
Heather Opp
Technician II
Ryder
Phoenix, AZ USA
“Never be afraid to ask questions! ”
Ryder
Phoenix, AZ USA
“Never be afraid to ask questions! ”
Technician II
I am an experienced diesel mechanic with Ryder.
I work from 5:30am to 2pm every day. We have a list of trucks that need to be prepped and serviced each day so they are ready to go. When I am assigned the truck I am supposed to be working on, I have to print out a record of all of the preventative maintenance that has already been done to it and figure out the repair tasks that I need to complete. I complete my checklist of repairs, clean it up, and get it ready to be sold.
Always ask questions and never stop learning.
Here's the first step for high school students
If you are interested in pursuing a career in mechanics or another auto industry job, considering going to school in order to gain a foundational understanding. You can (and will) learn a lot on the job, but having that foundation eases the sharp learning curve when first entering this field.
"I should've gone to school."
When I first started this job I felt like a fish out of water. I had the basic training, but I never went to school for this so there was a steep learning curve. Luckily, I had a great support base and coworkers that were willing to help me learn all that I could.
Entering this industry was a huge learning curve because I had zero experience. Lacking an educational foundation in mechanics has hampered me, but it’s forced me to work harder to be the best mechanic I can be.