Heavy Vehicle Technology

A Heavy Vehicle Technician repairs, services and maintains Heavy Vehicles. The machinery may be large or small, basic or advanced.

According to type and purpose, the machinery may be used primarily or entirely off the road. For servicing and repair the Heavy Vehicle Technician may normally work on the owner’s premises and land. Some Technicians will be based in a workshop that serves a particular area or type of machine.

The Technician will be required to provide both routine and exceptional support to those owning or leasing the machinery. Some machines and units have a largely seasonal use, while others are required for many purposes year-round. Whatever the requirement, for this time-sensitive sector reliability, efficiency and effectiveness are essential.

The Heavy Vehicle Technician must be a good problem solver with strong diagnostic and analytical skills. He or she must be able to work on both simple and complex machines of a traditional or very modern kind. While some physical strength is required, there is a growing need for electronic skills as new technologies impact upon the sector.

Heavy Vehicles are associated with multiple, serious hazards. The Heavy Vehicle Technician has an important role to play in keeping him- or herself safe, and in actively supporting the health and safety of others. This is a key requirement in all the environments and conditions that he or she is called to work in and with.

The Heavy Vehicle Technician generally works in close association with machine users for whom delays are a major problem. Speed and efficiency are therefore looked for, together with understanding and empathy.

With the dual pressures of the need to produce more food while sustaining the environment, the Heavy Vehicle Technician will need to keep abreast with rapid modern developments in methods, equipment and machinery. These will impact dramatically on his or her role and skills requirements.