Why get certified as a technician?

Certified technicians are associated with higher shop productivity, fewer comebacks, lower employee turnover and higher earning potential. (Connor D. Wolf/Transport Topics)

The difference between a routine shift and a roadside call often comes down to the skill, training and preparation of the technicians who maintain and repair the trucks.

For fleet maintenance leaders, those outcomes are increasingly shaped by formal certification. Such programs, once viewed as optional, are increasingly seen as a competitive necessity in an era of connected vehicles, advanced diagnostics and heightened legal scrutiny.

“Certification itself is a means of documenting and validating one’s professional reputation,” said Robert Braswell, executive director of American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council. “It affords the opportunity for measuring one’s skills against industry-accepted standards that are objectively determined.”

Unlike other skilled trades, commercial vehicle maintenance is rarely subject to mandatory licensure. Certifications issued by Automotive Service Excellence, the North American Transportation Management Institute and TMC’s Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards remain voluntary. But Braswell argued that credentials still deliver measurable returns.

“The certification saves a company more money than the investment in the certification program itself,” he said, pointing to more effective preventive and predictive maintenance, fewer breakdowns, more efficient labor use and tighter control of maintenance costs.

ASE testing

For employers, ASE certification has become a clear signal of technician development, said Bob Cornwell, senior director for medium- and heavy-duty vehicle test development at ASE.

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Those who reach master technician status often become informal mentors within the shop, helping guide less experienced co-workers. (Universal Technical Institute)

ASE credentials are often tied to pay increases and job security, he said, but the exams are designed to function as more than a pass-or-fail hurdle. Each test produces a detailed score report that highlights strengths and gaps, allowing technicians to target specific areas for improvement.

For many technicians, the process begins as a personal challenge to sharpen their craft. Over time, those who reach master technician status often become informal mentors within the shop, helping guide less experienced co-workers.

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Cornwell 

“When somebody gets that master status, that’s when we start thinking about teaching the next group of younger folks in the shop,” Cornwell said.

ASE research suggests that the benefits extend beyond individual pride. Certified technicians are associated with higher shop productivity, fewer comebacks, lower employee turnover and higher earning potential.

To remain current, ASE regularly updates its exams through workshops that include manufacturers, instructors and trainers.

Dave Johnson, president and CEO of ASE and a representative of the ASE Education Foundation, framed certification as part of a broader ecosystem connecting schools, employers and consumers.

ASE was formed in the early 1970s at the industry’s urging, Johnson noted, in part to stave off federal licensure by creating credible, industry-driven standards.

Today, the challenge lies less in testing and more in education consistency. Accredited high school and college programs vary widely. Some are tightly aligned with industry job-task analyses, while others function more as hobby shops, where students work on personal projects without mastering core competencies.

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Johnson 

“They’re maybe learning something,” Johnson said, “but they’re not learning the basic things they need to know to be able to go into a shop and become a productive professional.”

Compounding the problem is the fact that many students struggle to see a long-term career path in vehicle maintenance. Johnson cited surveys showing that only about 30% of students in these programs have ever seen a local employer visit their classroom.

Without that exposure, he said, the industry risks losing potential talent before it ever reaches the shop floor. He urged fleets and service providers to partner with schools, visit classes and host shop tours to demonstrate what a career in auto and truck technology can look like.

Developing leaders

While ASE focuses on technician competency, NATMI targets those who lead maintenance operations.

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Certification has become a way to stand out, advance and help build the next generation of technicians. (Universal Technical Institute)

Jeff Arnold, executive director of NATMI, said the institute’s certifications begin with job-task analyses and are built around real-world responsibilities. The four-step process includes experience prerequisites, a two-day maintenance management course, a written exam and a performance-based application.

Rather than hypothetical scenarios, applicants must document actual results, Arnold said, showing how they reduced costs, improved maintenance programs or delivered measurable operational gains.

NATMI certifications are accredited through the University of Denver and must be renewed every three years through a point system that rewards continuing education and industry involvement.

Together, Arnold said, ASE and NATMI create a credentialed pathway from entry-level technician to senior maintenance leader.

Data standards

Maintenance certification increasingly extends beyond people to the data they manage.

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Poster 

VMRS underpins much of the industry’s maintenance data. Many fleets view VMRS simply as a nine-digit parts code, said Jack Poster, TMC’s VMRS services manager, but it is a comprehensive framework for capturing and analyzing maintenance activity.

“If you’re using a valid software firm, chances are you’re using VMRS and you don’t know it,” Poster said.

To recognize professionals who work with those codes daily, TMC created the VMRS Certified Specialist program. The credential now includes more than 600 specialists from fleets, software providers and original equipment manufacturers.

Poster said VMRS is increasingly tied to predictive maintenance and artificial intelligence applications, placing data literacy squarely within the industry’s expanding certification landscape.

Fleet-level case

At Publix Super Markets, certification is treated not as an expense, but as an investment.

Joey Young, fleet maintenance operations manager, said the return shows up most clearly in safety. Publix conducts weekly safety calls involving its entire industrial operations group, including maintenance.

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Young 

The results have been clear. Last year, the company’s 350 maintenance associates recorded only two new injuries across the entire operation, with none reported so far this year.

Publix also tightly links advancement to both hands-on competency and ASE credentials. Moving from a C-class to an A-class technician requires demonstrated proficiency across roughly 100 specific tasks, along with passing relevant exams.

Each technician receives dedicated weekly training time, including OEM courses and in-house instruction.

Since embedding certification into its promotion system, Publix has seen a measurable shift in its workforce profile. About 27% of its technicians now hold ASE certifications, and more than 10% are master technicians.

That shift has translated into lower labor costs, fewer roadside breakdowns and reduced downtime, Young said. Better-trained technicians have also allowed the fleet to extend asset life without sacrificing uptime, reducing the need to carry excess equipment as a maintenance buffer.

“If you can reduce that by 1%,” Young said, “you can take some equipment out of your fleet that you would have had to purchase next year while still operating more efficiently.”

Culture and confidence

Despite the documented benefits, many fleets report that only a small portion of their technicians hold certifications through the master level.

Young pointed to two common barriers: veteran technicians who question the value of credentials and anxiety about testing itself.

“They’re scared of the test,” he said. “Sometimes they don’t want to compete or worry someone will see what they don’t know.”

Publix Super Markets ranks No. 55 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America.

Arnold said those obstacles ultimately come down to culture.

“If there’s leadership in the company that really shows value for training and certification,” he said, “that gives people the incentive to move up and take advantage of these opportunities.”

Cornwell added that technicians who feel unsupported will simply leave for shops where development is valued.

Braswell said certification is no longer an accessory for resumes. It has become a way to stand out, advance and help build the next generation of technicians.

“Being certified in your profession can distinguish you from your peers, prepare you for advancement and develop you to serve as a mentor or role model for others,” he said.