We have recently touched on various areas of the shop to attract and retain vehicle repair technicians, from the bay, where climate control is key to staying comfortable during long, arduous shifts, to the break room, where a shop’s culture can really blossom with a few extra amenities. But we can’t leave out the drivers. They are typically the least enthusiastic about being in the shop and want to get out as soon as possible—but if you run a dealership or third-party repair shop, you want them to come back as often as they need.

That is only assured with accurate and prompt repairs at a fair price, but it starts when they enter the facility.

“The lobby is super important,” explained Chris Lawson, the founder of Technician Find, a consulting and marketing business for independent shops. “Aside from the fact that it’s usually the first thing that your customers see, I think it just projects a level of care and attention to detail.”

A standout he cites as the best is an indie shop called E.L.M. Repair and Refrigeration in Edgar, Wisconsin.

“When you walk in, it looks like a dealership,” Lawson said, noting the leather recliners and big-screen televisions. “That’s the layout, it’s huge.”

“We wanted to create a place where drivers feel valued and comfortable,” said co-owner Steve Williamson.

Word of mouth will help the business and ultimately provide the techs with more work.

“Drivers talk a lot, and reputations get built up quickly—and they get demolished pretty quickly,” he added.

So far, in addition to scheduled fleet work, the shop draws up to 10 walk-in customers a day. As that number grows, so will amenities.

“The ultimate goal for us is to get a hot dog machine going,” Williamson said. “We just haven’t had the volume quite yet, but it’s starting to develop.”

Signs point to the freight recession nearing an end, according to the brothers, who also own freight brokerage firm End 2 End Logistics, as well as an inland drayage fleet called Endpoint Truck Service.

“Freight rates today are actually where they were back in the COVID era,” noted the company’s other owner, Jay Williamson. “Our feeling is we’ve gone through the tough times, which have made us sharper and better.”

And that started with focusing on the techs.

“We made some decisions that probably cost us extra, but we did that in an attempt to attract and retain techs—and I think it’s actually worked out,” Jay concluded.

One final word. Any investment, whether in a break room, lobby, new shop equipment, or whatever, should not be viewed only as a quick fix to lure new talent, but also as a hedge against the next cyclical downturn, offered Adam Therrien, president of Transport Services.

“When you invest in your own culture, it obviously helps with the good times, but also really shows its value when the market is tighter,” he said. “Because the ones who value being an employee at the company want to go to battle with you… and help everybody get out of whatever downturn the market presents.”