How the diesel tech shortage affects trucking and how to fix it

Sign up for our newsletter https://bit.ly/ccjsubscribe There has been lots of ink spilled and conversations had about whether there is a truck driver shortage, but we don’t hear as much about another population of workers that impact trucking -- diesel technicians. According to a new American Transportation Research Institute report, nearly two-thirds of diesel shops report their locations are understaffed in 2025. ATRI’s research found that 65.5% of surveyed diesel shops reported being understaffed this year due to difficulty in recruiting and retaining techs. The new report dives into the causes of the shortage and what can be done to help attract and retain talent. How does the shortage of qualified diesel technicians affect the trucking industry? This week on the 10-44 we discuss the causes of the shortage and what fleets can do to recruit and retain these professionals. You can read more at https://www.ccjdigital.com/ Contents of this video 00:00 10-44 intro, The shortage of qualified diesel technicians 00:50 Understaffed maintenance shops 01:55 Competition for qualified diesel techs from other industries 03:08 Lack of formal training for diesel techs 04:31 Top barriers to becoming a diesel technician 05:32 Hours and cost of employer tech training 06:43 Best practices for recruiting and retaining diesel techs 08:27 Diesel tech satisfaction ratings