Career: Heavy Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Technicians
The heavy vehicles used in industries like mining, logging, drilling, and construction include bulldozers, cranes, graders, and backhoes. These giants take on industrial and transportation work that’s as big as they are.
The technicians who work on such equipment use tools that range from simple wrenchs to sophisticated handheld diagnostic computers. Technicians make sure that every part of a heavy vehicle, including the hydraulic pumps used to lift materials, functions safely and efficiently.
Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment technicians maintain and repair the engines, hydraulics, transmissions, and electrical systems that power heavy vehicles and mobile equipment.
Did You Know?
- Through hydraulic parts, which use liquid under pressure, heavy vehicles can lift huge loads. Knowing how to repair these parts is a must for most technicians.
Are You Ready To...?
- Use a handheld diagnostic computer to make a repair
- Adjust a system by typing codes into an onboard computer
- Dismantle a bulldozer’s engine to clean and lubricate it
- Examine a hydraulic component for a fluid leak or ruptured hose
It Helps to Be...
Interested in new technologies. The parts in heavy vehicles and mobile equipment change constantly -- and you'll need to keep pace.
Make High School Count
- Take a shop class to pick up practical repair experience and try your hand at welding.
- Sign up for electronics. Since heavy equipment increasingly uses electronic and computer-controlled systems, that knowledge will come in very useful.
- Build solid reading skills. You'll need to understand complicated service manuals and written instructions.
Did You Know?
- Many technicians invest thousands of dollars in their own hand tools.
Outlook
Government economists expect jobs for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment technicians to grow as fast as the average for all careers through 2016. Jobs should grow with the growth of industries like construction, mining, and logging.
Many job openings will arise when workers retire. Keep in mind, though, that construction and highway repair jobs depend on a strong economy. If the economy is weak, you may have trouble finding work.
Compensation
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that the average yearly salary in 2008 for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment technicians, except for engines was $44,300.
