Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
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.
MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES
A wage reference for United States.
Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.
Source wage group: Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.
May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.
Median annual wage$61,770USD per year · Published 50th percentile
Median hourly wage$29.70USD per hour · Published 50th percentile
Annual wage thresholds
USD per year
Hourly wage thresholds
USD per hour
| Percentile | Annual wage (USD/year) | Hourly wage (USD/hour) |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $44,530 | $21.41 |
| 25th | $50,540 | $24.30 |
| 50th · Median | $61,770 | $29.70 |
| 75th | $75,470 | $36.29 |
| 90th | $88,740 | $42.66 |
“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.
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Compare 51 state/DC wage marketsTHE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE
What this career involves.
Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.
Selected title examples
Biodiesel Engine SpecialistBoat Diesel Motor MechanicBoat Engine InstallerBoat Engine MechanicBoat MechanicBus Engine MechanicBus Garage MechanicBus MechanicBus Motor MechanicBus OverhaulerBus Transmission MechanicBus Tune-Up Mechanic
Expand more title examples (48)
Diesel Engine ErectorDiesel Engine FitterDiesel Engine MechanicDiesel Fleet Mechanic Tech (Diesel Fleet Mechanic Technician)Diesel MachinistDiesel MechanicDiesel Mechanic Tech (Diesel Mechanic Technician)Diesel Motor MechanicDiesel Service TechnicianDiesel Technician (Diesel Tech)Diesel Tractor Engine MechanicDiesel Truck MechanicDiesel Truck Tech (Diesel Truck Technician)Engine Maintenance MechanicEngine MechanicFarm Equipment Engine MechanicFarm Implement Engine MechanicFarm Machinery Engine MechanicFleet MechanicFleet Technician (Fleet Tech)General Repair MechanicHeavy Diesel MechanicHeavy Duty Diesel MechanicHeavy Duty MechanicHeavy Equipment Diesel MechanicHeavy Equipment Engine MechanicHeavy Truck MechanicHeavy Wheel Vehicle MechanicIndustrial Truck MechanicLocomotive MechanicMaintenance MechanicMarine Diesel MechanicMarine Diesel TechnicianMarine Engine MachinistMarine Engine MechanicMobile Diesel MechanicMobile Diesel Tech (Mobile Diesel Technician)Motor Coach MechanicMotor MechanicOil Field Equipment MechanicOrdnance Truck Installation MechanicPetrol Construction Maintenance MechanicPower Generation Equipment RepairerPower Generator Equipment RepairerRailroad Engine MechanicRailroad Motor MechanicRailroad Transmission MechanicRailroad Tune-Up Mechanic
Typical 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.
- Perform routine maintenance such as changing oil, checking batteries, and lubricating equipment and machinery.
Expand more tasks (20)
- 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.
- Rewire ignition systems, lights, and instrument panels.
- Test drive trucks and buses to diagnose malfunctions or to ensure that they are working properly.
- Diagnose and repair vehicle heating and cooling systems.
- 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.
- Disassemble and overhaul internal combustion engines, pumps, generators, transmissions, clutches, and differential units.
- Adjust or repair computer controlled exhaust emissions devices.
- Rebuild gas or diesel engines.
- Specialize in repairing and maintaining parts of the engine, such as fuel injection systems.
- Recondition and replace parts, pistons, bearings, gears, and valves.
- Install or repair accessories.
- Repair or adjust seats, doors, or windows.
- Dismount, mount, and repair or replace tires.
- Align front ends and suspension systems.
- 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.
- Follow green operational practices involving conservation of water or energy or reduction of solid waste.
- Operate valve-grinding machines to grind and reset valves.
Skills used in this work
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Expand more skills (29)
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
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