Two young diesel mechanics have had the opportunity to broaden their horizons within the transport industry thanks to a scholarship initiative.
Truck driving is not the only job within the transport industry that is experiencing a worker shortage – this also extends to the workshop.
Businesses are continually on the hunt for new mechanics entering the industry to keep their trucks on the road, but this has proved to be a challenge for many. Initiatives like the Cummins Scholarship program are just one way this is being confronted.
Four apprentices were awarded scholarships this year, getting the opportunity to further their knowledge within the industry.
This was done through a visit to Cummins’ plant in Victoria, as well as getting the chance to experience the Australian Trucking Association’s Technology and Maintenance Conference in Melbourne in October.
For Josh Troeth of Tatiara Truck & Trailers in Bordertown, South Australia and Zethaniah Copland of McColls Transport, South Geelong, the program was unlike anything they had done within the industry before.
Josh has just entered the fourth year of his apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic for Tatiara, servicing trucks that come through the workshop on their journeys from Melbourne to Adelaide, as well as performing outcalls for breakdowns and other jobs on the road.
He also works on the local fleets, predominantly servicing Kenworths and DAFs, with the occasional Volvo and Scania coming through.
As prospective recipients had to be nominated by someone within their workplace, you could only guess that the scholarship came as a massive surprise.
“I didn’t know I had been nominated for a long time,” Josh explains.
“One of my coworkers organised it all and my boss got it running. I got a phone call while I was on a job, and I thought it was a scam call. I called them back and found out I’d won!”
Getting out to the Cummins plant was the first part of the package included in the scholarship, before attending the conference.
Josh says that the tour helped him to appreciate other parts of the industry that he hasn’t had much to do with yet.
“I’ve been to the Kenworth factory before, so I’ve seen the motors fitted out and ready to be put into the trucks, but it was pretty cool to see them where they start,” he says.
“We got to speak to the service staff who are on technician support 24/7 and get to put faces to names.”
Zethaniah, or Zeth, echoes the benefits of gaining a wider perspective on what happens beyond the workshop in the greater industry.
He had thought for sure that winning the scholarship was an elaborate prank: “yeah, very funny,” was the initial reaction to the voice over the phone.
But it certainly felt much more real once the recipients arrived at the plant.
“During the walkthrough we got to watch the techs put wiring harnesses on the motors,” Zeth says.
“It was good to see the other side of the industry. I don’t get exposed to that all too much.”
Conference experience
Zeth began his mechanical journey in 2019, when he first started at McColl’s. He’s been there ever since, despite describing his journey there as “falling into place”.
“I’ve always been a work with my hands sort of guy,” he says.
“I’ve always been interested in cars, bikes, boats, jet skis, trucks; anything that’s got a motor in it I’ve always been fascinated by. I never liked the idea of paying someone else to work on it for me.
“I haven’t looked back since I started to work at McColl’s. I love working with my hands and at the end of the day being able to go home and knowing that I’ve worked hard for my money.”
The TMC gave the scholarship recipients the chance to get a look at parts of the industry that they don’t usually see, with technicians, operators, drivers and other interested parties flocking to the Kangan Institute.
“It was good to see the other side of the industry. I don’t get exposed to that all too much,” Zeth says.
“I got to hear different perspectives from an array of different workshops. To hear about truck and dogs, because I mostly work with tankers, I got more learnings about other set ups.
“There’s more to the industry than just what I’m seeing. It makes me feel like I’m a very small fish in a very big pond.”
“Speaking to the different people at the TMC was my highlight of the whole experience,” Josh adds.
“Lining up for lunch, I was speaking to one of the drivers of the new DAF XG with the Euro 6 Cummins engine in it. We ended up speaking for the next 45 minutes. That was really interesting to have his insight on what he experienced driving it.
“There was a lot of people that don’t work on the floor there, I thought there’d be more service technicians.
“One of the sessions that I took a whole bunch of notes on was the new after-treatment for the Cummins’ engines session. It was good to know what’s going on and being discussed in the industry.”
Josh had a particularly unique experience at the conference, travelling with Tatiara Truck & Trailers co-founder John Jenkin.
They took the chance to visit clients while they were in Melbourne, and it give Josh new perspective on where a long career in transport can lead.
“John won the Craig Roseneder Award at the TMC, and the amount of people that knew and had respect for him was pretty extraordinary to see,” he says.
“I met so many amazing people that have done so much in the industry and in their careers just from talking to John and talking to them.
“It’s definitely opened my eyes to how big you can grow your career and business.”
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