For Adam Snook, working with his hands and fixing equipment is a skill he’s had since early childhood. Growing up in Carlisle, Iowa, Snook liked being a handyman and learning techniques to repair his family’s own automotive and farm equipment.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed working on vehicles and being able to identify issues and resolve them myself,” said Snook. “That type of work is rewarding.”
According to Snook, when he was a kid, his babysitter’s husband drove a Kenworth W900, and the early introduction to big rigs set up a lifelong fascination with heavy trucks.
“I remember thinking the Kenworth my babysitter’s husband drove was so cool, and I started to pay more attention to commercial trucks when I’d see them on the road,” Snook recalled. “It was then that I thought that working on these types of trucks one day would be something I’d enjoy, and I ultimately followed that interest and became a diesel mechanic.”
Today, Snook is a Kenworth Master Technician – Kenworth’s highest service certification – for MHC Kenworth – Des Moines in Iowa. It’s a position he’s held for three years, and he is going on 12 years altogether as a diesel technician. Before joining MHC, Snook served in the Army National Guard as a helicopter powerplant mechanic, servicing Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters. But, for Snook, the draw to follow up on his early interest in heavy duty trucks led him to become a diesel technician following his transition out of the military.
As a Kenworth Master Technician, Snook is responsible for knowing how to diagnose and resolve any issue with any powertrain component specified in a Kenworth truck and how to fix electrical system problems. Snook said on a typical day, he’s tasked with identifying issues with trucks that come into a shop. If it’s a quick fix, he’ll resolve the problem himself and will assign the service to other available technicians if not.
“Every day is different with new customers and the type of maintenance we need to perform,” said Snook. “That’s what I love about this job. Work never feels repetitive because you never know what your day will be like and what issues a customer has that you will need to tackle.”
Becoming a Kenworth Master Technician requires completing a comprehensive training system that includes classroom, online and self-study components. Technicians that go through the certification program must show they have mastered the skills needed to successfully perform all diagnostics, repair, and maintenance procedures to keep customers’ vehicles running their best.
According to Snook, it took him roughly three years to complete the training required to become a master technician on top of hundreds of hours of training previously spent to become a service technician.
“It’s a lot of work to become certified as a master technician and to learn everything there is to know about all the current powertrain components and electronics in today’s Kenworths,” said Snook. “MHC and PACCAR helped tremendously throughout my training to provide me with the knowledge and skills I need to work on our customer’s trucks efficiently. There’s nothing more rewarding than helping our customers get their trucks back on the road.”
To succeed as a service technician, Snook claims you must be willing to continue to learn and ask the right questions.
“I’d recommend this line of work to anyone that enjoys solving problems and working with their hands,” said Snook. “What makes a good technician is having the patience and drive to continuously learn about new products and methods to service them. With the trucking industry rapidly evolving and new alternative-fueled and battery-electric trucks entering the market, ongoing education is a crucial part of the job.”
As someone who’s an expert at working on trucks, Snook knows what a quality-built truck looks like and claims that trucks built by Kenworth are among the best.
“I’ve always thought that the trucks under the PACCAR brand are the industry’s best,” said Snook. “The Kenworth long hoods, in particular, are my favorite; they’re the sharpest-looking trucks out there. I take a lot of pride in servicing The World’s Best™ trucks.”
