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What is an alignment technician and how to become one
Primarily, an alignment technician is responsible for aligning wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automotive vehicles in line with dealership and factory standards.
As an alignment technician, you'll be required to perform work using the repair orders to ensure efficiency and accuracy. You'll test vehicles for faulty wheel alignment, bent axle, worn ball joints, and bent steering rods. You'll inspect, diagnose, and repair tires and conduct various vehicle alignments. Also, you'll install shock absorbers, hammer counterweights onto the rim of a wheel, and straighten frames with a hydraulic jack, chassis aligner, and acetylene torch.
If you have a high school diploma or its equivalent with at least a year of related work experience, you can apply for this position. You must possess communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills. You must also have a valid driver's license. Alignment technicians earn an average salary of 38,261 per annum. The range varies from $23,000 to $63,000.
Avg. Salary $38,020
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 1%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%
Asian 5.75%
Black or African American 8.40%
Hispanic or Latino 18.87%
Unknown 4.39%
White 61.73%
Genderfemale 4.11%
male 95.89%
Age - 39American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 39Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Alignment technician career paths
Key steps to become an alignment technician
Explore alignment technician education requirements
Start to develop specific alignment technician skills
Skills Percentages Customer Service 38.59% Hand Tools 34.49% Power Steering 10.44% Customer Vehicles 6.44% Customer Satisfaction 3.53% Complete relevant alignment technician training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New alignment technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an alignment technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real alignment technician resumes.Research alignment technician duties and responsibilities
- Repair wheels using grinders, sanders and paint equipment.
- Straighten bend or damage alloy wheels.
- Assist with MIG welding and exhaust work.
- Perform all general lube and oil filter changes.
Prepare your alignment technician resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your alignment technician resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an alignment technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable alignment technician resume templates
Build a professional alignment technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your alignment technician resume.
Apply for alignment technician jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an alignment technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first alignment technician job
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Average alignment technician salary
The average alignment technician salary in the United States is $38,020 per year or $18 per hour. Alignment technician salaries range between $25,000 and $57,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do alignment technicians rate their job?
Alignment technician reviews
Love the challenge to diagnose those insane offbeat issues that just don't fit into the everyday problems
Pay is minimal for your knowledge. Hours are better for white collar professionals. Have to buy your own tools with witch you could have bought your home with and no one cares. Treated as a second rate individual because you said "I'm an automotive mechanic." Expected to be perfect from customers who wonder why you didn't get it fixed on the first try when MD's almost never get it right. Expected to be an expert on over 60k types of automobiles that change every friggan year.....want more? If I had the choice to do it all over again I'd go into politics so I could rip off ppl every day and get rich and no one would ever complain.
Lubrication exchanging of car spare parts like brake pads gear box chloch pods and other spare parts of the car.
I don't like while am working somebody speaking to me.
The work is enjoyable if you like working with your hands and aren’t afraid o manual labor.
The pay, flat rate pay is not worth it in most cases and benefits, what benefits? Lol
Updated January 8, 2025
