Hello everyone! Thanks for the invite and happy to be here!

Big shout out to Terry Hyden from US Automotive for flagging this story for me that dropped back in October—and prompting me to dig into what's happened since. Here's the situation with federal apprenticeship funding and what it means for the tech shortage: The good news: Both the House AND Senate Appropriations Committees have now passed bills that preserve $285 million in apprenticeship grants for FY 2026. The House version specifically includes language pushing the Department of Labor to support incumbent automotive repair technicians with advanced training—meaning helping the techs you already have level up on ADAS, EVs, and emerging vehicle technology. This matters because the Trump Administration actually tried to eliminate standalone apprenticeship funding entirely and roll it into a block grant program called "Make America Skilled Again" (MASA). Both chambers rejected that approach and kept the dedicated funding. The reality check: None of this is law yet. After a record 43-day government shutdown—the longest in U.S. history—Congress passed a continuing resolution that funds Labor, HHS, and Education at FY 2025 levels through January 30, 2026. Translation: The apprenticeship dollars are still flowing, but the new FY 2026 language and any potential expansion aren't in effect yet. We're in a holding pattern. What to watch: January 30, 2026 is the next deadline. Congress either passes a full appropriations bill (making that $285M and the auto-tech language official), kicks the can with another CR, or we get another shutdown. Here's a link to the original article from ASA that started this conversation: [Recent Federal Government Actions Could Help Alleviate Skilled Auto Repair Technician Shortage] Here's my question for the group: Knowing that Congress is defending this funding but nothing is final yet—should independent shops be doing anything NOW to position themselves for when these dollars actually hit?

This post is a bit long but its full of hiring gold nuggets if you stay with me till the end. You might know that Technician Find has started doing comprehensive salary and benefits surveys for the shops we work with so they can see at a glance what their competition is offering their techs and how they stack up. We pull this data from the top job boards online and then aggregate the data into an easy to read chart. Then we run a statistical analysis of how our client shop's salary and benefits stack up so they can see where they are weak. This level of detail helps us write ads that get applications and it helps shops make offers that get accepted. Anyways, a client asked a great question this morning... To paraphrase he asked if there was a way to see what shops were actually paying their techs. NOT what they were offering online in job ads. You know me, I love a good challenge so I took a deep dive on Perplexity.AI to see what I could drum up. This is my reply and the interesting stuff I found in my deep dive: ______________________ Thanks for the detailed context. You're absolutely right that posted salaries only tell part of the story. Short of doing a W2 audit of each shop in your area there's no way to get an accurate read on real compensation numbers. That being said, there is a workaround of sorts. I did a deep search for actual compensation information in Perplexity.AI and received the output below. This output is based on supposedly factual data gathered from real shop owners and technicians via online sources where compensation is being discussed candidly. You can be the judge of its veracity but this data does reveal some interesting conclusions about how salary should be structured and listed for maximum impact. Let me know what you think. Take care, -Chris ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Based on recent placement data and industry compensation research, here's what strong technicians are actually accepting when they're recruited off-market versus what appears publicly.

Got this question from a client yesterday. Here's what most shop owners don't realize: Techs aren't hibernating. They're still scrolling social media and hanging out in the trade groups just as much as any other time of year. They're just not moving yet. Which means December is actually the perfect time to start conversations—not close them. Think of it like warming up an engine before you drive. The shops that plant seeds now? They're the ones techs reach out to in January when they're finally ready to make a move. The shops that wait? They're competing with everyone else who had the same "wait until the new year" idea. Recruiting is like marketing—it's never a bad time to do it. And when you really need it, you always wish you started sooner. Are you planting seeds now or waiting for spring?

Jim Farley thinks America has a skilled labor shortage problem. I think Ford has a humanity problem. A few days ago, Ford's CEO went on a podcast lamenting that they can't fill 5,000 mechanic positions despite offering $120,000 salaries. He blamed it on everything from lack of trade schools to generational work ethic. Let me translate what's really happening: Ford is discovering what happens when you treat human beings like "employee 389" for decades. (Yes, that's how Farley literally referenced his grandfather who worked there.) See, Ford thinks this equation still works: Big Money + Big Brand = Automatic Talent Magnet. Meanwhile, independent shops with a fraction of their recruiting budget are stealing their best technicians. How? They remembered something Ford forgot: Technicians are humans first, workers second. Here's what Ford's $120K can't buy: - Direct access to decision makers - Not 7 layers of management who've never turned a wrench - Being seen as a craftsman - Not employee #12,847 in the meat grinder - Flexibility when life happens - Not "submit form HR-7B for your kid's baseball game" - Input that matters - Not suggestions that die in committee meetings - Recognition for excellence - Not the same raise as the guy who shows up drunk The best part? Farley admits they agreed to a 25% pay bump over 4 years with the UAW. Translation: They'll throw money at anything except treating people with dignity. I've placed hundreds of technicians. The ones earning $110K at independent shops that take care of them? They laugh when dealers wave $120K at them. Why? Because they've learned what shop owners are starting to realize: Culture and lifestyle eat compensation for breakfast. Yes, you need competitive pay. But Ford's panic proves what I've been saying for years: The technician shortage isn't the real problem. The humanity shortage is. While Ford scrambles to understand why money isn't working anymore, smart independents are building something money can't buy: