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The differences between heavy duty mechanics and diesel mechanics can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a heavy duty mechanic and a diesel mechanic. Additionally, a diesel mechanic has an average salary of $49,842, which is higher than the $49,563 average annual salary of a heavy duty mechanic.
The top three skills for a heavy duty mechanic include CDL, hand tools and preventive maintenance. The most important skills for a diesel mechanic are CDL, preventative maintenance, and DOT.
| Heavy Duty Mechanic | Diesel Mechanic | |
| Yearly salary | $49,563 | $49,842 |
| Hourly rate | $23.83 | $23.96 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 51,609 | 85,684 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Heavy-duty mechanics are skilled employees who are responsible for providing repairs and maintenance of mobile heavy-duty construction equipment. These mechanics must perform inspections on equipment such as bulldozers, cranes, and other heavy construction equipment to detect faults and malfunctions to ensure proper performance. They must test the repaired equipment to ensure that the repair works meet the specifications of the manufacturers. Heavy-duty mechanics must also provide a safe working environment and take special precautions to protect themselves against work-related injuries.
A diesel mechanic is a skilled technician responsible for the checking, maintenance, and repair of diesel engines. Diesel mechanics duties also include regular inspections of vehicles upon customer's request to ensure the smooth performance of the machine, communicate on any system issue that might cause malfunctions, and provide any replacement to renovate a damaged part of the engine. A diesel mechanic must be highly-knowledgeable on everything related to diesel engines to provide the best, long-term solutions for the customers.
Heavy duty mechanics and diesel mechanics have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Heavy Duty Mechanic | Diesel Mechanic | |
| Average salary | $49,563 | $49,842 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $66,000 | Between $37,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Granite Construction | Hensel Phelps |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Energy |
There are a few differences between a heavy duty mechanic and a diesel mechanic in terms of educational background:
| Heavy Duty Mechanic | Diesel Mechanic | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between heavy duty mechanics' and diesel mechanics' demographics:
| Heavy Duty Mechanic | Diesel Mechanic | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2% | Male, 96.3% Female, 3.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |