Skilled Trades
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.
Median salary (BLS)
$61,770
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$45k – $89k
Job outlook
+2% (about average)
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $70,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
Education
Typical entry: No degree (trade/license)
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
Entry / Junior
$44,530
~2 yrs to advance
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
Established
$61,770
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
Senior
$75,255
Key skills
A typical day
- •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.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.