Workforce Wednesday: Meet a Farm Tire Technician
“Without tires, farmers can’t go anywhere,” said Paul Seehafer, Commercial and Farm Tire Technician with Schierl Tire.
Paul has worked with Schierl Tire for nearly seven years, but he says every day on the job is different.
“Sometimes you are going to the field to work on the equipment and sometimes it is just going to the farm and talking to farmers,” Seehafer said. “You know, check how they're doing and let him know that you're still around and you're thinking of them.
His days can be long but rewarding.
“I get in in the morning, and then depending on the time of year, I can be gone all day,” he said. “This time of year, it's a lot slower. So, it is making service calls and then going out and connecting with our guests, seeing how they are doing and making sure they have everything they need. Staying busy.”
Seehafer spends his days in the shop, out on farms and visiting customers. Though he’s not a farmer, he contributes to agriculture and the food production cycle by ensuring farm equipment can remain in operation.
Though Seehafer earned a degree in Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Management, his training for this position has been more hands-on.
For his current position, Seehafer had to earn Occupational Safety and Health Administration crane certification for mobile cranes, Mine Safety and Health Administration certification, Tire Industry Association certifications and a six-week minimum of hands-on training.
Seehafer also said many of the tire companies provide their own training as well.
For those considering a career in tires, Seehafer says “be ready to work.”
“It's a lot of manual labor, so it's hard work, but it's rewarding too,” he said. “I like that every day is different, and you meet all kinds of different people. So, you never know what the day is going to give you.”
What is something that you wish you had known on your first day:
A lot of those little shortcuts that there are. When we did training, you learn the hard way and you figure out the faster ways as you go. So, there's little short cuts you can take and still be safe ... the little tricks.
