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Avalos’ sister, a Love’s employee, suggested he check into
the program.
“(The Love’s program) helped me so much,” Avalos said.
“When I went to the academy, I was leaving my family for
the first time, and I was really motivated to catch on quickly.
Knowing that going to school six days a week would make
for a short process, I had to get on my horse and go, go, go.
I learned so much.”
Avalos admits he has a long way to go but says the program
has taught him to be a better mechanic.
Along with diesel mechanics, the need for technicians
to maintain battery-powered vehicles is increasing as the
electric vehicle (EV) segment of the trucking industry slowly
grows. Community college programs, including several in
California’s San Bernardino County, have pioneered programs
to introduce would-be diesel mechanics to a whole
new aspect of the trucking business.
San Bernardino Valley College launched its EV technician
training program, funded by Volvo LIGHTS through California
Climate Investments in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic
truncated the original course schedule, but when the program
reopened its doors, more students joined, bringing the
program’s total enrollment to 26. The program can lead to a
certificate or an associate degree for students who want to
pursue college.
Kenny Melanchon, faculty chair of the college’s heavyand
medium-duty trucks technology program, notes that
EVs’ share of the heavy-duty vehicle market is growing.
“They’re saying by 2026, all diesel buses will be gone,” he
said. “They’re almost all gone now.”
The alternatives will be engines powered by compressed
natural gas or electricity, and trained technicians will be
needed to maintain both.
For the time being, however, most long-haul trucks are
powered by diesel engines. No downturn is expected in the
near future, and the need for diesel technicians will continue
to grow. With numerous initiatives launched to bring
new truck drivers into the industry, it’s only natural that the
ratio of technicians to drivers will have to keep pace. That
means new jobs and new opportunities in various areas of
the trucking industry.
Subler firmly believes the need for additional diesel technicians
will continue, and as technology evolves, so will the
role.
“The diesel tech trade has evolved immensely over the
past 30 years, and I believe it will continue to do so,” he said.
“Thirty years ago, a good tech would listen to an engine and
diagnose what they thought was making the noise. Today,
they plug (the truck) into their laptop for a diagnosis.”
This means education and training will become more important
to the mechanic profession.
“Our next generation of techs must be as good — or better
— with a computer as they are with a 9/16th wrench,”
Subler said. “I believe this shift to a more technological role
has helped gain interest in our industry as it is not the ‘dirty
old mechanic’ trade anymore.”
TCA SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 19