It would be interesting to ask those same technicians what they torque lugnuts to when reinstalling wheels. I bet they spit out a value of something like '85 ft-lbs" instead of stating that "it varies from vehicle to vehicle." Again, that would demonstrate a decision out of convenience/laziness. The wheel stud torque specifications are another item that can vary significantly from one vehicle to the next, yet determining the correct manufacture's recommended value is not always trivial to find and therefore few technicians likely get it right.