Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

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.

Also Known As:

Bus Mechanic Diesel Mechanic Diesel Technician (Diesel Tech) Fleet Mechanic General Repair Mechanic Heavy Truck Mechanic Service Technician Trailer Mechanic Transit Mechanic Truck Mechanic

Wages

Hourly

Annual wages for Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists in United States

Job Outlook Below Average

New job opportunities are less likely in the future

United States 2034 Projected Employment

327,700

2% Change From 2024

Explore Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists video

Tasks you might complete in a day.

Inspect, repair, and maintain automotive and mechanical equipment and machinery, such as pumps and compressors.
Dismount, mount, and repair or replace tires.
Repair or adjust seats, doors, or windows.
Follow green operational practices involving conservation of water or energy or reduction of solid waste.
Rebuild gas or diesel engines.
Specialize in repairing and maintaining parts of the engine, such as fuel injection systems.
Align front ends and suspension systems.
Install or repair accessories.
Dismount, mount, and repair or replace tires.
Raise trucks, buses, and heavy parts or equipment using hydraulic jacks or hoists.
Inspect, test, and listen to defective equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using test instruments such as handheld computers, motor analyzers, chassis charts, or pressure gauges.
Inspect, test, and listen to defective equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using test instruments such as handheld computers, motor analyzers, chassis charts, or pressure gauges.
Rewire ignition systems, lights, and instrument panels.
Adjust and reline brakes, align wheels, tighten bolts and screws, and reassemble equipment.
Diagnose and repair vehicle heating and cooling systems.
Test drive trucks and buses to diagnose malfunctions or to ensure that they are working properly.
Inspect, repair, and maintain automotive and mechanical equipment and machinery, such as pumps and compressors.
Inspect and verify dimensions and clearances of parts to ensure conformance to factory specifications.
Inspect and verify dimensions and clearances of parts to ensure conformance to factory specifications.
Disassemble and overhaul internal combustion engines, pumps, generators, transmissions, clutches, and differential units.
Operate valve-grinding machines to grind and reset valves.
Repair or adjust seats, doors, or windows.
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.
Perform routine maintenance such as changing oil, checking batteries, and lubricating equipment and machinery.
Inspect, test, and listen to defective equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using test instruments such as handheld computers, motor analyzers, chassis charts, or pressure gauges.
Install or repair accessories.
Disassemble and overhaul internal combustion engines, pumps, generators, transmissions, clutches, and differential units.
Adjust or repair computer controlled exhaust emissions devices.
Adjust or repair computer controlled exhaust emissions devices.
Recondition and replace parts, pistons, bearings, gears, and valves.
Recondition and replace parts, pistons, bearings, gears, and valves.
Maintain or repair vehicles with alternative fuel systems, including biodiesel, hybrid, or compressed natural gas vehicles.
Measure vehicle emissions to determine whether they are within acceptable limits.
Diagnose and repair vehicle heating and cooling systems.
Perform routine maintenance such as changing oil, checking batteries, and lubricating equipment and machinery.
Attach test instruments to equipment, and read dials and gauges to diagnose malfunctions.
Examine and adjust protective guards, loose bolts, and specified safety devices.

Subject areas you may need to master.

Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

Strengths you may need in this role.

Management of Financial Resources - Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Instructing - Teaching people how to do something.
Persuasion - Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Active Listening - Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Operation and Control - Using equipment or systems.
Quality Control Analysis - Testing how well a product or service works.
Monitoring - Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Troubleshooting - Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Speaking - Talking to others.
Social Perceptiveness - Understanding people's reactions.
Coordination - Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Systems Analysis - Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Management of Material Resources - Managing equipment and materials.
Critical Thinking - Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Time Management - Managing your time and the time of other people.
Science - Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Installation - Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Complex Problem Solving - Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Operations Analysis - Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Mathematics - Using math to solve problems.
Judgment and Decision Making - Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Reading Comprehension - Reading work-related information.
Active Learning - Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Learning Strategies - Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Service Orientation - Looking for ways to help people.
Negotiation - Bringing people together to solve differences.
Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Writing - Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Equipment Maintenance - Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Technology Design - Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Programming - Writing computer programs.
Management of Personnel Resources - Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Systems Evaluation - Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Equipment Selection - Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Deductive Reasoning - Using rules to solve problems.
Reaction Time - Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Gross Body Equilibrium - Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Mathematical Reasoning - Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Perceptual Speed - Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Problem Sensitivity - Noticing when problems happen.
Manual Dexterity - Holding or moving items with your hands.
Oral Expression - Communicating by speaking.
Originality - Creating new and original ideas.
Explosive Strength - Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Control Precision - Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Trunk Strength - Using your lower back and stomach.
Sound Localization - Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Response Orientation - Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Speech Recognition - Recognizing spoken words.
Visual Color Discrimination - Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Time Sharing - Doing two or more things at the same time.
Extent Flexibility - Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Information Ordering - Ordering or arranging things.
Category Flexibility - Grouping things in different ways.
Number Facility - Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Flexibility of Closure - Seeing hidden patterns.
Oral Comprehension - Listening and understanding what people say.
Fluency of Ideas - Coming up with lots of ideas.
Inductive Reasoning - Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Written Comprehension - Reading and understanding what is written.
Selective Attention - Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Multilimb Coordination - Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Dynamic Strength - Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Glare Sensitivity - Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Gross Body Coordination - Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Peripheral Vision - Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Far Vision - Seeing details that are far away.
Hearing Sensitivity - Telling the difference between sounds.
Auditory Attention - Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Near Vision - Seeing details up close.
Finger Dexterity - Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Speed of Limb Movement - Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Rate Control - Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Depth Perception - Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Memorization - Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Speed of Closure - Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Spatial Orientation - Knowing where things are around you.
Visualization - Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Written Expression - Communicating by writing.
Wrist-Finger Speed - Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Arm-Hand Steadiness - Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Static Strength - Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Stamina - Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Dynamic Flexibility - Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Night Vision - Seeing at night or under low light.
Speech Clarity - Speaking clearly.