Car inspector vs emissions testing technician

The differences between car inspectors and emissions testing technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a car inspector and an emissions testing technician. Additionally, an emissions testing technician has an average salary of $48,515, which is higher than the $39,325 average annual salary of a car inspector.

The top three skills for a car inspector include safety equipment, rail cars and troubleshoot. The most important skills for an emissions testing technician are emission test, DOT, and dynamometers.

Car inspector vs emissions testing technician overview

	Car Inspector	Emissions Testing Technician
Yearly salary	$39,325	$48,515
Hourly rate	$18.91	$23.32
Growth rate	-3%	1%
Number of jobs	22,555	25,097
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	Associate Degree, 37%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

Car inspector vs emissions testing technician salary

Car inspectors and emissions testing technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Car Inspector	Emissions Testing Technician
Average salary	$39,325	$48,515
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $66,000	Between $31,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between car inspector and emissions testing technician education

There are a few differences between a car inspector and an emissions testing technician in terms of educational background:

	Car Inspector	Emissions Testing Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	Associate Degree, 37%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Car inspector vs emissions testing technician demographics

Here are the differences between car inspectors' and emissions testing technicians' demographics:

	Car Inspector	Emissions Testing Technician
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 82.5% Female, 17.5%	Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.6% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 7.0% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 7.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between car inspector and emissions testing technician duties and responsibilities

Car inspector example responsibilities.

Operate specialize off-highway motor vehicles including forklifts and ATV's.
Inspect new Chrysler vehicles, look for damage move them from one spot to another, log in damages and shipping ..
Conduct dimensional and visual inspections procedures on CMM machines to ensure geometrical characteristics of the product are in specification.
Inspect certify pre own eligibility vehicles at Toyota and Lexus automotive dealers.

Emissions testing technician example responsibilities.

Operate dynamometers on diesel engines, testing emission systems for``on and off"road application.
Work with thermocouple installation as well as wiring harness troubleshooting and run complex testing and sequences set-ups.
Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
Repair or replace shock absorbers.

Car inspector vs emissions testing technician skills

Common car inspector skills

Safety Equipment, 23%
Rail Cars, 11%
Troubleshoot, 9%
Oil Changes, 5%
Torches, 4%
MTA, 4%

Common emissions testing technician skills

Emission Test, 42%
DOT, 25%
Dynamometers, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Vehicle Emissions, 8%
EPA, 6%

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Car Inspector vs Emissions Testing Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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