Diesel technicians repair diesel engines and do other maintenance on the vehicles that use these engines. This role requires education, experience, and hard work. Service techs in this industry must keep up to date with new technologies and industry regulations and new tools required to diagnose and maintain these engines. The average entry level diesel mechanic salary is about $40,000 a year. With a few years of experience, this salary can go up considerably. A mechanic will usually be paid by the hour, so the yearly total might vary a bit from year to year.

There are a lot of new and open positions in this field, which creates high demand for skilled diesel mechanics. Some industries and engines are more in demand and thus mean more job opportunities. Training isn’t required by any means, but it definitely gives you a leg up on the competition when searching for a job. It will also make it easier to get certified, which will mean better jobs and better pay. Businesses put a lot of weight on education and certification, so keep that in mind.

Sometimes mechanics may end up working basically on commission where they earn a certain amount per job completed. But, these roles still usually have a minimum salary that the company will pay. Both salaried and commission jobs generally have health insurance and other benefits.

In either type of job you could work on a huge range of machines from farm tractors to semi trucks. If you get a job with the government, you’ll probably find yourself working on military vehicles…but you could also simply be maintaining a fleet of civilian government vehicles. There are a lot of industry changes lately due to new regulations, so great diesel mechanic jobs and advancement potential are all around for people who keep up with these new technologies.

Good companies will try to have programs in place where you can get continuing education to keep up with these technologies without having to pay full price for it. Sometimes companies will cover the training fully, other times they may offer to pay for a portion of the cost. Companies may also pay for your membership in special associations like the Association of Diesel Specialists.

Still, if you expect to get a job you’ll need to have some base level of knowledge about a variety of machines and specific engines. You’ll need to know the ins and outs of how a diesel engine works, including each subsystem. This way you’ll be able to diagnose problems effectively. In addition to all of this diesel specific knowledge, you’ll need some “jack of all trades” skills such as welding and machining.

There’s a lot of science and engineering that goes into vehicles and specifically diesel engines. Our country can’t operate without them, which makes the role of the diesel technician very important. It is because of this importance that diesel technicians are in such demand. The good news for you is that it also means a higher salary!

 
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