Author: steertrak@web

Willie Stevenson joined the company in 2006 having previously worked as an HGV driver and also as a coach assembly technician at Alexander Dennis. Joining Steertrak was quite a major career change for Willie, but Steertrak provided a lot of training and support to help with this transition. “It probably took me 18 months to fully get to grips with the technical side of the job, but there is a good support network at Steertrak an experienced engineer on the end of the phone to talk you through a job”.

“Now I am established the thing I like about the job the most is it is a bit like being your own boss but you still get a wage. You don’t have to clock in and clock out, but instead there is a good bonus scheme that gives you an incentive to go out and work.”

Martyn Mawer is the Company’s longest serving engineer and probably one of the most experienced wheel alignment engineer’s in the UK. He joined the company in 1992 having previously trained as an agricultural engineer.

Even after 23 years service Martyn says he still comes across new technical challenges everyday. “There are always new vehicles to work on, new types of suspension, electronic control systems and various vehicle types like trucks, coaches, cranes, military vehicles etc. There is always something different to work on to keep the job interesting.”

The job requires specialised knowledge and all new Steertrak recruits get extensive in house training before being put out on the road. “Even when I am dealing with fully qualified HGV technicians I find there is a lot about wheel alignment they don’t know. That’s why when they come to work at Steertrak we assume they no nothing and all recruits are given extensive in house training.

After working for a few years Steertrak Engineers become recognised as specialists in the field.

Charlie Hamilton joined Steertrak in 2006, after having recently left the the Army (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers). He is one of four ex forces personnel who currently work for Steertrak.

Charlie’s skills were well suited to Steertrak, not just because of his good all round mechanical training, but also because the Army taught him to how to think on his feet and work around problems. As a mobile engineer you are in effect a “workshop on wheels” and there is no one looking over your shoulder when things get tough. “You have to keep a cool head and see the job through, no matter how long it takes”.

Although the Steertrak hours can be long and varied, Charlie likes the flexibility that the job provides. In particular because he manages his own diary, he might choose to work the odd weekend or evening so he can fit in a game of golf weekdays. “As long as I am getting the work done and looking after my customers, the company is quite flexible on what hours I work”.

Luke joined Steertrak in 2013 as an Apprentice wheel alignment technician. During this time he attended college one day a week to gain an NVQ in automotive engineering and he was also released one day a week to a Steertrak customer’s to learn more general vehicle maintenance. For the remaining three days a week he worked along-side one Steertrak’s most experienced engineers where he learnt all aspects of commercial vehicle wheel alignment.

After 18 months of training Luke finished his apprenticeship with Steertrak and also graduated from college with a distinction.

“I finally completed all my training in September 2014 and it’s really cool that I have my own Steertrak van, wheel alignment equipment and tools. I am starting to build up my own customer base and I feel confident that I can walk into any customer site and competently work on a whole range of commercial vehicles”

“I have now got a real skill for life and I’d encourage any person of my age to consider a mechanical apprenticeship. The money pretty good and the work is interesting”