Midlands Truck & Van
Midlands Truck & Van

Developing the next generation of technicians.

 

Sometimes, all it takes is asking the right question. For McKenzie, his journey into the commercial vehicle industry began with an impromptu visit to our Birmingham branch to enquire about career opportunities. Despite having previously been let down by another company, McKenzie remained determined to pursue his ambitions and find the right opportunity to get started in the industry.

After speaking with Truck Service Manager Dean Bennett and making a great first impression, McKenzie joined the Midlands Truck & Van team in January 2026 as a first-year Mercedes-Benz truck technician apprentice. Since then, he's been developing his skills, gaining valuable workshop experience and working towards his ambition of becoming a fully qualified HGV Maintenance Technician.

Learning on the job

McKenzie's three-year apprenticeship combines hands-on experience at our Birmingham dealership with structured Mercedes-Benz training. Every two months, he attends college for a week to develop his technical truck knowledge through classroom learning and practical assessments. This is supported by online training and regular workshop tasks, reviewed and signed off by his mentor, Simon Parkes.

Having started with vehicle inspection basics, McKenzie is now gaining experience in trailer servicing, brakes and general maintenance. One of his favourite parts of the role is working on ADR vehicles in our dedicated Birmingham ADR bay alongside Simon.

Another recent achievement was passing his Safe Load Pass Qualification with Logistics UK Limited on 8th October 2026. The qualification covers essential safety inspection standards for fuel tankers entering loading terminals and refineries, giving McKenzie valuable additional knowledge of specialist vehicle inspections.

Developing the Next Generation of Truck Technicians: Meet Mckenzie Gordon Smith

 

 

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Learning from experience

A big part of McKenzie's development has been the support of his mentor, Simon Parkes, a HGV Maintenance Technician who joined our Midlands Truck & Van team in 2023.

Since McKenzie started his apprenticeship, Simon has helped him build confidence and develop his practical skills. Initially, McKenzie shadowed Simon on workshop jobs, including vehicle inspections and routine maintenance, learning the basics of vehicle servicing.

As his experience has grown, McKenzie has increasingly taken on work himself, with Simon checking completed jobs, sharing advice and providing guidance whenever needed. The pair have built a great working relationship, balancing plenty of learning and knowledge-sharing with good humour and a few laughs along the way.

Alongside Simon's day-to-day guidance, the encouragement and support of Truck Service Manager Dean Bennett has also played an important part in McKenzie's journey. Having supportive management who recognise potential and provide opportunities to learn makes a real difference when starting out in the industry.

Looking ahead, Mckenzie is keen to continue developing his skills as he progresses towards qualification over the final two years of his apprenticeship.

His advice to anyone considering a similar career path? Take both the workshop and college sides seriously, get your head down and make the most of the experience available to you. We're proud to support Mckenzie and look forward to seeing what he achieves next!

 

At Midlands Truck & Van, we're passionate about developing the next generation of technicians and passing on the knowledge and experience built up across our business. Our workshops are home to many highly experienced technicians and colleagues with a wealth of industry knowledge, skills and expertise. We believe it's vital that this experience is shared with those starting their careers, helping to develop the next generation of skilled technicians and secure the future of our industry.

Interested in starting your own career with Midlands Truck & Van? Visit our careers page to explore our currently available career opportunities within our teams.

Interested in a career with Midlands Truck & Van?

Click here to visit our careers page to view our current open positions across our eight branches.

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