Construction equipment mechanic vs forklift technician

The differences between construction equipment mechanics and forklift technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a construction equipment mechanic and a forklift technician. Additionally, a construction equipment mechanic has an average salary of $45,161, which is higher than the $43,589 average annual salary of a forklift technician.

The top three skills for a construction equipment mechanic include hand tools, diesel engines and loaders. The most important skills for a forklift technician are troubleshoot, preventative maintenance, and safety procedures.

Construction equipment mechanic vs forklift technician overview

	Construction Equipment Mechanic	Forklift Technician
Yearly salary	$45,161	$43,589
Hourly rate	$21.71	$20.96
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	74,365	179,388
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a construction equipment mechanic do?

Construction equipment mechanics repair and service various construction machines like tractors, paving machines, bulldozers, etc. Most construction machines run on engines using diesel fuel instead of gasoline and require special repair training. These mechanics work by testing the machines to identify the source of these mechanical issues and start repairing or replacing the parts. They conduct routine inspections on machines and maintenance by oiling hinges, tightening bolts, and replacing worn-out parts to prevent accidents from happening while in use.

What does a forklift technician do?

Primarily, a forklift technician services and monitors forklifts and any other heavy industrial vehicles. Forklift technicians maintain tools, communicate with the salespeople, handle inventory, and utilize computer-based diagnostics on any equipment. Typically, they work in repair shops doing repair and troubleshooting tasks. They repair, rewire, and troubleshoot the electrical, electronic, and mechanical problems of vehicles. Among their other duties and responsibilities are shop analysis, equipment modification, diagnostics, electronic system troubleshooting.

Construction equipment mechanic vs forklift technician salary

Construction equipment mechanics and forklift technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Construction Equipment Mechanic	Forklift Technician
Average salary	$45,161	$43,589
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $63,000	Between $31,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	-
Best paying company	City of Los Angeles	-
Best paying industry	Transportation	-

Differences between construction equipment mechanic and forklift technician education

There are a few differences between a construction equipment mechanic and a forklift technician in terms of educational background:

	Construction Equipment Mechanic	Forklift Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Construction equipment mechanic vs forklift technician demographics

Here are the differences between construction equipment mechanics' and forklift technicians' demographics:

	Construction Equipment Mechanic	Forklift Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3%	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 1.7% White, 73.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	1%	1%

Differences between construction equipment mechanic and forklift technician duties and responsibilities

Construction equipment mechanic example responsibilities.

Maintain and manage shop for parts, supplies and priority in jobs and cleanliness.
Work with cranes, scrapers, trench-digging machines, forklifts, bucket loaders, and bulldozers.
Perform preventive maintenance on heavy construction equipment, heavy lift fork loaders and power generation equipment for the DOL installation.
Work on construction equipment such as D9 bulldozers, seven and a half and twenty ton cranes, and earth scrapers.
Pave and maintain concrete and asphalt roads, runways, etc.
Perform asphalt and concrete cement street work, and electrical conduit construction.

Forklift technician example responsibilities.

Organize and preform OSHA inspections for overhead hoists.
Pick outbound orders using AS400 RF system using FIFO.
Load and unload trucks by hand with Forklift/double forks.
Employ wide variety of hand and power tools including hoists, drills, precision measuring instruments and electrical testing devices.
Perform on-site field maintenance, quarterly calibrations, and major repairs to heavy machinery such as cranes, man-lifts and forklifts.
Position lifting device under, over, or around load pallets and secure materials or products for transport to designate area.

Construction equipment mechanic vs forklift technician skills

Common construction equipment mechanic skills

Hand Tools, 14%
Diesel Engines, 7%
Loaders, 7%
Cranes, 7%
End Loaders, 7%
Graders, 5%

Common forklift technician skills

Troubleshoot, 70%
Preventative Maintenance, 3%
Safety Procedures, 3%
Hand Tools, 3%
General Repairs, 2%
OSHA, 2%

Construction Equipment Mechanic vs. similar jobs

Construction Equipment Mechanic related careers

Construction Equipment Mechanic related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Installation, Maintenance and Repair Industry
Construction Equipment Mechanic
Construction Equipment Mechanic vs Forklift Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse installation, maintenance and repair jobs