Heavy line technician vs alignment technician

The differences between heavy line technicians and alignment technicians 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 line technician and an alignment technician. Additionally, a heavy line technician has an average salary of $40,911, which is higher than the $38,020 average annual salary of an alignment technician.

The top three skills for a heavy line technician include R, ASE and automotive repair. The most important skills for an alignment technician are customer service, hand tools, and power steering.

Heavy line technician vs alignment technician overview

	Heavy Line Technician	Alignment Technician
Yearly salary	$40,911	$38,020
Hourly rate	$19.67	$18.28
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	125,376	143,585
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Heavy line technician vs alignment technician salary

Heavy line technicians and alignment technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Heavy Line Technician	Alignment Technician
Average salary	$40,911	$38,020
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $64,000	Between $25,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between heavy line technician and alignment technician education

There are a few differences between a heavy line technician and an alignment technician in terms of educational background:

	Heavy Line Technician	Alignment Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Heavy line technician vs alignment technician demographics

Here are the differences between heavy line technicians' and alignment technicians' demographics:

	Heavy Line Technician	Alignment Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 97.6% Female, 2.4%	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 24.0% Asian, 4.4% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between heavy line technician and alignment technician duties and responsibilities

Heavy line technician example responsibilities.

Inspect cars, service and repairs specializing in BMW repairs, manage shop, price and order parts, customer service
Overhaul engines, transmission, diesel engine repair, air brakes, A/C, Underbody and electrical diagnosing.
Supervise and train less experience personnel in operation of laboratory standards, developing calibration procedures and OSHA safety policies.
Light repair - HVAC, electrical including airbag, brakes, engine repair/replacement, suspension, maintenance.

Alignment technician example responsibilities.

Repair wheels using grinders, sanders and paint equipment.
Straighten bend or damage alloy wheels.
Assist with MIG welding and exhaust work.
Perform all general lube and oil filter changes.
Used a grinder and DA sanders to remove damage from rims.
Clean and resize bearing fillet and dust guard seat using various grinders.

Heavy line technician vs alignment technician skills

Common heavy line technician skills

R, 17%
ASE, 14%
Automotive Repair, 13%
Repair Orders, 8%
Manual Transmission, 8%
Customer Vehicles, 8%

Common alignment technician skills

Customer Service, 39%
Hand Tools, 34%
Power Steering, 10%
Customer Vehicles, 6%
Customer Satisfaction, 4%
Diagnosis, 1%

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Heavy Line Technician
Heavy Line Technician vs Alignment Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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