RV Tech Talk

Bryan encourages everyone from high school students contemplating a good-paying career to retirees looking for a part-time income to consider becoming mobile RV technicians.

Because he recently retired from a career in the telecom industry, Tim devised a plan to attend the school to learn how to maintain his own RV, then return to California and start a business to address the critical shortage of trained technicians.

For Scott, turning on his locator pins on the association websites and passing out business cards, then serving his customers so efficiently that they refer others to his company, has brought in 100% of his business.

The benefit of attending virtual sessions, as they are recorded between October 3rd and 6,th is that participants can ask questions of presenters as sessions unfold. The NRVTA Expo is an excellent way for inspectors and technicians to keep abreast of changes in the RV industry, or with products and components.

Allen is motivated to expand RV Handyman to other regions of the country just to give mobile service technicians an opportunity to connect with clients wherever they may be.

If he had to start over again, Chad says he would have jumped into fixing RVs earlier. He also encourages technicians and inspectors to attend every type of training they can. It helps improve their skills, and with more skills, their confidence improves.

If Chris had to start over, he said he would have sought technician training even earlier than he did. He found there was much more work available for people skilled in fixing RVs rather than in inspecting them, especially when Chris was traveling from place to place.

As master certified RV inspectors, Jason and Lisa Carletti have completed more than 930 inspections by serving clients throughout central Florida. They also help promote other RV-related businesses.

Today I will be speaking with a full-time RVer who not only inspects recreation vehicles, but he has developed a side business to help market other companies. He learned about the business opportunity from another RV inspector.

Jarrod admits that people who want to devote more time to their inspection or mobile repair businesses could certainly develop a profitable business with the flexibility to enjoy life, too.

RV inspectors must truly enjoy helping people first and foremost, Brad explained. They must take their jobs seriously because people are relying on inspectors to identify issues upfront to ensure safe travel and memorable experiences.

Today I will be speaking with an RV inspector from Illinois who got into the career after buying an RV and seeking training on how to maintain it. Henri Boodee was employed in the pharmaceutical industry for many years. When he retired, Henri and his wife had a dream to travel across the United States and Canada. Yet, when they ... Read More

As we relaunch the podcast, I asked Renee Wynsma and Gilda Mitchell to come on the show to explain what has changed since 2020 and how their associations are working to help RV consumers as well as their member inspectors and technicians.

Scott Young started training in the middle of February to become an RV inspector and RV technician. He had a background in industrial arts and saw a need for more mobile RV technicians. Scott describes his impression of the instructors he has had and the types of things he has learned. He also explains how the hands-on lab expose him to six to eight different types of brands of equipment typically found on RVs.

Chad Seeman lives just outside of San Diego, Calif. He was looking for a used RV when he stumbled on a 33-foot Thor Chateau Super C diesel motorhome for sale by a private seller. Because he had owned a boat in the past, and the inspection he had done on that unit was immensely helpful, he wanted to see if he could get an RV inspected, too.

Elisa Norman is an RV inspector from Texas. In fact, she was one of the first people to complete training to get her certification, and she was one of the first women to become certified. Elisa was so good as an inspector that it caught the attention of a rather large dealership in Dallas that enticed her to accept a full-time job. She’ll explain what she does for the dealership and how the training prepared her for that.

Geoff Baker was an engineer for the Royal Navy who really understands how engines and mechanical systems work. After moving to Florida several years ago, he stumbled across an opportunity to put his skills to work helping RV owners. While attending the Tampa RV Supershow in 2014, he learned about the new National RV Inspectors Association, which as just getting started. He was one of the first people to go through training to become a certified RV inspector.

AJ Fields is a mobile RV repair technician based out of Oklahoma. He wasn’t always working as an RV technician. In fact, he was a former air traffic controller who took training just to learn how to fix his own RV. During that class, he decided to become an RV inspector. While he was taking that course, he saw the opportunity to make a good living as an RV technician. After he found a way to help finance that training, he attended all of the advance classes as well.

Many people are not aware of a program offered by the National RV Training Academy that allows people to earn credit to pay for instruction by working various jobs at the academy or at the adjacent Texan RV Park. Bobby and Robin Parish spent several months living at the park and workamping as well. They received an RV site in exchange for doing routine tasks around the park, but they also worked extra hours and applied the credit to pay for additional training.

Alan O’Neill is a native of Australia. He met his American wife there more than 20 years ago, but in 2016, they opted to move to America. Last year, Alan started looking for income opportunities himself. Being familiar with RVing, he took the home-study course offered by the National RV Training Academy to become a Level 1 inspector, and later jumped into the four-week advanced training course that led to him becoming a certified RV technician.