Heavy vehicle service and maintenance technician

A Heavy Vehicle (HV) technician services, inspects and repairs HVs, categorised by the Department of Transport as category N2 or N3, and associated trailers, with the associated ancillaries. They work in either a dealership that focusses on a particular manufacturer, or for an independent garage, franchise or large fleet operator that deals with many different makes of vehicles. They work on all the systems found within the vehicle. The nature of the work ranges from replacing simple parts through to solving complex faults with the use of diagnostic methods and equipment. The day-to-day tasks faced by the technician are constantly changing, driven by the introduction of ever more complex technologies and diagnostic techniques. Today’s technician has to demonstrate expertise in the technical side of their role. They must have strong problem-solving skills and a good grasp of the theoretical and practical aspects of vehicles systems and associated ancillaries. They must be able to work independently but also operate as an effective team member, understanding how their workshop and the dealership/garage/branch functions from a commercial perspective, have good customer handling skills and identify ways in which they can work more efficiently. The growing complexity of today’s vehicles and the pressure to deliver a high-quality customer experience requires the retail automotive sector to attract and train high calibre individuals and this is reflected in the elements of the Standard described below.