A job as a field service technician: freedom, technical challenges, and a different story every day.

What if working with technology didn’t have to happen within four walls? What if you leave in the morning with a well-equipped service van, your schedule in hand, and end your day with a machine working safely again thanks to you? That’s the reality of a field service technician at TVH Equipment, as Jerry and Johan tell us.

“You’re your own boss… but you’re never on your own.” (Jerry)

For Jerry, it’s simple: he wanted to get away from the feeling of “always being stuck within four walls.” After years of indoor work, he chose this job. “You’re your own boss, you have to be independent,” he says. And it’s exactly that combination of autonomy and responsibility that makes the role so appealing to many technicians.

Johan, who has been working for the TVH Group since 1988 and mainly focuses on electric forklifts and pallet trucks, is equally clear: “If I had to go back to working in the workshop now, I’d find it very difficult. Now I have freedom.”

In field service, freedom doesn’t mean “figuring everything out on your own without support.” On the contrary: you can call colleagues when you get stuck, and everyone has their own expertise. “We know who to call for what.”

A workday that really moves forward

What does such a day look like? Johan leaves early in the morning for his first customer. He receives his schedule via a service app. He checks his task list, reviews each machine and its assignment, and confirms whether the necessary parts delivered overnight have arrived.

If something is unclear or you want to think ahead smartly, you coordinate with the dispatch team. Sometimes dispatch even calls proactively to ask which parts are best to bring for a fault code, especially for longer trips. “If I know there’s a high chance what the issue is, I’ll already bring the part with me in advance.”

And planning isn’t static: if you finish early, an extra intervention may be added. Or work may be rescheduled. It requires flexibility, but it also keeps the job dynamic.

Variety you won’t find in a workshop

If you enjoy variety, this is the place to be. “You go everywhere,” says Jerry: “festivals, factories, construction sites, even Zaventem Airport.” This variety is not only in locations, but also in the wide range of machines and breakdowns. Result: the job rarely becomes monotonous.

And if you like solving “real problems,” you’ll recognize this: Johan explains that he prefers working on one machine until it’s fully resolved. “I have a strong drive to get something fixed.” That’s the typical technician’s pride: not stopping until it works again.

The reality: sometimes tough, sometimes cold, always real

There’s sometimes a misconception that field technicians are the “tourists of technology” because maintenance is part of the job. But Johan and Jerry are very clear: on site, you sometimes have to do heavy work alone, without the lifting equipment you'd have in a workshop. You work “in all weather conditions,” and you usually know when you start, but not always when you finish—although the dispatch team does take this into account as much as possible.

Moreover, you need to adapt to the environment. Sometimes the client requires protective clothing or additional safety measures, and you work in places that aren’t always comfortable. Johan even mentions an intervention in a freezer at -25°C. That’s field service: technology in real life.

Why technicians choose TVH Equipment

What makes the difference? According to them: trust, training, and equipment.

There is trust: “Our managers don’t constantly hover over us like helicopters. They trust us to handle the job properly.” Also practical: you are paid from the moment you leave home until you return—door-to-door.

Your service van is also well equipped. If you request a justified tool, it will be considered. Jerry mentions examples such as measurement and diagnostic equipment (including an oscilloscope and a Bosch breakout box). Training is another strong asset: Jerry was given opportunities and training, including on Manitou telehandlers and JLG aerial work platforms—both internally and via suppliers.

And the atmosphere? It’s often in the small things

Team spirit also thrives on the road. Johan laughs about how colleagues help each other—it says a lot. You may work alone on the machine, but you're part of a team that supports one another.

Do you have a passion for technology and are you looking for a job with freedom, variety, training, and real technical challenges? Where you learn on the job, with strong support behind the scenes?

Then a field service technician role at TVH Equipment might be exactly what you’re looking for.

Apply for field service technician