The Effect of Job Experience on the Maintenance Proficiency of Army Automotive Mechanics

The proficiency of 70 Army automotive mechanics in performing two repair tasks was examined under controlled test conditions. The tasks were installation of a generator and a starter on a tank engine. The subjects were assigned to one of 10 job-experience (JE) categories based on the number of times they had performed the repair tasks. The 10 experience categories ranged from no previous experience to nine or more times. Six dimensions of maintenance proficiency were measured: quality checks, adherence to procedures, repair time, information use, tool selection, and tool use. Overall, proficiency improved markedly for mechanics in the 0 to 5 JE range, peaked between 5 and 6 JE, and declined somewhat for mechanics with more than 6 JE. The job-experience/proficiency function was similar for both repair tasks and all six dimensions of proficiency. The results indicate that job experience could be a valid predictor of maintenance proficiency and training needs if based on an analysis of a larger sample of representative maintenance tasks and validated with a larger subject population.