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The differences between heavy duty mechanics and electricians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a heavy duty mechanic, becoming an electrician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a heavy duty mechanic has an average salary of $49,563, which is higher than the $48,850 average annual salary of an electrician.
The top three skills for a heavy duty mechanic include CDL, hand tools and preventive maintenance. The most important skills for an electrician are hand tools, electrical equipment, and run conduit.
| Heavy Duty Mechanic | Electrician | |
| Yearly salary | $49,563 | $48,850 |
| Hourly rate | $23.83 | $23.49 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 51,609 | 17,245 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.86 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
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.
An electrician is a skilled tradesman in charge of wirings and systems which provide electric power to a facility. They are trained to design, install, maintain, and troubleshoot electrical wiring systems. There are four basic types of an electrician - residential wiremen, inside wiremen, telecommunications electrician, and outside linemen. Some work on a standard 40-hour week shift while others are on-call duty. In some cases, traveling is also a vital key to their role where they would work for a few days before moving to another location.
Heavy duty mechanics and electricians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Heavy Duty Mechanic | Electrician | |
| Average salary | $49,563 | $48,850 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $66,000 | Between $32,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Granite Construction | PBF Energy |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a heavy duty mechanic and an electrician in terms of educational background:
| Heavy Duty Mechanic | Electrician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between heavy duty mechanics' and electricians' demographics:
| Heavy Duty Mechanic | Electrician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2% | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% |
| 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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 2.2% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 3% |