OEC Releases U.S. General Auto Repair Shop Survey Report

OEC has released its U.S. General Auto Repair Shop Survey Report, as recently announced by the company.

Based on a survey of nearly 700 auto repair professionals, as well as insights from industry experts, the report captures a current snapshot of the mechanical auto repair industry, including shop operation trends, technician staffing, and vehicle and customer information. 

The report shows that the technician shortage continues to impact shops, with more than half of shop owners and managers surveyed (59%) saying the shortage has highly or moderately impacted their business. 

The top five reasons cited as reasons for the shortage were low compensation (24%), a negative perception of the profession (23%), limited access to training (14%), lack of awareness about the profession (13%), and competition from other industries (12%).

Additionally, when looking at customer behavior, 50% of shops surveyed said their customers are either delaying or declining work. Compared to last year, 49% of shops say customers are more cautious about approving non-required work. This comes alongside 54% of respondents reporting fewer customers coming in consistently for proactive maintenance.

The full report and all of its findings and insights can be downloaded online here.