Interview with Werner Technician Matthew West

Matthew West, a technician for Werner Enterprises, grew up around industrial equipment and always loved to learn new skills. He began his professional mechanical work 14 years ago at Werner Enterprises. He’s risen through the ranks over the years at Werner after starting as a third-shift truck mechanic and now serving as fleet maintenance mechanic. Though modest about his career rise, he explains his approach to working and also praises his support system at Werner, sharing that everyone does whatever it takes to get the job done.

“I always try to give 100% to everything I do. When I work with other mechanics, I go the extra mile and take initiative to be more thorough — more than the average guy. We take extra steps, more inspections, a lot more paperwork, showing we used a check list to do further in-depth inspections.

When asked about any particularly special day in his career, Matthew notes that coming in to work daily is special. “Every day is pretty amazing around here, you hear some good stories, some pretty great people. Sometimes we listen to their traffic troubles too. It’s what we are here for. Customer service goes a long way.”

Matthew says the skills you learn as a truck mechanic, especially the customer service skills, go a long way. “Taking on this task of my job has been a blessing and has helped me over the years, and I believe it could do the same for others. I encourage anyone who wants to make a job swap to trucking, jump on board and make the swap! The trucking industry is not going anywhere. Every aspect of the economy relies on trucking, and I believe it will be here for a long while.”

When asked about the next generation seeking a job in the industry, Matthew smiles and says, “I have a four-year-old son who follows me around and does everything I do. He just may follow in my footsteps one day in trucking!”