What Does a Motive Power Parts Person Do?

A Motive Power Parts Person sells and supplies vehicle-related parts for the automotive, motive power and heavy equipment sectors.

Job -Related Skills, Interests and Values

  • Reviewing requests for accuracy and verifying if materials, equipment and stock are available from current inventories
  • Obtaining price quotations from catalogues, on-line electronic inventories or suppliers and preparing purchase orders
  • Displaying good overall product knowledge of a variety of motive power parts
  • Calculating the cost of orders and charging or forwarding invoices to the appropriate account
  • Monitoring inventory levels as materials, equipment and stock are issued, transferred or sold to the public
  • Reconciling calculated inventories with physical counts
  • Contacting suppliers to resolve shortages, missed deliveries and other problems
  • Preparing, maintaining and updating purchasing files, reports and price lists as well as utilizing computer applications and programs
  • Working independently or as a member of a team to provide service both in-house and to the public

What Preparation and Training Do You Need?

To become a Motive Power Parts Person you must have a minimum of Grade 12 or equivalent, be a minimum of 16 years of age, and have successfully completed an apprenticeship of @5400 hours of a combination of in-school and on-the-job training. You must also successfully write your examination for a Certificate of Qualification in this trade.

What’s Your Future as a Motive Power Parts Person?

Most workers employed as Motive Power Parts people work full-time, however a sizeable percentage (10-15%) work part-time. You generally work in a warehouse, tool room or supply room, and if in a retail environment, may work behind a counter with public access. You may deal with automotive parts, heavy duty vehicle parts, farm implement vehicle parts, or industrial or recreational vehicle parts. You may work for:

  • motor vehicle parts manufacturers
  • motor vehicle manufacturers
  • motive power repair shops
  • retail parts establishments
  • machinery and equipment manufacturers
  • car and heavy equipment dealerships
  • forestry and major construction companies
  • transit yards
  • armed forces
  • federal government

The trend in the last decade has been toward the use of computerized systems used to manage inventories and trigger re-supply electronically. Computerized cash registers at retail outlets often monitor inventories, and computer applications are frequently used in financial and other records keeping. Therefore computer literacy is increasingly important, as well as the need for workers to understand the whole inventory-purchasing-warehouse process.

Wage Rate

  • You start at a wage rate that is less than that of a journeyperson 
  • This rate increases gradually as you acquire skills and gain competency
  • The  wage rate varies in the range of $30,000-$46,000 per year, often with benefits

Self-Rating

Ask Yourself: Is Working as a Motive Power Parts Person For You?

Can you lift, carry, reach and stand on your feet for long periods of time?

Yes      No

Can you read quickly and spot differences in numbers, amounts or text? 

Yes      No

Do you enjoy knowing where things are at and being organized?

Yes      No

Is it easy for you to remember and retain names, objects and locations?

Yes      No

Can you  perform work very accurately during busy periods?

Yes      No

Do you enjoy keeping up with and learning about new technology?

Yes      No

Can you maintain a pleasant manner with co-workers and customers?

Yes      No

If you answered Yes to most of these questions, a career as a Motive Power Parts Person may be for you!

You may also want to explore other careers that require similar interests and skills, such as:

  • Shipper & Receiver
  • Parts Clerk
  • Automotive Service Technician
  • Automotive Electronic Accessory Technician