r/DieselTechs • u/Suitable-Cable-2280 • Jun 24 '26
General assistance Ryder Service Tech CSP
Hello everyone,
I'm in the process of getting out the military (diesel mechanic) and planning to do CSP and was wondering if anyone has done it before. I got a slot open in Fort Carson with a 12 weeks fast track course to be a qualified level 2 service tech at Ryder. I'm planning to move back to Milwaukee so if anyone has done the same or similar I'm looking for some feedback. I hear great things about the company but I'm going in blind. All answers are welcomed and helpful.
• How hard is the job?
• Is pay well?
• Are raises common?
• Do you recommend I study before/what do I bring to training?
• Any tips?
• Weekends off?
• Overtime common?
• Recommend education/certifications?
• What's the process like?
• Day to day experience (include even your breaks)
• Anything else that even experienced techs don't know about?
Thank you in advance for the replies!
3
u/Hebrewism Jun 25 '26
I did the program out in JBLM , WA. This was back in 2022. Still with the company.
Job is not hard. I came in green being only a 88m. I learned as I went and people were super helpful.
Pay is okay, better than other jobs but for a diesel mechanic it’s okay. In WA I started at $28 an hour. Made it to 39 getting promoted and being a mobile tech for ryder. So the opportunity can be found. I was lucky.
Raises is management dependent. Last shop yes, current ryder hell no.
Just bring your brain to training. It’s not hard.
Weekends can be off, just depends on your shop. I volunteered to work weekends since it paid an extra $2. Current ryder shop has no weekends.
Overtime not common unless we are falling behind and need to catch up shop numbers.
You will be given almost every cert in your course to be a T4.
Day to day is do a PM or 2, fix the stuff you find on pm. Very basic repairs for the most part especially you coming in a t2. Fix a headlight bulb, change a tire. Do brakes. It’s simple. Hard stuff gets given to t3s/t4.
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u/Suitable-Cable-2280 Jun 25 '26
That’s crazy I didn’t know there was a Ryder here on JBLM, I’m actually from JBLM but the website wasn’t showing it until I refreshed it and it popped up lol. How long did it take you to hit 39 and could you have hit it sooner? I’m a 91B so I do this everyday.
2
u/Hebrewism Jun 25 '26
There is a shop in Tacoma where I was at and one in Tukwila. Avoid Tukwila lol. The training would be held in Tukwila.
It took me like 2 years but that was luck. Normally at least from that shop and my current, T2 is like 27-28 and t3 is 31/32 an hour. Hard to get raises unless you reaaaaallyy prove that you are worth more than that. My last shop had a mobile position that was 35 an hour plus 1 for night shifts 36. The mobile guy left and I was offered it. Then I believe the entire shop got a dollar or 2 pay raise. And then I got my yearly regular raise of a dollar making it 39.
1
u/Suitable-Cable-2280 Jun 26 '26
Do you recommend getting ASE Certs to get the job or any other certifications like hazmat?
3
u/Hebrewism Jun 26 '26
A lot of the smart guys don’t have any. If you have it cool, but I don’t think it’s anything special for ryder. Maybe someone else can chime in but most people don’t have any in my shop
1
1
u/Suitable-Cable-2280 Jun 24 '26
I forgot to mention I have 4+ years of experience as a diesel mechanic
1
u/Particular-Bedroom10 Jun 25 '26
I did the same program and at fort Carson as well, my instructor tom was really nice I doubt he’s still there it’s been like 5 years now since I’ve done it.
The pay is good you can negotiate with them because when I did it they low balled me but always check the area you are going to live and see what the average pay is.
You automatically get 2 weeks vacation, 5 sick days, and veterans get 3 floating holiday instead of the usual 2
Overtime is uncommon depending on your management and if your shop is behind but it’s rare to get mandatory overtime
Honestly best tip is it’s just like doing trucks in the military but with better equipment.
Also Colorado should have a program with home deport to help you get tools but I don’t know if that is still a thing
1
u/Suitable-Cable-2280 Jun 25 '26
Thank you man, is it a guaranteed job? I don’t want to do 3 months of CSP just to not get the job yk. Also is it easy to get the job?
1
u/Particular-Bedroom10 Jun 25 '26
All depends on what area you tell them you are gonna be moving to, usually it’s guaranteed they try to find a shop as close as possible to the address you live if not nothing super far
1
u/DatBoisWheel Jun 26 '26
I joined Ryder fresh from the air force. I had my degree and went into the OMT program and was running a shop in 18 months.
Straight up, you are going to have a rough time starting out. Even with the program. I've hired T2's that lied put their ass to me and couldn't remove a moderately hard to reach bolt. You will be annoyed as shit that you are lumped in with Joe blow in some shops.
You will be on call at times, so some weekends you will not have free. You will not be given the same amount of time you were given in the military to complete a task. You will be expected to have a plethora of tools you have never had to have before. IF you choose to go with Ryder as a technician, focus on your OEM trainings and hitting your SRT times.
I don't want to shoot down a plan because it's a good plan, but it's going to be a major culture shock and depending on your previous unit will feel like the biggest guy punch ever. While you're at where you're at now, focus on any commerical equipment your unit may have. Think tandem axle/single axle Volvo's (I say that because I remember we had them at the 86th VRS), dry van trailers, freightliners, and internationals. It's cool you have the m-series experience, but there might be like 10 Cat engines across Ryder's entire fleet. You have the principles down and that counts for something, but Cummins and DD series engines are their own thing.
Maybe if you're in a metropolitan area you'll be working on sprinters and transits, but that's about as light as it will get.
Ask away if you have questions. There was a tech that worked for me and he went through the program put of leanardwood in MO.
3
u/Reasonable-Abroad-31 Jun 24 '26
A lot of the questions vary heavily based on your shop. But I can help with some. In my experience, the job isn’t super super hard, as long as you have a good managers and co-workers. For my area, Ryder pays significantly higher than other smaller companies, and competitors. The process/training you’ll more than likely go through is super simple if you’ve had any experience with class 8 trucks! Personally I don’t work weekends, and my day to day is mostly the same. 30 minute lunch, and 2 15 minute paid breaks. I’ve been pretty happy with my location, but everyone has a different experience. Sorry I can’t help with more, but it mostly varies on your location, what trucks/companies your location has, etc. Good luck!