Description
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul buses and trucks, or maintain and repair any type of diesel engines. Includes mechanics working primarily with automobile or marine diesel engines.
Interests
- Realistic
- Conventional
- Investigative
Work Values
- Support
- Relationships
- Achievement
Work Styles
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Analytical Thinking
- Initiative
- Integrity
Tasks
- Use handtools, such as screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, pressure gauges, or precision instruments, as well as power tools, such as pneumatic wrenches, lathes, welding equipment, or jacks and hoists.
- Inspect brake systems, steering mechanisms, wheel bearings, and other important parts to ensure that they are in proper operating condition.
- Raise trucks, buses, and heavy parts or equipment using hydraulic jacks or hoists.
- Adjust and reline brakes, align wheels, tighten bolts and screws, and reassemble equipment.
- Attach test instruments to equipment, and read dials and gauges to diagnose malfunctions.
Work Activities
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Getting Information
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
Detailed Work Activities
- Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
- Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
- Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
- Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
- Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
- Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
- Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
- Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
- Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Technology Skills
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Facilities management software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Spreadsheet software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Abilities
- Near Vision
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Finger Dexterity
- Manual Dexterity
- Control Precision
Skills
- Repairing
- Troubleshooting
- Operations Monitoring
- Equipment Maintenance
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge
- Mechanical
- Transportation
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
Most Common Education Level
The “Most Common Education Level” refers to the level of education held by the majority of workers in a given occupation. For example, if the highest percentage of workers in a role have an Associate’s Degree, that suggests this is the typical educational requirement. Knowing this helps you plan how many years of education you may need to pursue that career.
Certificates
Certificate name
Medium/Heavy Truck Technician: Diesel EnginesCertifying Organization
National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence
Type
Specialty
Certificate name
Fire Apparatus Technician Level IICertifying Organization
Emergency Vehicle Technician Certification Commission, Inc.
Type
Advanced
Certificate name
Transit Bus Certification - H5 Suspension & SteeringCertifying Organization
National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence
Type
Specialty
Certificate name
School Bus Certification - S1 Body Systems & Special EquipmentCertifying Organization
National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence
Type
Specialty
Certificate name
Transit Bus Certification - H6 Electrical/Electronic SystemsCertifying Organization
National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence
Type
Specialty
Income Percentile
The income percentiles show how earnings are distributed within a profession. The 10th percentile means that 10% of workers earned less than that amount. The median (50th percentile) indicates that half of workers earned more, and half earned less. The 90th percentile reflects what the top 10% of earners in the field make.
| Income Percentile | Annual Income |
|---|---|
| Low (10%) | $48,476 |
| Median (50%) | $58,816 |
| High (90%) | $68,825 |
Income by Experience
This table shows how income typically grows with experience—from entry level (0–2 years), to mid-level (3–5 years), to senior level (6–8 years), to expert level (8+ years).
| Experience | Income |
|---|---|
Entry Level  | $54,527 |
| Mid Level | $62,708 |
| Senior Level | $67,339 |
| Expert Level | $68,966 |
Employability
There are currently 300,200 jobs in this career path. Over the next 10 years, that number is expected to increase to 308,700 positions, reflecting a projected growth of 3%.
The Projected Job Growth figure refers to the expected increase or decrease in employment within a specific career field over a certain period of time.
Projected Job Growth of 3%
Related Careers
The career information and data on this site incorporates information from O*NET Web Services, Lightcast, CareerOneStop, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). For more details regarding the data sources and the specific information sourced, click here.
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