Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

Moderate Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (2)

Lower estimated automation risk

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Why it fits

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34% automation risk | Low Risk
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Why it fits

Applies vehicle electrical systems, diagnostics, wiring, sensors, test equipment, safety, and repair notes.

Alternative careers

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Why it fits

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Why it fits

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Occupation snapshot

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
5.4/10
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.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

42% (Moderate Risk)

Moderate Risk (41-60%): This occupation may be meaningfully affected by automation. Some parts of the role may be suitable for AI, software, or robotics, while others still rely on human skill, judgement, trust, or real-world context. People in this range may benefit from building skills that complement automation and reduce replacement risk.

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

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Thinking creatively

Quite important
Why this matters
Coming up with original ideas and designs—creating new concepts, products, systems, or artistic work. This kind of open-ended invention and taste-based judgment is harder to automate end-to-end than routine, rule-based tasks.
Jobs that also use this strength

Decision-making and problem solving

Quite important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
Jobs that also use this strength

Developing objectives and strategies

Quite important
Why this matters
Sets long-term goals and chooses strategies and actions to reach them, weighing tradeoffs and adapting plans as conditions change.
Jobs that also use this strength

Education and training expertise

Quite important
Why this matters
Designing and delivering instruction—adapting lessons to different learners and measuring whether training actually works.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 134 votes

30% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 42% 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

Based on user votes over time

View sentiment trend

How opinions have changed over time

Pay & outlook

Wages

Moderately paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists was $60,640 ($29 per hour).

The median annual wage for Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists was 22.5% higher than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Moderate growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists' job openings is expected to rise 2.4% by 2034

View employment trend

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.

Volume

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 287,230 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 536 people are employed as 'Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists'.

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What people are saying (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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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.

O*NET-SOC code: 49-3031.00