hard time as well. |
Bryan |
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Most versatile tech certification?
