It is with heavy hearts that the TCRA Directors share the loss of Martin Dale Brooks. He passed peacefully at his home on January 9, 2021 at the age of 69...
Popular Articles
Since 1954, transmission professionals have looked to ATRA for training and specialty services to keep the transmission-rebuilding industry strong and the...
GEARS Staff
“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary.” – Sam Walton
For Charlie Rakes, owner of AA Quality...
GEARS Staff
ATRA’s first-ever Virtual Powertrain Expo took place November 11 – 14, and I have to say, it was a great success! 350 attendees, across 26 different...
A bevel gear contact pattern is one of the quickest ways to see how a gearset is actually carrying load. It shows where the tooth flanks meet under a defined...
Vilfredo Pareto, a 19th century Italian economist, maintained that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. This idea came to him from an observation...
“Built on the Brick and Mortar of Honest Shops — Advancing the Future of Transmission Professionals Worldwide.”
THE ROAD AHEAD ISN’T SLOWING DOWN
As we...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature where I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
There she was – the...
What do you regularly do when you go online? Let’s be honest, you probably aren’t frequently perusing your doctor’s website in your downtime.
Just like...
If I don’t struggle, I won’t improve.
As I sat at the big round dining table with my Chinese hosts in Shanghai a few years ago, I struggled with my...
So, let’s talk about performance and what it means. First, what’s your objective? Are you racing the quarter mile? Or are you looking at something for the...
That small businesses across the country have felt unprecedented pain during the pandemic of 2020 cannot be overstated. Even “essential” businesses like...
GEARS Shopper advertising costs $325.00 for a one time insertion ad, (2 1/4 X 3) 2.25 X 3. Larger ads can be placed elsewhere in the magazine and are charged...
“While you can’t go back and make a new beginning, you can start today to make a new ending.”
– Stephen Covey
Is Your Marketing Obsolete?
What if...
Guest Author
Once again, ATRA kicked off Expo with its annual golf tournament, always a big hit with die-hard enthusiasts who look forward to traversing the links in the...
When my car’s gears are slipping I go looking for a “transmission expert”, yet secretly I hope that I also find a “Professional Expert.”
And so do...
This article is part three of a series that examines the limitations and considerations of common measurements performed with one of the most widely used...
The person who only knows how, may have a job, but the person who understands why, will do it better. “Why?” is a question that can only be adequately...
With help from several people, I’ve been able to piece together the following details and stories about Gene. Most helpful was Gene’s daughter Patty, who...
With every passing birthday, it seems like I spend more and more time in medical offices and clinics getting poked, prodded, and tested for one thing or...
GEARS Staff
This year Expo came a week early, on October 19th through the 22nd. This was our second year in a row at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, at one of the...
Over the past few weeks, I’ve received numerous inquiries about my last article. I’ve also helped two shops deal with customer complaints that could have...
GEARS Staff
“I’ve been looking at various strategies for investing for and with my kids. I’m currently considering Real Estate investments.” This was also on...
Bit by bit over the years, I’ve been renewing and customizing my 2003 Thunderbird. I love this car! For me, it’s what Ford originally called the T-bird:...
“You can’t buy the kind of experience that comes from years behind the wheel or under the hood.” – Ford v Ferrari (2019)
In a town like...
GEARS Staff
“Hey Dad, when I grow up, I want to be ordinary.” My dad was a WWII Marine Veteran, and I would have never said that to him. If I did, we would have had...
Rule #1: The Customer Is Always Right.
Rule #2: When the Customer Is Wrong, Read Rule #1.
OK, that’s clever, and it’s a good philosophy for running a...
Guest Author
“What do you do?” That’s the most common “getting to know you” question in America. Just about equal to “Where are you from?” The odd thing is...
There are two basic ways to grow your company: expanding business with existing customers, or bringing on brand new customers.
This piece focuses on bringing...
GEARS Staff
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”– Henry Ford
For the Wells family of Magnolia, Kentucky...
Who would argue over whether we’re living in peculiar times? We’re told to wear masks before entering the bank. Computers ask us to prove we’re not...
There is no shortage of discouraging financial news today. Rather than jumping on the interest rate and inflation bandwagon, let’s reflect on ourselves. As...
It’s another day in the grind. Up before sunrise, coffee to get going, early to the shop.
Turn off the alarm system, unlock the bay doors, check the shop...
During the run-up to the 1848 French Revolution, Fredrick Bastiat, French economist, journalist, and proponent of Austrian Economics, observed, “Everyone...
Over the past few months, I’ve had conversations with shop owners, software providers, and most recently, with GEARS Managing Editor Rodger Bland. The...
An angry customer posts a negative online review about your shop. Their story is blown out of proportion and falsely asserts that your shop ripped them off...
GEARS Staff
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
The other day, I had the...
Chrysler taught its transmissions how to learn. ZF made sure they understood what they were learning — and why.
The Evolution of Clutch Adaptation
When the...
If you ask a typical business owner what keeps them up at night, employee retention is likely at the top of the list. Thanks to record resignation rates across...
GEARS Shopper advertising costs $325.00 for a one time insertion ad, (2 1/4 X 3) 2.25 X 3. Larger ads can be placed elsewhere in the magazine and are charged...
To our valued transmission technicians and industry leaders, I hope this message reaches you in great spirits as we move into the holidays and with a...
GEARS Staff
The solution to a problem as well as new opportunities are all around us but too often they don’t fit the image we expect or we’re so focused on what we...
On a recent lecture tour in Malaysia, I met a “busker”, a street performer who was working in hopes of tips. This man was disabled and had an artificial...
For 18 blissful years, I’ve been a member of the “Heartbreak Hiking Fools.” This is a group of over-55-year-old fitness enthusiasts based in Thousand...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about real business and life challenges.
At this...
This is a follow-up to my last article “Adaptive Precision: How ZF’s 8 Speed Refined the CVI Concept” Gears Magazine, May 2026.” It would be nice to...
We live in good and interesting times.
If you reside in America, you’re living in the most entrepreneurial country on the planet, where the amount of money...
GEARS Staff
The UA/UB80E transmission has been in production for over nine years now, and literally, there are just over 5 million of them on the street. These...
GEARS Staff
Whenever you get businesspeople together to discuss management strategies, someone’s sure to drag out this old chestnut: The beatings will continue until...
Guest Author
GEARS Staff
This year, the Torque Converter Rebuilders Association (TCRA) will be in the land of bluegrass… both the famous sod and the home of an amazing category of...
“So, what can I purchase to get a tax deduction?” According to my associate, CPA Kevin Lin, “This is a common question taxpayers ask when they...
Everyone in the business world has heard of a mission statement and the importance for a business to have one. But, if you’ve ever looked at some...
Technically speaking, we’ve been virtual for many years already. I mean, look at YouTube. You- Tube has somewhere in the realm of 842 million keywords. They...
When asked what the number one problem with automatic transmission fluid is, it has never changed or gone away as technology improves and changes. I would have...
Steve Bodofsky passed away on April 29, 2019 after a brave battle with cancer. He’s survived by his wife, Diane and daughter Tara who were both at his...
When my son was very young, I once lulled him to sleep by chanting, “I love to learn!” softly, over and over. It was my feeble attempt at using subliminal...
GEARS Staff
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature where I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
I remember this story like it...
GEARS Staff
Laura Pereira has been my good friend for a long time. I met her while she was doing her undergraduate studies in San Francisco, California. Laura is from...
GEARS Staff
In the previous issue, we covered how to develop a business culture. There are a lot of phrases to define this, like a mission statement or purpose statement...
“Not mad knowing that the small retail investors do, in fact, have more power than the institutional investors thought…” remarked Mark Post, Chief Growth...
Money Matters is a new GEARS Magazine column. Topics appearing in this column will be informative, timely, and selected to address the unique financial...
GEARS Staff
GEARS Shopper advertising costs $325.00 for a one time insertion ad, (2 1/4 X 3) 2.25 X 3. Larger ads can be placed elsewhere in the magazine and are charged...
Dear ATRA Expo Attendee:
For all of you who were here last year, welcome back; for those first-time attendees, welcome. Your being here is the reason that...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature where I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life. I’ve been working on one of...
Thursday
For the folks attending the technical seminars, it was a busy event, with nearly 24 hours of technical training packed into a four-day extravaganza...
GEARS Staff
Every year, as we approach the year’s end, I like to look back, not only at the last twelve months but even further back, remembering the events and...
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are becoming the norm in modern vehicles, with features like lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and...
Technical seminars create a unique air of excitement among the participants. With the expectation of meeting fellow comrades, gurus, and new technicians, as...
There’s been a lot of talk about “Opportunity Zones” on the news. But what are they, and how might they apply to you? One of my clients recently informed...
The election is over. The holidays approach… and the new year is just around the corner.
Let’s talk about your plan to grow sales in 2017.
Do you have one...
GEARS Staff
In my last article in the January Gears magazine, I introduced Carl’s 7-Keys to Highly Effective Transmission Rebuilder Websites. The article explained what...
At the 2015 ATRA Powertrain Expo we covered a lot of topics in the management sessions; many were focused on leadership and employee development. One of the...
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
There’s an old railroad folk song I’ve always enjoyed about the competition between John Henry — “a steel driving man” — and a steam drill. John...
GEARS Staff
Guest Author
GEARS Staff
Expanding Legal Immigration from Mexico Can Keep the US Young… The Economic Benefits Are Significant
If we could find a legal framework to expand Mexican immigration, this can keep the US young and economically vibrant. In the early 2000s, while studying...
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