Running Smooth: The Importance of Regular Checkups

Everyone who drives is familiar with this situation: you're cruising along and all of a sudden, there's a noise coming from the engine that you haven't heard before, or maybe the feeling in the gas or brake pedal seems a bit off, or there's smoke, or a funny smell. There are many tell-tale signs that your car needs servicing and the best thing to do is to bring it in before the problem escalates. But what is equally important, is to bring your vehicle in for regular checkups and tune-ups even if everything seems to running smoothly. Similar to our own health, we don't always visit doctors when we feel ill, but have regular checkups to mark our physical development and watch for problems. Regularly-scheduled visits to the auto mechanic are just as important for maintaining a healthy engine and a safe ride.

How often you should bring your car in to the garage is based either on elapsed time, or the amount of kilometers driven since your last checkup. Not every aspect of the vehicle will be inspected on every checkup; but there are different recommended tune-up periods for different parts of the car. Knowing which order of priority to give to each part is an essential module in mechanic colleges.

Every Three Months or 8,000KM.

This is the basic checkup. The most important thing here is the engine oil. While one could read engine oil levels themselves and add more oil if needed, with this checkup it is recommended to change the oil and clean the oil filter. It used to be believed that the oil should be replaced twice as much, but today this is seen as unnecessary and wasteful.

Other parts of this checkup will include checking other fluid levels, like brake fluid, washer fluid, and coolant fluid.

Every Six Months or 16,000KM.

All of the previously mentioned checkup points are included here as well. One new aspect is the wheels and the tires. Fist, the alignment is checked and reset. Then, the tire pressure and the depth are checked. Related closely to the wheels is the braking system, which should be thoroughly inspected.

A basic cleaning of some of the engine's components is also done, like the battery and the spark plug wires.

Every Year or 25,000 KM.

This is considered the most important checkup, and it is recommended with new cars to bring the vehicle in to a licensed dealer service shop rather than any garage. The above aspects are checked again. Most parts that are often simply cleaned should be replaced at this point, like the spark plugs and the windshield wipers.

Further cleaning of the engine takes place, like the fuel filtration system, the brake pads, and the radiator. Basic nuts and bolts are checked and tightened as well.

Every car is different and every service shop or garage has varying methods for checking and maintaining a vehicle. Skilled auto technicians are graduating from mechanic programs all the time to work in a variety of shops to guarantee each car is given the service and attention it needs for a long life on the road.

Get Certified: Entry-Level Mechanic Positions

Cars are complicated machines, and we rarely think of all the smooth-running technology required to drive our cars safely and comfortably. They are powerful machines synthesizing mechanics, electronics, combustion systems, and more.

The reason we feel secure in our cars is because we know that the people who work on servicing and repairing our cars are all highly-trained and certified to do the best job possible.

In Canada, many provinces have required certification programs for auto mechanics that ensure these specialists are held to the highest standard.

In Ontario and Quebec, for example, the certification programs are based on a three-level system. These systems total 6000 hours of training, with 2000 of these hours dedicated to actual work experience. Alongside the theoretical and practical training, one must also pass a written exam.

After successful completion of such a program, one is certified in that province.

To gain a Red Seal Certification, which certifies one to work as a mechanic anywhere in the country, one needs to show proof of having accumulated 9,720 documented hours of work experience.

This process of getting certified first at the provincial, then at the federal level, guarantees that our nation's mechanics have the dedication towards their profession and have the experience to work anywhere and in any specialized task. Auto certification therefore benefits not only mechanics, but everyone who shares our roads.

Training in such a field is never one hundred per cent complete, because one can always learn to specialize in new areas. There are some positions that a newly-certified mechanic can begin immediately. Here are a few examples:

Maintenance Technician

In automotive careers, this is the basic mechanic who performs regular checkups and repairs of everyday car problems. They can work in gas stations, garages, or dealerships. The following positions are technicians with more specialized roles.

Lube Specialist

This position checks and evaluates the various lubricants in an engine, determines what needs to be changed, and performs the lubrication. They check the oil waste collection systems. They also must be aware of lubricant products and handle purchasing and inventory.

Brake and Alignment Specialist

This person checks and repairs the braking systems for proper functioning of the hydraulics, the leverage, and the use of friction. It checks the braking fluid and the wear-and-tear of the brake pads. The alignment relates to the orientation of the wheels. Over time the direction of the wheels can be set at an angle, and thus needs re-aligning.

Mobile Electronics and Audio/Video Installation Specialist

This specialist focuses on the sales, installation and repairs of electronic devices such as GPS systems, radar detectors, rear-car video cameras, wireless mobile phone adapters, and event data recorders (black box). They also handle the car's sound system.

There are plenty of other positions that you can attain with further training. Once you get your initial certification, then you can count on a career, and we can count on you to feel secure on the road.

A Growing List of Auto Dispatcher Responsibilities

Once upon a time, in an age before advanced telecommunications, the transportation industry had to rely solely on the transporter's knowledge of their geography, and records were made manually only after deliveries had been made and the transporter returned to their point of origin.

This was mostly the case before cars and trucks became the primary mode of transportation (across land), but nonetheless, the need for more advanced systems of organization became an obvious factor in improving the efficiency of transportation and delivery.

Today, the dispatcher has become an essential part of the transportation team. They not only give directions before the transporter sets out, and take records upon the transporter's return, but they continue to work with the transporter during the entire length of their journeys.

Because of the many responsibilities undertaken by the dispatcher, there are many schools and programs across the country that offer very specialized and competitive courses to train dispatchers. And with increasingly-sophisticated technologies, the number of responsibilities, and the training required, is constantly increasing.

The dispatcher is the trucker's constant and direct line of communication with the transport company. The trucker depends on the dispatcher as a sort of steady lifeline, and this trust forms the backbone of the transportation industry.

Aside from this relationship of communication, a dispatcher course covers more tasks and responsibilities of the auto dispatcher, such as:

Freight Matching is the task of matching specific loads or freights with the right number of vehicles and the sizes of the cargo containers to optimize the transport with the least amount of vehicles needed.

Route Management requires skills to determine the fastest or best routes for the truckers, considering road allowances, underpass heights, highway tariffs, construction and traffic.

GPS Tracking involves managing the global positioning satellite of the tucks to keep track of their location at any given time and to assist the trucker in case of detours or mis-directions.

Border Crossing provides all the necessary documents for crossing borders depending on local customs and rules.

Specialized Freight handles any specific procedures regarding specialized freight and transportation services, including refrigerated freight, hazardous materials, and heavy-load freight.

Order management uses modern software programs to track and keep records of orders for archives as well as for estimation of similar orders.

Freight pricing handles the estimations of the cost of a transportation account and taking into account labor hours of the truckers, fuel, tariffs and fees. Also keeping track of repairs and servicing as it is required on the job.

Fuel optimization determines the total amounts of fuel required, optimal filling up locations at specific destinations of the itinerary.

Dispatcher training covers all of these tasks and more. But aside from all of these tasks, the dispatcher's main role is staying connected with the trucker during the long hours of the journey. While the basics of this communication are taught in schools, it is only with experience that the dispatcher comes to appreciate the important role of their relationship with the trucker, and vice versa.