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.
- O*NET-SOC code
49-3031.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$61,770
Employment, U.S.289,960
Median hourly wage$29.70
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $44,530 | $50,540 | $61,770 | $75,470 | $88,740 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 6,130 | $50,470 | 1.55 |
| Alaska | 860 | $75,580 | 1.41 |
| Arizona | 5,140 | $61,680 | 0.85 |
| Arkansas | 4,090 | $52,330 | 1.68 |
| California | 20,940 | $73,950 | 0.62 |
| Colorado | 4,600 | $70,480 | 0.86 |
| Connecticut | 2,860 | $67,300 | 0.90 |
| Delaware | 670 | $63,590 | 0.74 |
| District of Columbia | 110 | $65,200 | 0.08 |
| Florida | 14,900 | $60,490 | 0.80 |
| Georgia | 10,910 | $61,370 | 1.20 |
| Hawaii | 690 | $80,080 | 0.59 |
| Idaho | 1,930 | $59,230 | 1.21 |
| Illinois | 11,320 | $64,340 | 1.00 |
| Indiana | 8,840 | $60,610 | 1.48 |
| Iowa | 4,140 | $59,680 | 1.42 |
| Kansas | 3,300 | $59,460 | 1.23 |
| Kentucky | 3,890 | $55,480 | 1.04 |
| Louisiana | 3,270 | $58,680 | 0.91 |
| Maine | 1,380 | $60,850 | 1.15 |
| Maryland | 3,030 | $74,790 | 0.59 |
| Massachusetts | 4,870 | $73,270 | 0.72 |
| Michigan | 9,020 | $61,420 | 1.10 |
| Minnesota | 7,300 | $66,840 | 1.33 |
| Mississippi | 3,140 | $54,360 | 1.45 |
| Missouri | 6,780 | $59,360 | 1.24 |
| Montana | 1,230 | $59,990 | 1.29 |
| Nebraska | 2,720 | $59,140 | 1.43 |
| Nevada | 1,990 | $68,410 | 0.69 |
| New Hampshire | 1,040 | $71,390 | 0.82 |
| New Jersey | 8,160 | $72,340 | 1.02 |
| New Mexico | 1,740 | $55,910 | 1.07 |
| New York | 13,230 | $70,100 | 0.73 |
| North Carolina | 11,070 | $57,490 | 1.20 |
| North Dakota | 1,790 | $66,110 | 2.23 |
| Ohio | 14,240 | $60,470 | 1.38 |
| Oklahoma | 3,970 | $55,340 | 1.25 |
| Oregon | 3,770 | $63,970 | 1.03 |
| Pennsylvania | 12,630 | $61,740 | 1.12 |
| Rhode Island | 350 | $67,270 | 0.38 |
| South Carolina | 3,360 | $59,330 | 0.78 |
| South Dakota | 1,340 | $58,120 | 1.57 |
| Tennessee | 5,720 | $59,190 | 0.94 |
| Texas | 29,870 | $58,810 | 1.14 |
| Utah | 2,690 | $64,350 | 0.83 |
| Vermont | 550 | $59,390 | 0.98 |
| Virginia | 8,070 | $61,090 | 1.05 |
| Washington | 7,410 | $77,900 | 1.12 |
| West Virginia | 1,040 | $46,610 | 0.80 |
| Wisconsin | 6,750 | $62,450 | 1.23 |
| Wyoming | 1,100 | $61,580 | 2.10 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics | 1-2 | 0.975 |
| 2 | Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians | 3 | 0.974 |
| 3 | Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 3 | 0.968 |
| 4 | Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines | 3 | 0.966 |
| 5 | Wind Turbine Service Technicians | 3 | 0.966 |
| 6 | Ship Engineers | 3 | 0.964 |
| 7 | Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation | 1-2 | 0.964 |
| 8 | Motorcycle Mechanics | 3 | 0.962 |
| 9 | Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers | 3 | 0.962 |
| 10 | Automotive Body and Related Repairers | 1-2 | 0.960 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ship Engineers | Operation and Control | 0.76 | 0.964 |
| Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers | Installation | 1.00 | 0.962 |
| Millwrights | Installation | 1.50 | 0.958 |
| Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics | Installation | 1.50 | 0.957 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | Operation and Control | 0.88 | 0.957 |
| Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians | Service Orientation | 0.88 | 0.955 |
| Geothermal Technicians | Installation | 1.24 | 0.951 |
| Boilermakers | Operation and Control | 0.76 | 0.950 |
| Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | Installation | 1.50 | 0.950 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | Installation | 1.24 | 0.947 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists, excluding software Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Computerized maintenance management system CMMS | 5 of 20 | 7.7x |
| Programmable logic controller PLC software | 3 of 20 | 6.6x |
| Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software | 4 of 20 | 3.0x |
| Microsoft Outlook | 14 of 20 | 1.0x |
| Microsoft Windows | 5 of 20 | 1.0x |
| Structured query language SQL | 3 of 20 | 0.9x |
| Web browser software | 7 of 20 | 0.7x |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 11 of 20 | 0.8x |
| Microsoft Access | 4 of 20 | 0.5x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 3.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 3.25 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.50 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.75 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.25 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.75 | 1.25 |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | 4.74 | 6.02 |
| Transportation | 3.88 | 4.39 |
| Education and Training | 3.54 | 4.19 |
| English Language | 3.51 | 3.49 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.42 | 3.20 |
| Mathematics | 3.28 | 3.09 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.27 | 3.63 |
| Administration and Management | 3.02 | 2.62 |
| Production and Processing | 2.95 | 2.76 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.90 | 2.97 |
| Physics | 2.82 | 3.22 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.78 | 3.08 |
| Chemistry | 2.74 | 3.20 |
| Design | 2.70 | 2.54 |
| Law and Government | 2.54 | 2.04 |
| Building and Construction | 2.49 | 2.94 |
| Telecommunications | 2.48 | 1.81 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.40 | 1.55 |
| Psychology | 2.31 | 2.37 |
| Communications and Media | 2.20 | 1.90 |
| Biology | 2.10 | 2.07 |
| Geography | 1.99 | 1.43 |
| Administrative | 1.98 | 1.38 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.78 | 1.10 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.67 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.67 | 1.08 |
| Food Production | 1.61 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.51 | not rated |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.40 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.33 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.29 | not rated |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.29 | 0.48 |
| Foreign Language | 1.16 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Near Vision | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.88 | 3.62 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.88 | 3.25 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.88 | 3.25 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Control Precision | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.62 | 3.50 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.62 | 3.38 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.62 | 3.25 |
| Extent Flexibility | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Information Ordering | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Trunk Strength | 3.38 | 3.12 |
| Visualization | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.12 | 3.75 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Auditory Attention | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Oral Expression | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Depth Perception | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Far Vision | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Static Strength | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Reaction Time | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Written Comprehension | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Category Flexibility | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Time Sharing | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Response Orientation | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Stamina | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Originality | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Sound Localization | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Written Expression | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Rate Control | 2.62 | 2.25 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.12 | 2.25 |
| Memorization | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Number Facility | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Night Vision | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Peripheral Vision | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Spatial Orientation | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.88 | 1.25 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.25 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Autodesk AutoCAD hot
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- SAP software hot
- Computerized maintenance management system software CMMS
- Cummins INSITE
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Database software
- Engine diagnostic software
- Fleet management software
- Inventory tracking software
- Scheduling software
- Shop management software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laredo, TX | 760 | 3.70 | $48,270 |
| Savannah, GA | 1,260 | 3.40 | $72,770 |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | 440 | 3.20 | Not available |
| Odessa, TX | 420 | 2.76 | $61,560 |
| Midland, TX | 580 | 2.55 | $61,810 |
| Minot, ND | 160 | 2.52 | $72,800 |
| Dothan, AL | 270 | 2.42 | $50,500 |
| Casper, WY | 170 | 2.30 | $65,780 |
| Lima, OH | 210 | 2.29 | $62,450 |
| Farmington, NM | 200 | 2.28 | $52,000 |