Mack Trucks announced it is partnering with colleges in Florida, Ohio and Texas to offer the Diesel Advanced Technology Education program beginning in early 2019 to address a shortage of skilled vehicle service technicians.

When Jeff Harris, vice president of maintenance at USA Truck Inc., first started as an apprentice truck mechanic 29 years ago, he had a trade school diploma, a basic set of tools, a couple of crusty old mechanics who took him under their wing and showed him the ropes, and a desire to learn.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More technicians will be needed soon, nearly 77,000 more by 2026. However, plenty of students are in the pipeline. But questions remain about their ability to meet real-world needs in a shop, and about how to keep them once hired, experts said.

The work of servicing and maintaining a fleet of trucks presents a wide assortment of potential dangers to technicians, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s “lockout-tagout” regulations provide guidance to reduce the risk of injury or death.

The trucking industry needs to hire about 30,000 maintenance technicians to keep up with demand.

With the increasing complexity of modern trucks and an even higher premium placed on drivers’ time, Glen McDonald, maintenance director at Ozark Motor Lines, knew he needed to maximize shop labor and move trucks through his fleet’s maintenance shops more ­quickly, all of which required an updated approach.

The trucking industry’s need for diesel engine technicians spurred Kenworth Sales Co. to donate $400,000 to the Diesel Tech Pathways program at Salt Lake Community College’s Westpointe Center, according to the company.