Heavy vehicle technician vs alignment technician

The differences between heavy vehicle 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 vehicle technician and an alignment technician. Additionally, an alignment technician has an average salary of $38,020, which is higher than the $38,006 average annual salary of a heavy vehicle technician.

The top three skills for a heavy vehicle technician include DOT, hand tools and CDL. The most important skills for an alignment technician are customer service, hand tools, and power steering.

Heavy vehicle technician vs alignment technician overview

	Heavy Vehicle Technician	Alignment Technician
Yearly salary	$38,006	$38,020
Hourly rate	$18.27	$18.28
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	108,284	143,585
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Heavy vehicle technician vs alignment technician salary

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

	Heavy Vehicle Technician	Alignment Technician
Average salary	$38,006	$38,020
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $51,000	Between $25,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	Foster City, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Bruce Transportation Group	-
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between heavy vehicle technician and alignment technician education

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

	Heavy Vehicle Technician	Alignment Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Heavy vehicle technician vs alignment technician demographics

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

	Heavy Vehicle Technician	Alignment Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6%	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.2% 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 vehicle technician and alignment technician duties and responsibilities

Heavy vehicle technician example responsibilities.

Hire specifically to test and troubleshoot main components and sub assemblies.
Work though rotation of all branches of auto troubleshooting, diagnosis, and repair.
Assign with diagnosis and repair of chassis, electrical, hydraulic and water pump systems.
Inspect, test, troubleshoot, repair and adjust electrical, hydraulic, fire control, mechanical and firing systems.
Demonstrate dependability and reliability by being punctual, working assign shifts, and completing responsibilities in a timely manner.
repair vehicles for a/c brakes, hybrid vehicles, transmissions, electronic and computer diag

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 vehicle technician vs alignment technician skills

Common heavy vehicle technician skills

DOT, 12%
Hand Tools, 11%
CDL, 10%
Diagnosis, 5%
Electrical Troubleshooting, 4%
Preventive Maintenance, 4%

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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Installation, Maintenance and Repair Industry
Heavy Vehicle Technician
Heavy Vehicle Technician vs Alignment Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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