2026 AED TECHNICIAN SHORTAGE HIRING REPORT
Every empty bay costs you $699k a year!
Ag and construction dealers are short 10,000 technicians a year, and it's costing them $7 billion. Get the most complete look at the shortage yet: what is driving it, where turnover really happens, and what is working.
$7B
lost in dealer service and parts revenue every year
10,000
technicians ag and construction dealers need each year
80%
of dealers cannot meet customer demand, up from 60% in 2016
79%
of technician would switch industries
WHAT'S INSIDE
The first report to put every side of the shortage in one place
For the first time, dealers, OEMs, schools and technicians answered the same questions. Here is what you will learn.
01
The real cost of empty seats
How lost labor plus lost parts adds up to $699,300 per unfilled role, and $7 billion across the industry.
02
Why the pipeline is broken
Only about 11,300 diesel tech graduates graduate each year, and every stakeholder agrees on the root causes.
03
When and why techs leave
Turnover peaks at years two to five. See what would make a technician switch industries, and what keeps them.
04
Ag vs. construction: a side-by-side comparison
The same shortage shows up differently by segment. Compare hiring difficulty, vacancy length, and turnover side by side.
05
What top dealers are doing
School partnerships, apprenticeships, pay, schedules, and tool allowances, with real dealer examples.
06
6 Priorities for the industry
A practical call to action: expand work-based learning, tighten retention playbooks, and address the shortage with shared accountability.
A PREVIEW OF THE DATA
44% of tech jobs stay open for more than 3 months
The average U.S. job fills in about 35 days. Technician roles at dealerships take far longer, and one in five stays open for more than 150 days.
How long technician jobs stay open (% of dealers)
Source: 2026 AED dealer survey (n=126). Gold bars mark roles open more than 90 days.
HIRING TECHNICIANS NOW?
Do not wait for the pipeline to catch up
Randall Reilly helps equipment dealers, fleets, and service businesses hire diesel and heavy equipment technicians. You can use the report to benchmark the problem, then talk with our team if you need recruiting support built for hard-to-fill roles.