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The differences between heavy duty mechanics and mechanic's assistants 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 mechanic's assistant. Additionally, a heavy duty mechanic has an average salary of $49,563, which is higher than the $41,533 average annual salary of a mechanic's assistant.
The top three skills for a heavy duty mechanic include CDL, hand tools and preventive maintenance. The most important skills for a mechanic's assistant are preventative maintenance, hand tools, and OSHA.
| Heavy Duty Mechanic | Mechanic's Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $49,563 | $41,533 |
| Hourly rate | $23.83 | $19.97 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 51,609 | 40,249 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| 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 mechanics assistant job involves assisting mechanics in operating, repairing, and refurbishing vehicles. Primarily, mechanics assistants work on the installation, repair, and replacement of an automobile's mechanical parts. They need to be knowledgeable of the processes and composition of automobiles. Also, they execute the opening and closing tasks in stores. The skillset for this position includes a strong work ethic, diagnostic skills, problem-solving, prior experience, customer service skills, and resourcefulness.
Heavy duty mechanics and mechanic's assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Heavy Duty Mechanic | Mechanic's Assistant | |
| Average salary | $49,563 | $41,533 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $66,000 | Between $27,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Granite Construction | ASRC Federal |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Energy |
There are a few differences between a heavy duty mechanic and a mechanic's assistant in terms of educational background:
| Heavy Duty Mechanic | Mechanic's Assistant | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between heavy duty mechanics' and mechanic's assistants' demographics:
| Heavy Duty Mechanic | Mechanic's Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2% | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% |
| 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, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 2.3% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |