RV Tech Talk

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.

Chris Travaglino was one of the first people to complete all five weeks of technician training at the National RV Training Academy’s new Big Red Schoolhouse in 2018. He saw an opportunity to become a mobile service technician when he researched the market in south Florida and realized how few options were available to RV owners to get their rigs fixed without having to pack everything up, drive it to a dealership and wait weeks just to get an appointment.

Most of Paul Witherspoon's training was self-taught as he took apart components to see what was wrong with them, and then reassembled the units after making a repair. When his son wanted to become an RV technician as well, they both attended the National RV Training Academy. In the process, both Paul and his son became certified RV technicians.

Logan Beavers became an RV technician earlier this year after deciding that fixing RVs would help fund his ministry. A father of two daughters, he considered fixing RVs as a way to support his family while he seeks work at a smaller church that can’t afford to hire a full-time pastor.

Today’s podcast features interviews with some pretty incredible youngsters who are growing up RVing with their families. One of them now lives in an RV park managed by her parents. Fifteen-year-old Raylea Willey has been homeschooled for several years, and 10-year-old Maddie Karnes is in her first year of being roadschooled. They talk about their experiences and adjustment to the RVing lifestyle.

Ron Denny is a mobile RV service technician who runs a business near Sacramento, Calif. What makes his business unique is that he has opted to specialize and focus exclusively on repairing RV appliances. He proves that RV repair is a lucrative business for people who really know how to diagnose and repair things, but also understand how to provide quality customer service.

Karen and Keith Cupp, are a couple from Altoona, Iowa, who completed training to become certified RV inspectors with the National RV Inspectors Association. They started their own business and performed more than 450 inspections. Then, they both decided to expand their opportunities and returned to the classroom to complete advanced training. Today Karen and Keith are both registered RV technicians, too.

Dick and Melissa Karnes became the first husband and wife couple to complete courses together at the National RV Training Academy, and Melissa became the first woman to pass the certification test at the academy. They are strong advocates for not only taking RV tech training, but in continuing their education.

Todd & Stephanie Henson describe videos they produce for their YouTube channel, Two Beards and a Babe, that also offer insight to an Airstream renovation project. Their review videos explain why RVers need the equipment, not just what's good and bad about the products. They also discuss the new Road Life Project to create an online RV community for adults and children. A key benefit of that initiative is the new affordable group healthcare plan.

Anthony Link operates his RV inspection business out of South Carolina. It took two weeks of intense training to learn the ins and outs of the inspection business, and how to use the software to ensure that every aspect of the RV is reviewed. Anthony describes some of the things he learned in class, how it opened his eyes to the types of things that can go wrong and why having an RV inspected makes good financial sense. He also describes some of the surprises he’s uncovered in his...

Today’s show features an interview with Todd Henson, someone who has gone through training at the National RV Training Academy, became a certified technician and now serves as an instructor there. Not only does Todd touch on the type of technical training that is offered at the academy, but he also touches on some of the business training that is offered to help mobile technicians start and maintain a profitable company.

Darren Koepp describes himself as a recovering engineer. He loved his job and the work it entailed. But, it often required him to be away from home for extended periods of time. As a father of two children, he realized he was missing out on a significant portion of their lives. He wanted to be a “daddy on demand.” So, shortly after his son was born, he quit his engineering job on nothing but faith that something would show up to replace the income. The family was living in an RV, so he took...

Stephanie Henson is the administrator at The Big Red Schoolhouse. She provides more details about the training taking place at Big Red, and describes the various educational tracks the students can follow. She explains what type of training is available specifically for professional RV technicians, RV inspectors and even consumers who just want to learn how to fix a majority of problems they’ll encounter with their RVs. Stephanie covers the costs for attending classes and the application...

Our first guest is Terry Cooper, the owner of the National RV Training Academy. He’s going to explain why this podcast will be an important tool to recruit, train and retain RV technicians. He outlines some of the opportunities that are available and what you can do to capitalize on those opportunities.