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ASE certifications

DPWman

Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2014
Messages
13
Location
USA Mass
How do you pay or get payed for technicians / mechanics for ASE certifications, is it broken down for each certification you get a percent or the need to get to the master level to get any sort of increase in pay.
 

funwithfuel

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2017
Messages
5,519
Location
Will county Illinois
Occupation
Mechanic
When I worked for a navistar dealer in Chicago, we got $1 for a single cert and 10 cents for each additional cert. IIRC . Master cert was just if you had 6 or more. Advanced cert like T2 counted for a couple nickles more. But it added up on your hourly.It was almost 20 years ago and money was good back then. A guy could easy bang out 12-1400 take home/week in 40 hours using flat rate.
 

DPWman

Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2014
Messages
13
Location
USA Mass
When I worked for a navistar dealer in Chicago, we got $1 for a single cert and 10 cents for each additional cert. IIRC . Master cert was just if you had 6 or more. Advanced cert like T2 counted for a couple nickles more. But it added up on your hourly.It was almost 20 years ago and money was good back then. A guy could easy bang out 12-1400 take home/week in 40 hours using flat rate.
did they add that into your base pay or was it a stipend.
 

funwithfuel

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2017
Messages
5,519
Location
Will county Illinois
Occupation
Mechanic
Per hour wage back then was like 23, maybe 25 per hour. Add to that your your 1.80 maybe 1.90 depending on level of certs. You were making almost $2 over scale. Plus every hour booked over 40 had a nickle bonus up to 10 then it was a dime. There was mad incentive to kill yourself. Back then , pre EGR and emissions you could bang out a "works" overhaul in DT in 16-20 hrs without killing yerself but get played 24
 

thepumpguysc

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2010
Messages
7,445
Location
Sunny South Carolina
Occupation
Master Inj.Pump rebuilder
I didn't know there was supposed to be an increase in pay..!!!
We were required to take them.. company paid for the 1st set of tests but if you failed, the cost of taking them again was on you.. 25.-50.00 a test..
 

Tenwheeler

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
Messages
870
Location
Georgia
At an independent shop we pay new guys 50% of the going local company shop rate plus 25% of the billable labor. They have to repair their own come backs. They can give their self raises. That is 50 cents per hour for each certification required on a master certificate.
I look at it like this: They should want to do that to improve themselves. With more knowledge their billable hours should go up also increasing their pay. The company should want to do that in order to have better techs, reputation, and also improves the the bottom line.
 

crewchief888

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2012
Messages
1,781
Location
NWI
i'm was required to have 1 ASE cert. refrigerant recovery/recycling.
company paid for the class and test.

over the past 30+ plus years, all my formal training has been paid for by my employer.
meals, mileage, tolls, plane tickets, and hotels


:eek:
 

Muffler Bearing

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2009
Messages
512
Location
Colorful Colorado
Occupation
Truck Mechanic
When I was at Transwest Freightliner, every class we went to came with a 2 year commitment debt. If you left within two years you owed them the cost of the classes. I was fully trained on Cummins, Detroit and Allison Unfortunately, Cummins always comes out with something new every few years. So in order to keep top pay you have to keep going back, just as your debt runs out. When I left they took my two weeks of vacation to cover my debt.
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
So they make you pay to be able to fix theirs or others equipment in order for them to make money? I think in this state if the employer requires you to supply something, like special equipment, uniforms and such, the employer has to pay for it. Might be worth looking into the legality of such a practice.

I'm not a fan of ASE anyway.
 

JD955SC

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Messages
1,349
Location
The South
When I was at Transwest Freightliner, every class we went to came with a 2 year commitment debt. If you left within two years you owed them the cost of the classes. I was fully trained on Cummins, Detroit and Allison Unfortunately, Cummins always comes out with something new every few years. So in order to keep top pay you have to keep going back, just as your debt runs out. When I left they took my two weeks of vacation to cover my debt.

Something about that sounds illegal as all get out to me...
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
The ASE is a private company that writes and administers tests concerning mechanical systems and procedures initially having to do with the automobile industry and then working out into trucking. I haven't looked into them in years but I hear they are into correspondence courses now teaching how to pass their tests. There is some good to the programs but they make a lot of noise to the dealers who try to use the number of people who have passed their tests and gotten a sleeve patch as a marketing pitch to customers. I see a lot of community college teachers buying into the system big time and most I wouldn't trust with a screw driver and 9/16" wrench. I wouldn't care much about it except that they tried to use the program against those who were capable but didn't choose to spend their money on taking somewhat dubious testing.
 

92U 3406

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2017
Messages
3,099
Location
Western Canuckistan
Occupation
Wrench Bender
We have our own system for trades up here. Guess that's why I've never really heard much about ASE before.
 

Tenwheeler

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
Messages
870
Location
Georgia
The ASE is a private company that writes and administers tests concerning mechanical systems and procedures initially having to do with the automobile industry and then working out into trucking. I haven't looked into them in years but I hear they are into correspondence courses now teaching how to pass their tests. There is some good to the programs but they make a lot of noise to the dealers who try to use the number of people who have passed their tests and gotten a sleeve patch as a marketing pitch to customers. I see a lot of community college teachers buying into the system big time and most I wouldn't trust with a screw driver and 9/16" wrench. I wouldn't care much about it except that they tried to use the program against those who were capable but didn't choose to spend their money on taking somewhat dubious testing.
It does at least require basic knowledge in order to pass. Some are very challenging. States two years verifiable experience is required. I do not understand how high school and trade school kids can say they are getting the same certifications? They may study and pass the test but have no experience and likely can not fix a spoon. If they are selling training does that not discredit being an independent testing organization? Maybe an ASE spokesman will fill us in?
 

crewchief888

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2012
Messages
1,781
Location
NWI
The ASE is a private company that writes and administers tests concerning mechanical systems and procedures initially having to do with the automobile industry and then working out into trucking. I haven't looked into them in years but I hear they are into correspondence courses now teaching how to pass their tests. There is some good to the programs but they make a lot of noise to the dealers who try to use the number of people who have passed their tests and gotten a sleeve patch as a marketing pitch to customers. I see a lot of community college teachers buying into the system big time and most I wouldn't trust with a screw driver and 9/16" wrench. I wouldn't care much about it except that they tried to use the program against those who were capable but didn't choose to spend their money on taking somewhat dubious testing.

yea ive seen more than a few tech skool graduates with a few ASE's that didnt understand the concept or "righty tighty, lefty loosy" or that a real hammer weighs 4 -6 lbs


:eek:
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,432
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
The Indy shop I worked in over twenty five years ago would give you time off to take the tests, paid ZILCH as to income but would as noted pay for the tests if passed. But that was 25+ years ago. Nowadays they had to add incentives to keep the mechanics taking the programs or lose warranty status with distributors and had to have ASE quals to administer certain repairs for auto/truck manufacturers where the owners could be reimbursed for on the road emergency and potentially warranty repairs.
Guys I used to work with had moved up some in scale but nowhere near to what dealership boys and girls were. Not a lot of draw in the indy shops for young people to get started in.
 
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