The ASE Education Foundation has won a $25 million, four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand registered apprenticeships for auto, collision, and truck technicians. It is the largest workforce investment the Department has ever aimed at the transportation service industry. The money rewards employers for hiring apprentices and coaching them through the first year, paying sponsors $3,500 per apprentice, split as the new tech hits 90 and 270 days on the job.

The design targets retention, not just recruiting. The industry needs about 128,000 techs a year and trains only around 37,000, but the harder problem is keeping them, since only about one in eight entry-level techs is still on the job three years in. Every dollar here is tied to a new hire reaching real milestones, which gives shops a direct stake in the mentoring that keeps people in the bay. Shops without a program can use a free ready-made kit from the Foundation and NADA rather than building one from scratch.

Why it matters: This could reinforce a shift in how shops think about hiring, from filling seats to keeping people. The research behind apprenticeships is encouraging, with employers seeing an average return of $1.47 per dollar invested and more than 90% of apprentices staying on after they finish. For some shops, it is worth considering whether a structured, partly funded apprenticeship beats the churn of constant rehiring.

The NHTSA has opened a preliminary investigation into about 1.2 million Tesla vehicles after reports that a front suspension part can detach and cause a loss of steering control. The complaints, 156 so far, involve certain 2018 to 2020 Model 3 and 2021 to 2023 Model Y cars. The agency says the failure can leave a car undriveable and needing a tow, and that most owners reported no warning beforehand, though some noticed noises. No crashes or injuries have been tied to it yet.

A preliminary evaluation is the first step in the defect process and can lead to a recall if regulators find a safety problem. Tesla has recalled cars over similar suspension issues before, but those were far smaller and tied to a specific production flaw that regulators say does not appear to explain these newer reports.

Why it matters: This may signal more diagnostic and repair traffic tied to aging EVs, whether or not a formal recall follows. As the earliest high-volume EVs move into their second owners and out of warranty, wear on steering and suspension parts becomes a shop-level question. For some shops, it is worth weighing how ready you are to handle EV chassis work as that fleet ages.

Valvoline reported quarterly sales of $545 million, up 24% from a year ago, with same-store sales up 8.0%. The company added 47 net stores in the quarter and raised its full-year same-store sales outlook. Management credited pricing actions for much of the growth and pointed to healthy profit and better cost control.

The backdrop is rising costs. Leadership said finished lubricant costs are climbing and that it is leaning on price increases and operational discipline to offset them. In plain terms, Valvoline is passing higher input costs through to customers while still growing traffic at existing stores.

Why it matters: This could reinforce what many owners are already seeing on their own invoices, that parts and fluid costs keep climbing. When a large chain both raises prices and reports steady same-store growth, it suggests customers are absorbing the increases for now. For some shops, it is worth considering how much room your own pricing has before demand starts to soften.

🤝 Sun Auto Network acquired Integrity Automotive in Issaquah, Washington, pushing its Pacific Northwest footprint to 25 locations and its national count past 575.

🛞 Big Brand Tire & Service acquired Waukegan Tire, a three-generation family business in northern Illinois, with customer service records and warranties transferring over.

🎓 Universal Technical Institute opened a new Atlanta-area campus built to train 1,500 students in fields including automotive, diesel, and electrical work.

⚠️ Chrysler is recalling more than 1.2 million Ram 1500 trucks from model years 2019 to 2026 over second-row seat belt anchors that may have been installed improperly.