Black’s Tire Service Inc.’s artificial intelligence (AI) technician training pilot program with NAPA Autotech XcceleratoR and Skillmaker.ai is still in its early stages, but Ryan Benton, the dealership’s vice president of retail operations, says the initiative already reflects where technician training and the broader tire and auto service business are headed. 

The Whiteville, N.C.-based company announced in May that it was participating in a pilot program using virtual reality headsets, AI-supported smart glasses and extended reality training tools to help accelerate automotive technician development. The program launched first at Black’s Tire’s Carolina Beach Road location in Wilmington, N.C., with the company’s Apex, N.C., store also participating. 

Through its relationship with NAPA, Black’s Tire became one of the first independent tire dealerships to test the training platform in a live dealership environment. Benton says Black’s Tire was interested in the pilot because the pace of technology in both vehicles and service operations is accelerating. 

“If we do not embrace the tools that are AI, then we will be left behind in this industry.” 

Black’s Tire began with an unboxing of the equipment on May 1 at its Wilmington location. Benton says the company’s plan was to stagger three technicians into the training sessions. So far, one BTS team member has been using the program, with a second expected to begin. The Apex location is also participating in the pilot, with an equipment unboxing and a scheduled training session with the program’s creators. 

A case study of the beta test is expected to be presented at the SEMA Show in November, and Benton says the hope is to complete the pilot by then. 

The locations selected for the pilot were chosen based on several factors, including the willingness of employees to adopt new technologies. “We knew that if those team members are willing to use that technology and do it well, it was a no-brainer to introduce more to them.” 

The Skillmaker.ai/NAPA program includes both training and productivity tools. Benton says the VR headsets are the training devices. They place the learner inside the NAPA training center and show work being performed from a first-person point of view. 

The 25-day training program through the VR headset covers areas like shop safety, core essentials, brakes, tires, steering and suspension, electrical, engine and fluids and vehicle diagnostics. 

“The Meta glasses are the productivity device,” says Benton. 

Skillmaker has integrated Solera’s Identifix DirectHit XR product into the glasses. Once the system is active, a technician looking at a specific vehicle through the glasses’ camera can ask a natural-language question, such as, “What are the torque specs for these bolts?” or “What is the most likely fix for this symptom?” and receive an Identifix answer hands-free. 

Benton says the AI component is intentionally controlled. The glasses connect to a phone or tablet, which connects to the cloud. In that cloud environment is a curated knowledge base containing NAPA-produced training assets from the last five years, including roughly 400 to 500 online courses, NAPA training videos and apprenticeship program content. 

“The information is in a fixed database and AI only answers according to the information in the database,” he says. “It’s not a generative AI free-for-all.” 

The program has been described as having the potential to reduce training time from nine to 24 months to as little as 25 days. Benton says Black’s Tire is looking at that timeline through the lens of consistency and quality, rather than simply trying to increase production. 

Benton says measuring the pilot strictly through a traditional return-on-investment approach could miss the larger point. Black’s Tire is watching how useful the tools are for its employees, whether they improve confidence and morale and whether team members actually like and use the technology. 

Early feedback has been positive, he says. Both newer and more experienced technicians have shown interest, though for different reasons. General service technicians have been excited about the new way of learning through VR, while mechanics have been more interested in the hands-free capabilities of the smart glasses. 

Benton says the technology is not intended to replace hands-on instruction. Instead, he sees it as a way to support hands-on learning by giving employees a more repeatable training environment. 

The XcceleratoR program, he explains, allows technicians to repeat training scenarios and sharpen skills learned through hands-on instruction. 

“The XcceleratoR program and traditional hands-on instruction, when done right, will be like peanut butter is to jelly,” says Benton. “You shouldn’t have one without the other.” 

Benton says there are still limitations to virtual, augmented and AI-supported training. Some real-world variables are difficult to fully replicate. For now, he says, the technology can sharpen skills, but it does not replace the full experience of working in a live service environment. 

Benton says the upfront pricing for one year is roughly $6,000 for three users, including annual licenses and devices. “The early returns are showing value, but we want to be smart about how we use the technology to meet our team’s needs and take into account everyone’s level of comfort with the tools and equipment.”