‘That’s why this industry is so broken’: Man shares the ‘real reason’ there’s a mechanic shortage

A car expert went viral on TikTok after exposing why there’s a dearth of car mechanics, which one report linked to the result of more people attending four-year colleges instead of trade schools. 

Thomas (@carsrme), who posts car-related videos to his account, stitched another creator’s video, which also explained the mechanic shortage. The content creator called the other poster’s video “wonderful” before elaborating on the scarcity issue. As of Saturday evening, his clip had amassed more than 1.8 million views. 

One of the reasons why there’s fewer mechanics is because they have to pay for their tools out of pocket. According to other outlets, shop supplies can provide the “big stuff,” including lifts, diagnostic equipment, and speciality tools. But it can fall on individual workers to provide their own toolboxes and tools.

Why the cost hinders people from joining the industry

Thomas said that the cost of getting into the industry hinders people from joining. 

“Who wants to get into an industry where you have to buy tens—if not hundreds—of thousands of dollars in tools?” he questioned. 

Individual mechanics, Thomas added, also don’t get the same tax breaks as employers, but are often expected to “work for free.”

Part of that “free work,” Thomas said, comes with the expectation that workers perform at a certain pace to “beat the time on the clock.” Thomas said this incentivizes some workers to “cut corners” to finish cars in a timely manner.

Lastly, Thomas cited lackluster pay for the mechanic shortage. “Why does such a skilled job not pay a salary or hourly [rate], but instead a flat rate? We are not car salesmen. We are not service advisors.”

He ended his video by saying that mechanics deserve “a real pay.” One mechanic commented that he was offered a job at Goodyear that only offered $14 to $16 per hour. This is on par with the average hourly pay, though higher-end employees can earn up to $44 per hour.

But, according to Thomas, these problems never cease. 

“It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the business,” he said, “you have to keep doing that until the day you retire or quit.”

According to a 2020 study, the technicians shortage is growing worse by the day and is projected to get worse; in fact, this trend is projected to result in more than 640,000 unfilled auto tech positions by the end of the year. The study said that new techs aren’t joining the industry, while older ones are retiring. The problems cited by Thomas have led people to abandon this gig, too. 

“That’s why this industry is so broken,” Thomas said. 

Mechanics agreed

“I was a tech for 20 years, 600k in tools,” one former worker wrote. “Flat rate pay is the problem.”

“So true,” another commented. “After 30 years of being a mechanic, I just gave it up.”

“I was a red seal auto mechanic for seven years,” a third person added. “There is no point to work for free.”

The Daily Dot has reached out to Thomas via TikTok comment.

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