Shop Floor Report: May 16, 2026

The Crisis Is Real. So Is the Opportunity.

Jim Farley doesn’t strike me as someone who uses the word “crisis” lightly. He’s the CEO of Ford Motor Company. This week he said the skilled trades shortage in this country is “full blown” — and that we’re only in the second or third inning of dealing with it seriously. Ford alone has 5,000 open technician positions paying around $120,000 a year. Not starting pay. That’s the ceiling. And he cannot fill them.

Think about that number. One company. Five thousand open seats. Six-figure pay. Nobody qualified to take them.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education projects 2.1 million skilled trades jobs could go unfilled by 2030 — with potential economic losses approaching $1 trillion annually. Not unfilled because the work dried up. Unfilled because there aren’t enough trained people to do it.

This isn’t a new problem. I’ve been watching it build for 20 years from inside the bay. The car got harder every single year — more systems, more sensors, more software, more calibration requirements. A 2026 vehicle has more computing power than a spacecraft had in 1990. The diagnostic process is genuinely complex. A good technician today is part electrician, part software engineer, part mechanical engineer, and still needs to know how to pull a transmission.

The pay didn’t keep up with that complexity. The tools didn’t get paid for. Training budgets got cut. The pipeline from high school shop class to working technician got thinner every decade as vocational programs were defunded in favor of college prep. And then people wonder why nobody’s coming up.

I built APEX because I got tired of watching good technicians leave the trade — and watching shops scramble to replace them with people who weren’t ready. The knowledge that makes a technician genuinely skilled — the diagnostic logic, the electrical fundamentals, the systems thinking — that knowledge existed. It was just locked inside the heads of senior techs who didn’t have time to teach it, or buried in manufacturer training programs that cost thousands of dollars to access.

APEX is the answer I wish I’d had coming up. Free technical training. Tools that actually help on the job. Built by working technicians, for working technicians.

Farley’s right that we’re in a crisis. But from where I sit, in the bay, I see something else: there has never been a better time to be a skilled automotive technician. The work isn’t going anywhere. The shortage means leverage — for pay, for conditions, for career choice. The technicians who are trained, certified, and current on modern systems are going to be the most valuable people in the building for the next decade.

You’re reading this. That already puts you ahead.

Tech Life: Your Boots Are Killing Your Knees

I work next to a tech who’s been turning wrenches for 43 years. The guy is a walking encyclopedia — there isn’t a system on a car he hasn’t fixed. His knee is bone-on-bone now. He has to get gel inserts injected between the bones in his knee because it hurts to walk. That’s what four decades on concrete will do to a body. Back when he started, the modern combo we have today — anti-fatigue midsoles, quality aftermarket insoles, EH-rated safety toes built into everyday work boots — wasn’t standard gear. We’ve got better options now. Take care of yourself early.

Three things actually matter for techs on concrete: a wedge sole that spreads your weight (not a heeled boot), an EH-rated safety toe (composite if you want lighter), and a replaceable footbed so you can swap in real insoles. The boots working techs swear by in 2026 are the Red Wing Traction Tred Lite (premium, $250–300, resoleable), the Thorogood American Heritage MAXWear wedge ($200–250, the classic shop pick), the Ariat Rebar Wedge ($150–200, mid-tier with strong tech reviews), and the Timberland PRO Boondock if you want anti-fatigue tech in a tougher build.

Here’s the part most techs skip — the insoles matter more than the boot. The factory insole in almost every work boot is thin garbage designed to be replaced. Pull it out day one and drop in something real. Superfeet Green is the gold standard for arch support if you have normal-to-high arches — they’re firm, structured, and hold their shape for a year or more. Superfeet Carbon if you want something lighter and slimmer. If you want straight-up cushion over arch support, gel insoles like Dr. Scholl’s Work or Spenco Polysorb absorb impact better but flatten faster (replace every 6 months). For techs already feeling knee or back pain, go with Superfeet for the structure and add an anti-fatigue mat at your bench — the kind with the beveled edges and 3/4-inch foam. The mat does more for your joints than any boot will.

The combo — right boot, real insole, mat at the bench — is what actually saves your knees. Boots alone won’t. You don’t think about this stuff until it’s too late and the damage is done. Run preventative maintenance on your body the same way you do on a customer’s car. The body is the one piece of equipment you can’t replace.

This is general gear info for techs working physical jobs. Verify the EH rating on the exact SKU you're buying — same boot model can come in EH and non-EH versions. Not medical advice.

Industry Watch

Ford’s 5,000 Open Seats

Ford CEO Jim Farley said it plainly: the skilled trades shortage is “full blown” and we’re only in the early innings. Ford has 5,000 technician jobs open right now paying around $120K a year that they cannot fill. His take: this isn’t just auto — electricians, plumbers, and linemen face the same gap. The pipeline from school to trade is broken across the board.

2.1 Million Jobs, $1 Trillion Problem

The U.S. Department of Education projects 2.1 million skilled trades jobs could go unfilled by 2030, with potential economic losses approaching $1 trillion annually. A separate report from Bring Back the Trades puts the number at 1.4 million. The direction is the same either way: demand is accelerating, supply isn’t keeping pace.

Parts Prices Aren’t Coming Back Down

The 25% tariff on imported components is still working through the system. Shops are seeing it in customer approval rates — estimates that sailed through six months ago are getting declined now. Set the expectation with your service advisor before the customer hits sticker shock at checkout.