An outside look at the Love’s mobile training lab, which served as a hub of vocational information for Love’s employees.
Trainer Justin Munoz (Left) in the mobile lab with students front to back, J.W. Foirster of Sierra Blanca, Adrian Talavera, from Lordsburg New Mexico, Jose Morales of El Paso and Angel Estrada from Anthony, Texas
Photos by Lisa Morton
By Lisa Morton
The Tire Care Facility at Love’s Travel Stops & Country Store on the East end of Broadway in Van Horn is meeting more of the needs of professional drivers. The facility expanded its services about 3 years ago from strictly tire repair to now include oil changes and light mechanical services. Six Mobile Training Labs have been crisscrossing the country to train existing Love’s employees with a state of the art mechanics classroom center.
Trainer Justin Munoz parked the lab at Love’s in Van Horn last week for a 2 ½ day Wheel End and Foundation Brake courses. Munoz has 43 shops to oversee and manage training for in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Other courses offered for certification throughout the year include Air Systems, Electrical, HVAC and Oil Changes. Four Love’s employees attended training with one traveling from Lordsburg, New Mexico. After the class room portion of the training in Van Horn, there is plenty of hands-on training. Students disassemble and reassemble all the wheel ends numerous times using manufacture specs and are shown proper procedures to making sure proper end play is achieved and students are comfortable with the many steps. “While the industry grows so does our training. Making sure we are giving the most up to date and useful training to help our technicians have the knowledge they need to both be successful in their career and keep our customers safely rolling down the road”, Munoz said. “We want to make sure our technicians are up to date in this industry with year round training”, Munoz adds.
Van Horn Tire Center Technician J.W. Foirster said “This specialty work is hard and I have learned a lot with these courses.” Foirster has been with the local Love’s for five years where he started in maintenance before advancing to the Tire Center. The lab brings much needed training in a mobile setting to local employees who might not otherwise be able to participate in such intense training.
