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WrenchWay

2 days ago

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Red, White, & Blue Collar
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Tom Wood Volkswagen

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3 days ago

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Junior certified tech Mikael taking apart drivers door to install new switches!
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Tom Wood Subaru

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3 days ago

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#ThrowbackThursday: The Start of the Tom Wood Legacy 🚘
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Tom Wood Subaru

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3 days ago

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Have a safe & Happy 4th of July!
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Carr Chevrolet

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3 days ago

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From Everyone here at Carr Chevrolet we wish you a Happy and Safe 4th of July!
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McCurley Dealerships

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3 days ago

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🔧 A Day in the Life of a Technician! 🚗
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Tom Wood Subaru

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3 days ago

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Nice job Wil!
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Walser Automotive Group Top Shops

Various Locations

3 days ago

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We Showed Up With Pride 🌈
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Hoffman Ford and Lincoln

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3 days ago

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Hoffman Auto Group will be closed for the 4th of July! Enjoy your Holiday!
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HM Repairs & Services

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3 days ago

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If you could give one tip to a new diesel tech, what would it be?
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Capital District Transportation Authority

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3 days ago

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🔔 Upcoming job fair alert! 🔔
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WrenchWay

3 days ago

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'Murica

What's the best part about 4th of July?
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Fabel Repair & Collision Center

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3 days ago

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What’s in Your Toolbox?
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C. Harper Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

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3 days ago

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What type of shop would you like to work in most?
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C. Harper Ford/Kia

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3 days ago

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What worries you the most about the future of auto repair?
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Sara Kerwin

Thanks for bringing up this important topic, Craig. It's very timely because we're also going to be hosting a roundtable where we're bringing on 4 technician to discuss flat rate. It's free to attend and anyone can register here: https://wrenchway.com/events/flat-rates-contribution-to-the-technician-shortage/

2 years ago Like

Russell Wickham

So, Lucas Underwood on the "Changing the Industry Podcast" a week ago said, "Flat rate is a lazy man's management method." I agree. Flat rate can be made to work, if the entire team is on board and no one person gets stuck doing all the crap work (unless said person is paid hourly or salary and isn't under the gun from management for low hours). Usually what happens is a favorite tech gets fed, other techs pick up the scraps, and one really good tech starves to death. The good tech leaves, the others flounder, the attitude goes in the toilet, and the shop ends up circling the drain. Yes, labor times are down, sometimes grossly inaccurate, and the quick maintenance jobs that used to allow us to make up time are few and far between. A few very gifted techs can still turn those outstanding hours, but they are rare. A few gifted service managers make flat rate work for their location. They aren't the lazy kind Lucas was referring to. For everyone else, flat rate is a punishment to those who do good quality work and an easy way to create friction and anger in the shop.

Dale Techel

I've worked flat rate for 38 years, don't really have an issue with it. First thing you need to realize, clocking 60 hour weeks plus wasn't difficult for a few reasons, first is, most shops were open 6 days a week and we worked an average of 70 hours a week. Another thing was we only worked on a handful of makes and models back then, repetitiveness of vehicles we worked on made it that you'd become very good on doing repairs because you've done it many times and you knew the tricks to get the job done quickly. The amount of makes and models now, along with the fact vehicles are driven 15-20 yrs plus just adds to the amount that you the tech need to know and be great at to clock a ton of hours. You need to be flexible in your estimating of vehicles in today world, if a vehicle comes in and a complex service you know is going to take a tech longer than book time, don't be afraid to slightly adjust the labor also. Shops and techs are out to make money and stay in business, if for example an evap core job pays 8.5 hours and the past few you've done takes 10, adjust labor on next repair. Shops have to realize that in today's world, no tech, even the best and most experienced is going to have the knowledge to be the best and fastest on the amount of makes, models and years of vehicles on the road. It's not humanly possible. Have my labor amounts dropped a bit over the years, yes, but I'm also down to working a 45 hour week compared to close to 75 I would work year round not long ago and I'm 56 years old and my body isn't like it was at 20 yrs old either. I think my point is, be flexible yet fair, make the shop, tech and customer happy and satisfied, if you don't, more techs will continually leave the industry.

Filter the Posts You See

Filter the Posts You See

Shop Talk
Online Community to Promote Auto & Diesel Careers

Share your thoughts on industry topics

WrenchWay

Tom Wood Volkswagen

Tom Wood Subaru

Tom Wood Subaru

Carr Chevrolet

McCurley Dealerships

Tom Wood Subaru

Walser Automotive Group Top Shops

Hoffman Ford and Lincoln

HM Repairs & Services

Capital District Transportation Authority

WrenchWay

'Murica

Fabel Repair & Collision Center

C. Harper Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

C. Harper Ford/Kia

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Success

Craig Tomczyk

Sara Kerwin

Sara Kerwin

Russell Wickham

Russell Wickham

Dale Techel

Dale Techel

Shop Talk Online Community to Promote Auto & Diesel Careers

Shop talk polls and posts

Share your thoughts on industry topics

WrenchWay

Tom Wood Volkswagen

Tom Wood Subaru

Tom Wood Subaru

Carr Chevrolet

McCurley Dealerships

Tom Wood Subaru

Walser Automotive Group Top Shops

Hoffman Ford and Lincoln

HM Repairs & Services

Capital District Transportation Authority

WrenchWay

'Murica

Fabel Repair & Collision Center

C. Harper Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

C. Harper Ford/Kia

Sara Kerwin

Russell Wickham

Dale Techel

Shop Talk
Online Community to Promote Auto & Diesel Careers