POMONA, CA – Immersed Technologies President Mike Brock presented a session on high-voltage qualification at the CALACT Maintenance Conference on September 9, 2026. He co-presented with Frank Dopp, maintenance subject matter expert at Fleet Maintenance Consulting. The session examined what qualifies a mechanic to work on high-voltage systems on zero-emission buses.
As agencies add zero-emission buses, training records must keep pace with the fleet. The presenters cited a Massachusetts state audit of a transit agency. The audit found that the agency could not show that all 19 of its qualified battery-electric bus maintenance employees had completed required training. Eight had not completed NFPA 70E training.
Unqualified, Qualified and Authorized
The session defined three roles that maintenance shops often confuse:- Unqualified: Anyone who may be near a high-voltage environment. These personnel need awareness training and contact release training.
- Qualified: Mechanics who complete advanced training and demonstrate their skills on the actual bus platform.
- Authorized: Qualified mechanics whom agency management approves for specific tasks, on specific vehicles, at specific times.
Qualification is also task-specific. A mechanic qualified to de-energize one battery-electric bus is not automatically qualified to work on a fuel cell bus from the same manufacturer.
“Qualification is about the work, not the seniority of the person. Your best diesel mechanic of 30 years is not qualified for high-voltage work on the strength of tenure,” said Mike Brock, President of Immersed Technologies.
The presenters described a training pathway of four self-paced online courses and a one-day, hands-on class. The online courses build prerequisite knowledge. The in-person class verifies practical skills, including lockout/tagout, PPE use and absence-of-voltage testing on actual zero-emission buses.
CALACT, in partnership with the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) and the Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP), will offer the one-day High-Voltage Qualified for Transit course twice a year. Sessions will take place at participating California transit locations. A separate Electrical Incident Response workshop will prepare personnel to respond safely to electric shock and arc flash emergencies.
Immersed Technologies provides this training through its High Voltage for Transit Essentials program. To schedule high-voltage training for your agency, contact Immersed Technologies.