(Read the video transcript here.)
Video Transcript
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Becoming a technician in the material handling field and the forklift industry is a great opportunity for young people today.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
When I was in school it was basically for automotive and you had paint and body, so there wasn’t really a whole lot to choose from. Nobody ever said, “Hey, you can go work on forklifts”.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
I did know there was opportunities outside of the auto and truck industry, but I just didn’t know that I would qualify for those.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
I’ve been in the automotive industry for 20 years before I found out that there was a something else out there that I was lacking. That’s something that felt like it was missing and now I found what I was looking for.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
I considered becoming a technician in this field as soon as I got out of the military and I wanted to go back to working with my hands and some sort, using my mechanical ability.
Speaker 6 (01:11):
Anytime when people hear Toyota, they’ll always think about automotive. They don’t realize that there’s more than just automotive for Toyota, there’s also forklifts.
Speaker 7 (01:19):
It seemed like something different than anything else that was out there. It seemed like it was more interesting.
Speaker 8 (01:26):
Being a service technician, you get to meet with so many customers and just how grateful they are that you can fix something that they need to have.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
At one point in my lifetime, I was in a factory and I was welding and they had a forklift go down. Nobody knew what was wrong with it at the time and the first thing I hear from everybody, “It’s called ProLifting”. I was actually standing there when the technician come in the door and I remember how confident he looked. Fifteen minutes after being there, he had that truck running and I thought to myself, “That’s where I would like to go with this”.
Speaker 5 (02:03):
Whether it’s a forklift or cars or excavators, it’s all the same concept.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
I had engines and I had transmissions and I had brakes and steering and coming right into the forklift industry, it wasn’t that big of a leap.
Speaker 8 (02:19):
This industry is more than gas engines. I also work with electric trucks, hydraulics, which is one of my favorite parts.
Speaker 9 (02:27):
Everything has computers on it now so you have to know how to do the electrical troubleshooting. Plus you’ve got the hydraulic side that ties in.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Working in this industry also lets me use my computer skills as far as all the shop manuals are on computers, which is same in automotive.
Speaker 10 (02:48):
We’ve got the service automation now which are handheld tablets where we do all our work orders and our billing and everything from them so without knowing anything technology-based, we wouldn’t be able to function.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
If you’re going to be a field tech, you definitely have to be able to talk with the customer. You are the representative for the company there in front of them.
Speaker 11 (03:13):
You got to tell the customer what they need and you’re that direct point of contact.
Speaker 12 (03:23):
If I want to improve my skills or expand my knowledge, Toyota offers a wide variety of training for us.
Speaker 5 (03:28):
I can use the web to my advantage and I can go to the e-learning website that they have and it’s just there for the taking.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Toyota provides training support like our master technician program in the form that all the training that we do is leading up to your next certification and when you get to that certification, you get rewarded for it.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
You can actually start at an entry level and the time that you put in yourself, you can go from entry level to bronze to silver to gold, all the way to platinum.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I like being a Toyota forklift technician because it takes me out of the everyday norm of going to work and just assembling something or putting something together and that’s all you do for eight hours. This is a chance to go out and meet different people, go to different places, see new things and there’s a lot of gratification in it.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
I put my skills to use every day. I do something that I love to do and I also get compensated well for.
Speaker 13 (04:39):
It challenges me every day, different scenarios, different jobs and different solutions to those problems.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
You may go to one customer and it may be an electrical issue. You may go to another customer, it may be a mechanical issue. I don’t get bored easily.
Speaker 14 (04:55):
I get to travel around. I don’t have to look at the same four walls every day. I get to meet new people, experience new issues, learn things for the first time and sometimes they send you remote places where you drive through the North Georgia mountains.
Speaker 9 (05:11):
They get to see different things. I go into the end of these warehouses and different businesses that nobody else really does unless you’re employed there and just different things I see day to day.
Speaker 12 (05:30):
I like being a shop technician because of the comradery in the shop. I know that if I have a problem, the guys can help me out.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
I’m not the kind of guy who works well with someone standing over his shoulder. I like being on the road. I like knowing that I have a different place to go to every day.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
I enjoy being a shop technician because you see different stuff every day. We work on engines, work on transmissions in the shop. We do big jobs, pull engines, spool transmissions, work on differentials.
Speaker 9 (06:06):
You manage your own time and as long as you’re able to do your job, you don’t have the hassle of somebody always looking over your shoulder.
Speaker 6 (06:15):
I like being a shop technician because I always come to the same place. I always have my tools organized the way I want them. I could find everything where I want them and if I ever need help, I always have a coworker that can help me.
Speaker 8 (06:28):
I meet new people every day and there’s always a different job that I’m facing. It keeps it entertaining.
Speaker 5 (06:38):
I like being a shop technician because I know what I’m walking into every day. I know my toolbox and my tools and I know that I’m not alone. I have technicians all around me. If I run across something that I don’t know or I’m not familiar with, I can ask and everyone wants to help.
Speaker 14 (06:54):
Having a stable job like this allows me to indulge in more hobbies than I can do in a day’s time. But it’s also provided me in very good sound financial situation through some of the harsh economy downturns that we’ve experienced.
Speaker 7 (07:10):
We work Monday to Fridays. We can spend a weekend off, be with our families. Be secure that on Monday that we’re going back, we’re going to have something to do.
Speaker 8 (07:20):
I can take my kids on vacation, put them in ball all year round.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
To be able to go on vacations and take my family places. It allows me to have hobbies and things that I can do on the side. At home on the weekends, it’s not just I’m going to work and to pay bills and get up and do it again.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
The huge amount of industrial equipment in the marketplace means that we’re going to have a job tomorrow. This stuff’s going to break. It’s going to need to be fixed.
Speaker 6 (07:52):
There will always be forklifts out there moving product.
Speaker 9 (07:56):
Trucking and moving stuff is always there. When the economy’s good or when the economy’s bad, we still have to get stuff across the country.
Speaker 7 (08:05):
There’s a lot of warehouses, a lot of places that need forklifts that need you go fix the forklift when they’re down.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
I don’t see anything else out there and as far as the mechanic goes, that is more reliable than being a forklift mechanic. During the recession, there were people losing their jobs left and right and there are some out there that are still looking for jobs, but the forklift industry is solid, it’s strong.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
I feel like this job is pretty secure because we have a lot of warehouses, a lot of industry and I know that all those places use forklifts. Those forklifts are going to break or those forklifts are going to need to be maintained and we’re the ones to do it.
Speaker 14 (08:48):
When warehouse opens, the forklifts come in first. They use those to unload the truck to put the racks in, to put everything in.
Speaker 7 (09:00):
I can tell that customers appreciate what I do because once in a time, they’ll tell me that I did a good job. Sometimes they’ll call in to the office and tell, “The tech that you guys sent me did a good job”.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
I’ve seen times where they’ve had their own maintenance, tried to work on it and they’ll finally call us. And when I pull up out there, I’ve heard them say, “All right, Prolifts on the premises, tell him leave it alone and they’ll fix it”.
Speaker 8 (09:27):
When their truck is down, customers are losing money, thousands by the minute. When you walk in and kind of save the day by fixing their truck, they’re so appreciative.
Speaker 14 (09:41):
I can tell when they appreciate what I do when they call in and they request me personally.
Speaker 13 (09:48):
When you say the name Toyota, people think of quality and a name that’s been around for a long time.
Speaker 14 (10:02):
Quality. People think reliability.
Speaker 8 (10:05):
People think dependability.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Reliability. They think low cost.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Dependability, quality and longevity.
Speaker 5 (10:13):
Quality and dependability.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
They’re number one because of the great product they turn out and number two, because of the great service that they have to go along with it and to back that up.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Toyota has experienced exponential growth and in that growth, there more locations throughout the United States and Canada that provide employment opportunities for technicians. Toyota’s growth allows training for those technicians and because of our number one position, they’re more units in operation. They’re more Toyota’s running than any other brand of lift truck. That gives technician opportunities for employment at these dealerships. I encourage technicians to consider Toyota as a brand and the locations throughout the United States and Canada for technician employment opportunities.
