Mechanics

I have been employed at my current company for 6 years as of tomorrow (woo-hoo, another year, another cent per mile) and several of the mechanics have been here almost as long (some even longer than that) and you would think that after this amount of time they would realize that I actually know what I'm talking about when I write something up on my tractor or trailer. But, nooooooooo. For some reason a few of them think that what I say needs to be fixed doesn't really need to be repaired unless my husband says it does. Never mind that we drive separate trucks and I don't just come in there with stupid stuff that I can fix myself (headlights, fuses, etc...). Where in the world does this come from? For example, my old Volvo was losing water that wasn't going on the ground or into the oil but nobody in the shop could figure out where it was going. At the same time my fuel water separator was having to be drained weekly by the shop--I was writing it up every time I came in along with the cold water leak. Now fast forward 2 months later, I'm in the trailer shop having a tire replaced and go ask a tractor guy to drain the filter again. While he's doing that I'm standing there watching and guess what? The fluid in the fuel water separator is PINK!!! Which happens to be the same color of the coolant that is having to be topped off every two days. I have to tell the mechanic (who by the way is one that has been working on my truck all along) that there is where the water/coolant is going. Evidently they were not putting 2 and 2 together when it was coming to what I was writing up every fracking week. All this backstory brings me to last weekend, I drive back to the yard to pick up my trailer that has been moved and has a new inspection sticker on but the two items I wrote up were NOT repaired. The bungee cord that I'd put on was still holding the airlines up off the ground and the landing gear was still next to impossible to jack up. I don't think they even greased the thing. I told James I hoped he got this particular trailer next time, they might actually repair it if he goes in and writes it up (maybe).

Now, to be fair, there are a couple of the tractor guys that do listen to me and know their business but unfortunately it's not like I can go in there and tell them I only want so and so to work on my truck. I'm starting to agree with James that our employer needs to go to an incentive based pay-scale for the mechanics.