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The differences between alignment technicians and service technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an alignment technician, becoming a service technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a service technician has an average salary of $40,379, which is higher than the $38,020 average annual salary of an alignment technician.
The top three skills for an alignment technician include customer service, hand tools and power steering. The most important skills for a service technician are plumbing, customer service, and preventative maintenance.
| Alignment Technician | Service Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $38,020 | $40,379 |
| Hourly rate | $18.28 | $19.41 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 143,585 | 254,533 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Alignment Technicians are responsible for the alignment process of wheels and tires of a vehicle. Their duties include completing work repair orders, driving vehicles to the wheel alignment rack, and administering regular tests of the bent axle, bent steering rods, worn ball joints, and faulty wheel alignment. They are also involved in straightening axles, adjusting shims, straightening steering rods, and joining pins to undertake new parts installation or wheel alignment. They also perform counterweights hammering, shock absorber installations, and frame straightening. Other duties may include ensuring work complies with factory standards, attending product training by the manufacturer, and safely operating equipment and tools.
Service technicians are assigned in the field to address the concerns of their clients. Service technicians are responsible for the installation, maintenance, or repair of different units or items related to their company's products or services. They should be familiar with their company's products so that they can properly install, maintain, or repair them. They conduct diagnostics and analysis to assess the condition of the unit they are servicing and properly address problems. They also do routine maintenance check-ups. Service technicians are expected to be trustworthy, have good analytical skills, and have good decision-making skills.
Alignment technicians and service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Alignment Technician | Service Technician | |
| Average salary | $38,020 | $40,379 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $57,000 | Between $28,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | IBM |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between an alignment technician and a service technician in terms of educational background:
| Alignment Technician | Service Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between alignment technicians' and service technicians' demographics:
| Alignment Technician | Service Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1% | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 1% |