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The differences between heavy truck mechanics and shop 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 truck mechanic and a shop technician. Additionally, a heavy truck mechanic has an average salary of $49,777, which is higher than the $36,798 average annual salary of a shop technician.
The top three skills for a heavy truck mechanic include CDL, diagnosis and OSHA. The most important skills for a shop technician are preventative maintenance, routine maintenance, and diagnosis.
| Heavy Truck Mechanic | Shop Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $49,777 | $36,798 |
| Hourly rate | $23.93 | $17.69 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 83,972 | 150,349 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Heavy truck mechanics repair and maintain trucks. They are responsible for the inspection, diagnosis, and repair of brake systems. They may work on include engines, transmissions, electrical components, or steering systems. Typically, they work for freight companies, truck manufacturers, local government agencies, or repair shops. To be a heavy truck mechanic, they must be physically strong and have the ability to be able to work in noisy environments.
Shop Technicians are skilled workers assigned to a retail store. Their main activities depend on the nature of the business their company is in. Usually, Shop Technicians work with machines in the shop. They conduct repair and maintenance work for machines that have long been in the shop. They are also in charge of installing and building new machines as well. Shop Technicians are assigned to manage records of such machines or s other mechanical items in the store. This is part of the administrative activities they may do for the shop.
Heavy truck mechanics and shop technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Heavy Truck Mechanic | Shop Technician | |
| Average salary | $49,777 | $36,798 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $66,000 | Between $25,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anaheim, CA | San Leandro, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Hunter Contracting | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Energy |
There are a few differences between a heavy truck mechanic and a shop technician in terms of educational background:
| Heavy Truck Mechanic | Shop Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between heavy truck mechanics' and shop technicians' demographics:
| Heavy Truck Mechanic | Shop Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.6% Female, 2.4% | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 2.5% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |