Ford CEO says he has 5,000 open mechanic jobs with 6-figure salaries from the shortage of manually skilled workers: ‘We are in trouble in our country’

[D's Jeep Wrld]

You need to take a 9 month or so course to handle linework and get a CDL. The first thing they do is make you climb the tallest pole. To weed out those out of shape and more importantly afraid of heights.

This one is for the next level up at $57/hr.

https://jobsp.oppd.com/psc/jobs/EMP...SEARCH_FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_SCHJOB_FL&Action=U

Internships pay ~$22/hr.

Linemen make more than starting engineers in a utility.

Knowing how I drive....I may not be able to have a CDL,I only got 1 misdemeanor,Coulda had more but....Nevermind I'm not getting into that...
But yeah that pay is tempting!
I am a bug dude coming in at 270 6'1 but I used to do alot of mountain biking/freestyle riding (kinda like BMX but on a mountain bike) and I like climbing trees lol,I should be fine on climbing a pole even with gear on cause I'm just going up in a straight line !

I think my best bet is to be an Aviation mechanic I'd also like to be able to own&fly my own helicopter someday Knowing how to work on my own aircraft would be awesome !

Edit- Plus, Im pretty close to the DFW Airport here in Texas! So that's another reason why I'm leaning towards being an Aircraft mechanic!

 

[Chris]

I have heard said that one should not attribute to malevolence what can be attributed to stupidity.

I say, nobody's that stupid and this is all malevolence.

The answer to 99 out of 100 questions is money.

 

[Apparition]

The guys that work on the power line crews start at $53/hr here. With overtime they are some of the highest paid people in a utility.

How much do the guys hanging out of helicopters make? That’s fun to watch and I’ve assumed it has to pay well.

 

[jeepguy03]

I wrote - There is nothing wrong with a college level education that ends up just being for the sake of education as long as a person can afford it.

But somehow you wanted to disagree. Reading is fundamental.

Nice.

 

[InOmaha]

How much do the guys hanging out of helicopters make? That’s fun to watch and I’ve assumed it has to pay well.

I don't think we have those yet. Our Independent System Operator (ISO), Southwest Power Pool (SPP), is starting a $25 billion dollar initiative to build a superhighway 735kV line for power going from Texas to Canada. The largest we have are 365kV lines.

The higher the voltage the taller the lines and towers and the bigger the insulators.

345kV insulators are around 6ft. 735kV insulators are 13ft tall.

So find the tallest power lines running betwen and into a city and double their height.

The typical lines running along major roads feeding residential neighborhoods are 13.9kV. Little lines.

Remember the higher the voltage, the lower the current for the same power and therefore lower transmission losses. That's why a generator at the plant site uses 3 phase copper bus bars that are around 4x6" of solid copper bars going to the step up transformer that jumps voltage to 365 kV.

That's all the sparky knowledge I know. My expertise is getting fuel through the whole process to make shaft power to the generator.

 

[CMBD]

The whole " Flat Rate " system is designed to make the dealer money and cause a mechanic to spend huge amounts of money to " beat the system ".

I absolutely loved the flat rate system. I could easily flag 100 hours in a 40 hour work week.

I was beating the system with a 1/2 and 3/8 impact, air ratchet, about 20 sockets, 4 extensions, 1 combo wrench, speed handle, and an in/lb torque wrench.

Staying out of the tool truck can save you huge amounts of money

 

[ColoJeep]

I absolutely loved the flat rate system. I could easily flag 100 hours in a 40 hour work week.

I was beating the system with a 1/2 and 3/8 impact, air ratchet, about 20 sockets, 4 extensions, 1 combo wrench, speed handle, and an in/lb torque wrench.

Staying out of the tool truck can save you huge amounts of money

On reoccurring things you can made money , Ford E-350 cutaway fuel pumps . It paid like 3 hours , but I did so many of them you could turn it out in 40 minutes . My co worker was left handed and he could do it in 30 minutes . A high torque 3/8 SnapOn air ratchet was your friend . Over 20 months we would do 3-4 a week for a motor home fleet . We changed 1 Chevy G-30 TBI fuel pump during that time. The factory Ford pump looked impressive and was $ 200.00 our cost in 94 , the Chevy pump was cheap looking sheet metal body with plastic ends staked onto it . It cost $55.00 and was totally reliable .

 

[John Cooper]

Had a class 8 Volvo tech, he could do a 6 pack of injectors, run the overhead and put e everything back together and park the truck in 3.5 hours.

Book time was 10 and he never had a comeback.

He made bank every week!!

 

[Apparition]

Tesla has managed to bypass this and sell direct to consumer. Of course that’s made a lot of people mad. If I recall, maybe it was NY who banned Tesla stores?

In any case, of course it’s political. If it was left to the free market (as it should be), stealerships would have ceased to exist a long time ago. They offer nothing to the consumer other than a gigantic headache and exceptionally crappy service departments.

https://www.reuters.com/business/au...d-vehicles-amazon-joining-hyundai-2025-11-17/

 

[Chris]

View attachment 655813
View attachment 655814

https://www.reuters.com/business/au...d-vehicles-amazon-joining-hyundai-2025-11-17/

I wonder if the posted priced will include all their stupid fees and a back trip to the "finance" office where they can try and coax you into rolling the 3M Scotch Guard "protection package" into your financing.

I loath dealers and I pretty much despise all modern vehicles anymore.

 

[Apparition]

I wonder if the posted priced will include all their stupid fees and a back trip to the "finance" office where they can try and coax you into rolling the 3M Scotch Guard "protection package" into your financing.

I loath dealers and I pretty much despise all modern vehicles anymore.

Use your Amazon credit card and some 3rd worlder will drop it at your doorstep.

 

[TJMexico]

I loath dealers and I pretty much despise all modern vehicles anymore.

Horses and mules. The answer going forward is horses and mules. Here I am, working on my favorite mode of transportation, kinda "tuning the suspension." Beats all hell outta getting under a vehicle.

 

[Apparition]

View attachment 655813
View attachment 655814

https://www.reuters.com/business/au...d-vehicles-amazon-joining-hyundai-2025-11-17/

Speaking of Hyundai

https://hackaday.com/2025/11/15/hyundai-paywalls-brake-pad-changes/

 

[TJMexico]

Speaking of Hyundai

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https://hackaday.com/2025/11/15/hyundai-paywalls-brake-pad-changes/

DAYUM! This is just friggin' criminal. But then, anybody stupid enough to pay money for one of these modern monstrosities is, in a way, getting what they deserve, I guess.

See, horses ain´t hooked up to the internet and require no subscription plan. The mules are even best as for fuel just about anything will do seein' as they eat just about anything short of rocks.

 

[John Cooper]

DAYUM! This is just friggin' criminal. But then, anybody stupid enough to pay money for one of these modern monstrosities is, in a way, getting what they deserve, I guess.

See, horses ain´t hooked up to the internet and require no subscription plan. The mules are even best as for fuel just about anything will do seein' as they eat just about anything short of rocks.

Most every new vehicle has a brake maintenance mode, you are supposed to have to have a computer to put it into the mode.

Some vehicles you can put into maintenance mode with a step by step process without a laptop.

Problem is getting them to come out of maintenance mode sometimes.

Gotta love OEM's and their $$ grabbing.

 

[JMT]

Education shouldn't always be thought of in terms of financial ROI. There is nothing wrong with a college level education that ends up just being for the sake of education as long as a person can afford it. Its good for the brain and its good for society.

I really like this post.

I agree that apart from STEM college education is baloney. My brother got a degree in Family Studies 25 years ago. WTH? He’s been drifting ever since. What a waste. I have one son a year and a half from finishing his Engineering degree at EWU. My daughter really hates the Business Math track she is on and has a passion for Midwifery. I told her to quit and go do Midwifery. Stop wasting time. She was only doing it to prove she could “do” math. WTH? College level education is good for the brain. Train you to think longer and harder and problem solve and read and write “well.” You are jumping through their hoops and it’s annoying. I had to get out of college to learn anything, but now I’m a professor and author. To me it’s a joke that I am where I am.

 

[bucky]

A College degree is not a waste of time or money. Getting the wrong degree such as Sociology, Phycology or Mid Evil Studies is a waste of time and money. I worked construction trade jobs up until I was 32. With 2 young kids at home I went to school and got a degree in Radiologic Imaging. I worked full time and went to school full time paying in full as I progressed. I took my State and National boards and had a job that gave me tuition reimbursement as soon as my licenses came through. I made good money and had 2 side gigs at other hospitals.
10 yrs latter I went back to school for 18 months and took my boards to become a Radiation Therapist. Again working and paying my tuition as I went. Before I graduated I had a job that payed me double what I was making. $75K to $150K and working 40 hrs a week with no weekends or holidays. They also paid full tuition reimbursement.
Most people don’t really know what they want to do or how much work it takes to get there when they do.
Also just because I doubled my salary didn’t mean I doubled my spending. The Wife and I lived the same lifestyle and invested the extra money. With my construction skills we started buying fixer uppers and turning them into rentals. I was able to retire at 56 and enjoy life while I was still physically able. My coworkers spent their money on big houses, designer shit and fancy cars. Most are still working 10 yrs after I retired making payments on stuff they really don’t need.
The American Dream is still possible. It still takes planning, commitment and hard work. Success doesn’t happen overnight.

 

[ColoJeep]

Most every new vehicle has a brake maintenance mode, you are supposed to have to have a computer to put it into the mode.

Some vehicles you can put into maintenance mode with a step by step process without a laptop.

Problem is getting them to come out of maintenance mode sometimes.

Gotta love OEM's and their $$ grabbing.

Stealerships will shift from making money on oil changes and engine work to EV brakes and tires . These things are pig heavy and eat tires . My neighbor who has a Rivian pickup has had 3 sets of tires , he got the pickup in November of 23 . One set of the weird 21" wheel size and new wheels and 2 sets of 20" tires .

 

[John Cooper]

Stealerships will shift from making money on oil changes and engine work to EV brakes and tires . These things are pig heavy and eat tires . My neighbor who has a Rivian pickup has had 3 sets of tires , he got the pickup in November of 23 . One set of the weird 21" wheel size and new wheels and 2 sets of 20" tires .

Yes they will. And not think twice about doing it either.

 

[TJMexico]

A College degree is not a waste of time or money. Getting the wrong degree such as Sociology, Phycology or Mid Evil Studies is a waste of time and money. I worked construction trade jobs up until I was 32. With 2 young kids at home I went to school and got a degree in Radiologic Imaging. I worked full time and went to school full time paying in full as I progressed. I took my State and National boards and had a job that gave me tuition reimbursement as soon as my licenses came through. I made good money and had 2 side gigs at other hospitals.
10 yrs latter I went back to school for 18 months and took my boards to become a Radiation Therapist. Again working and paying my tuition as I went. Before I graduated I had a job that payed me double what I was making. $75K to $150K and working 40 hrs a week with no weekends or holidays. They also paid full tuition reimbursement.
Most people don’t really know what they want to do or how much work it takes to get there when they do.
Also just because I doubled my salary didn’t mean I doubled my spending. The Wife and I lived the same lifestyle and invested the extra money. With my construction skills we started buying fixer uppers and turning them into rentals. I was able to retire at 56 and enjoy life while I was still physically able. My coworkers spent their money on big houses, designer shit and fancy cars. Most are still working 10 yrs after I retired making payments on stuff they really don’t need.
The American Dream is still possible. It still takes planning, commitment and hard work. Success doesn’t happen overnight.

Liberal arts ain´t bad. Teaches you to write and talk more gooder.

Seriously, expanding the mind is not a bad thing, but one can do that on one's own as well, if one is so inclined. If one can afford it and has the time and inclination, I won't say that it's bad, but the question is how often is it needful?