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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.

What you’d do

  • 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.
  • Perform routine maintenance such as changing oil, checking batteries, and lubricating equipment and machinery.
  • Examine and adjust protective guards, loose bolts, and specified safety devices.
  • Inspect, test, and listen to defective equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using test instruments such as handheld computers, motor analyzers, chassis charts, or pressure gauges.

Skills that matter

  • Repairing
  • Troubleshooting
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Critical Thinking
  • Quality Control Analysis

How to get there

Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

Also called

  • Bus Mechanic
  • Diesel Mechanic
  • Diesel Technician (Diesel Tech)
  • Truck Mechanic
  • Fleet Mechanic
  • General Repair Mechanic

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