Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

Moderate Risk
42%

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Vote Comments (8)
AUTOMATION RISK
CALCULATED
52%
(Moderate Risk)
POLLING
31%
(Low Risk, Based on 129 votes)
Average: 42%
LABOR DEMAND
GROWTH
2.8%
by year 2033
WAGES
$58,970
or $28.35 per hour
Volume
285,030
as of 2023
SUMMARY
What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
5.3/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

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Calculated automation risk

52% (Moderate Risk)

Moderate Risk (41-60%): Occupations with a moderate risk of automation usually involve routine tasks but still require some human judgment and interaction.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Some very important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions

Some quite important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Manual Dexterity

  • Finger Dexterity

User poll

31% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. However, the automation risk level we have generated suggests a higher chance of automation: 52% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

The following graph is shown where there are enough votes to produce meaningful data. It displays user poll results over time, providing a clear indication of sentiment trends.

Sentiment over time (yearly)

Growth

Slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists' job openings is expected to rise 2.8% by 2033

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Wages

Moderately paid relative to other professions

In 2023, the median annual wage for 'Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists' was $58,970, or $28 per hour

'Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists' were paid 22.7% higher than the national median wage, which stood at $48,060

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Volume

Significantly greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2023 there were 285,030 people employed as 'Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists' within the United States.

This represents around 0.19% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 532 people are employed as 'Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists'.

Job description

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.

SOC Code: 49-3031.00

Comments (8)

Leave a comment
Leeroy (Low)
26 Oct 2023 16:50
Diagnosis is already widely aided by computers and AI, but to replace the physical technician would be more money than its worth right now. Androids aren't quite there yet.
Charlie J Sierra (Low)
11 Sep 2022 07:58
Unless the entire configuration of trucks and buses is redesigned, a robot cannot handle the complexity of tasks involved in heavy vehicle maintenance.

Sure, if the drivetrain is replaced with batteries and electric motors, a large part of a mechanic's routine work will be eliminated. This would result in a decrease in the number of mechanics needed in a workshop. However, even then, the chance of automation replacing all mechanical repair work is 30% or less.

No robot exists that could undertake even the relatively simple task of replacing a headlight bulb, let alone diagnosing a problem such as "vibration at 55 km/h".
Brett Coker (Low)
24 Aug 2022 17:57
A Diesel Technician is a job that requires very specific movements and positions that a machine will likely not be able to reach.

Also, in the case of a catastrophic mechanical failure, certain steps must be taken depending on the kind of failure. This too, is very difficult for machines to accomplish.
Fraser Proudfoot (Highly likely)
22 May 2022 23:22
Everything is going electric. I've seen it first hand.
Walker Ryan
14 Jul 2024 05:14
I have to disagree, electric power is not practical for long haul truckers because the batteries are heavy, the range is sub-par, and the time it takes to refuel a diesel truck compared to recharging even the most advanced electric vehicle isn’t practical for distance driving. Not to mention the lack of infrastructure to charge.
Jason (No chance)
04 Nov 2021 23:07
There's absolutely no way a robot will be able to think out of the box as effectively as humans can to solve a problem
Dee Snuts (No chance)
27 Mar 2020 19:42
Machines don't have advanced enough AI to diagnose and solve problems
EC
25 Dec 2020 04:12
Unless machines make machines that they are able to repair and maintain yea they'll take over but before that its gonna be a very long time because humans always fight off opps, humans are kind of like the honey badgers of the universe except we destroy our own habitats
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