The ongoing technician shortage continues to make hiring a major challenge for shops around the country. In fact, PartsTech reports that 46% of shop owners and managers say the shortage of skilled technicians has had a moderate to highly significant impact on their business.

Whether you’re hitting your hiring goals or falling behind, regular check-ins on your hiring and recruiting efforts are essential to stay ahead. Here’s a simple checkup any shop or dealership can use to see where they stand—and a few quick ways to course-correct if things aren’t going as planned.

5 Simple Checkpoints to Keep Your Technician Staffing Strategy on Track

1. Revisit Your Hiring Goals and Progress

Start by taking a step back and looking at the goals you originally set. Ask yourself:

  • What positions do you need (or did you need) to fill this year?
  • How many of those positions have you successfully hired for
  • Are you getting enough qualified applicants to meet your needs?

If you’re falling short, it might be time to expand your recruiting strategy. That could include posting jobs on new platforms or testing new outreach methods. While general sites like LinkedIn or Indeed are helpful, don’t overlook niche platforms like WrenchWay that focus specifically on the automotive and diesel industries.

The key here is to reassess what’s working, where you’re showing up to applicants, and how well that aligns with your current needs.

2. Track and Address Technician Turnover

Technicians leave jobs—It happens. But it’s important to consistently reflect and ask:

  • How many technicians have left recently?
  • Is that number higher than in previous years?
  • Why did they leave?

If your turnover rate—the percentage of employees who leave within a year—is climbing, you’re likely losing more than just team members. High turnover drains productivity, hurts morale, and costs your shop money.

The key is acting on what you learn. Look for patterns in exit interviews and take the feedback seriously. Whether it’s adjusting pay, improving culture, addressing workload, or creating better growth opportunities, the best shops are always evolving to become more stable in the long run.

3. Strengthen Your Technician Pipeline

Even if you are fully staffed today, it’s important to have a pipeline of potential technicians ready to go. Workloads can pick up unexpectedly, and one of your best techs might get hurt or leave for another opportunity. Having candidates lined up ensures you’re not scrambling when you need to hire.

To evaluate your technician talent pipeline, ask yourself:

  • Do you have a pool of candidates you can reach out to quickly?
  • Are you staying engaged with past applicants who weren’t a fit at the time?
  • Are you actively connecting with local schools to grow the next generation of technicians?

If your pipeline needs work, reconnect with past applicants and keep in touch through email, social media, or texts so your shop stays top of mind.

For long-term success, start building relationships with local schools and technical programs. Tools like School Assist make it easy for shops to find nearby schools, see what they need, and offer support to start and strengthen relationships. The more visible and involved your shop is throughout the year, even during the summer, the better positioned you’ll be when it is time to hire.

Pro Tip: Summer is the perfect time to plan ahead, reach out to instructors, and map out key events and opportunities for the upcoming school year. Small efforts now can lead to big results when the fall recruiting season arrives. Download our Summer Checklist to Get Shops Ready to Support Schools.

4. Review and Simplify Your Job Postings

Job postings are often the first impression technicians get of your shop. If they’re unclear, too long, or hard to apply to, you might be losing great candidates without ever knowing it.

Here’s what to review:

  • Which job postings have performed well in the past?
  • Is each posting written clearly, easy to skim, and highlights the things technicians care about most?
  • Is it quick and easy to apply on desktop and mobile?
  • Have you tested your own application process?

Technicians are busy and they know they’re in demand. A complicated application process can be all it takes to make them skip your shop entirely. Make sure your postings highlight the benefits that matter most to technicians and eliminate unnecessary steps that slow things down.

5. Refresh Your Technician Perks and Recognition

You don’t need to wait until the end of the year to evaluate your shop’s perks and benefits for technicians. There’s no better time than now to see what’s working and what could be better.

Ask yourself:

  • Can you improve or tweak benefits to better support your team or attract others?
  • How often do you recognize and appreciate your team?
  • Are current perks competitive for your area and industry?
  • Have you asked your team what benefits matter most to them?

In today’s market, perks and incentives are major attractors for new talent and valuable tools for keeping your current techs engaged. The modern workforce is focused on working to live, not living to work. That means benefits like flexible schedules, basic health coverage, tool allowance and insurance, retirement plans, steady and transparent pay increases, and paid time off aren’t “nice-to-haves” anymore—they’re expected.

Even small acts of appreciation, like handwritten thank-you notes, surprise team lunches, or public shoutouts, can go a long way in boosting morale and loyalty.

Most importantly, don’t treat your perks and recognition efforts as “set it and forget it.” The needs and expectations of your team can shift over time. Regularly check in, listen to feedback, and be willing to evolve. Shops that continuously adjust and improve their employee experience are the ones that retain top talent and attract more of it.

A Little Tune-Up Now Prevents Bigger Problems Later

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind and forget to check whether your hiring and retention strategy is actually working. But small problems now—like a weak candidate pipeline or outdated perks—can grow into bigger challenges fast.

Take time now to review these five areas, listen to your team, and make a few key adjustments. Shops that stay proactive, flexible, and technician-focused all year long are the ones that win when it comes to attracting and keeping great people.