How To Become A Diesel Machinist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a diesel machinist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a diesel machinist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.06 an hour? That's $39,653 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 3,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreDiesel MachinistUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,653

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.49%

Asian 5.61%

Black or African American 3.06%

Hispanic or Latino 9.87%

Unknown 3.71%

White 77.26%

Gender

female 2.63%

male 97.37%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a diesel machinist

Explore diesel machinist education requirements

Most common diesel machinist degrees

High School Diploma

33.3 %

Associate

33.3 %

Bachelor's

13.3 %

Start to develop specific diesel machinist skills

Skills	Percentages
Locomotives	40.67%
FRA	34.72%
Troubleshoot	24.61%

Complete relevant diesel machinist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New diesel machinists 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 a diesel machinist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real diesel machinist resumes.

Research diesel machinist duties and responsibilities

Manage output according to company quality standards and corresponding ISO certification.
Perform periodic service on locomotives.
Retrofit new safety systems to older model locomotives.
Work closely with management and engineering staff to ensure efficient and safe methods are utilized in producing high quality aerospace components.

Prepare your diesel machinist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your diesel machinist 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 a diesel machinist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable diesel machinist resume templates

Build a professional diesel machinist 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 diesel machinist resume.