Auto tech on training: ‘I wish I knew that before I started this job’
Royalty Auto Service makes a passionate, yet pragmatic business case for shop owner and auto tech training in viral video posted to Instagram
LAS VEGAS – September 1, 2026 – “Training does not cost, it pays.”
That’s according to Sherwood Cooke Jr. of Royalty Auto Service, an independent repair shop with two locations in Georgia. He and one of his auto technicians, Chris, shared their perspective in an Instagram video recently.
As long-time attendees of AAPEX, the duo described some of the benefits they’ve gotten from training sessions at the show. The video has racked up nearly 4,500 likes, shares and comments since it was posted.
Sherwood’s comment was a rebuttal to one of the most common objections that some shop owners and technicians have when asked about training: they aren’t sure they can justify the expense.
The pair contend that instructors often cover pitfalls that can help technicians avoid costly mistakes. That means the sorts of things that a technician wishes they knew before they started a job.
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AAPEX 2026 will be held from Nov. 3–5, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at The Venetian Expo & AAPEX Forum. See the exhibitor prospectus for exhibiting details. Complimentary passes are available to the media; email: [email protected].
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