Heard a new guy at the shop in Billings say 'it's just a fuel line' and the lead tech shut him down hard. Made me think about how we talk to apprentices.

3 comments

3 Comments

Oh man, "it's just a fuel line" is the kind of thing that gets your ears boxed. I saw an apprentice call a brake line "just a tube" once and the foreman made him hand-flare like twenty practice lines. It's all about respect for the craft, you know? Gotta learn that every single part on the vehicle is there for a reason. That lead tech was right to shut it down.

caseythompson2d ago

Totally! I learned that lesson the hard way on an old truck's cooling system. Called a heater hose "just a rubber pipe" and my boss had me replace a cracked one, by feel, in the dark with a flashlight in my mouth. Took forever. Now I know, that "pipe" keeps the engine from melting. Never said "just" about a part again.

jamief672d ago

Read a good article once about how words like "just" can make a whole trade seem simple. It really downplays the skill and safety knowledge needed. That lead tech was teaching a bigger lesson about respect.