Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
What is a light wheel mechanic and how to become one
A light wheel mechanic is responsible for inspecting, maintaining, and repairing the mechanical parts of various small vehicles, like cars and vans. As the name suggests, their primary responsibility is to perform maintenance and recovery operations on light-wheeled vehicles and associated items. Although, sometimes they help in the maintenance of heavy vehicles as well.
Some of their duties include inspections and troubleshooting vehicle automotive systems, performing maintenance on internal vehicle components such as the engine, replacing light-wheel vehicle parts, preparing automobiles for operation, detailing, and testing car components for any defects. No formal education is required, however, a high school diploma or GED is beneficial for the role. Most employers provide on-the-job training, but it's essential to have some previous experience in vehicle maintenance.
The job may require flexibility with working hours. This leniency is rewarded with an average hourly salary of $21.22, which is $44,142 annually. The career is expected to grow 5% and create more job opportunities across the United States.
Avg. Salary $41,948
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 4%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.07%
Asian 2.47%
Black or African American 9.00%
Hispanic or Latino 17.36%
Unknown 5.02%
White 65.08%
Genderfemale 12.63%
male 87.37%
Age - 42American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 42Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is intermediate
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Light wheel mechanic career paths
Key steps to become a light wheel mechanic
Explore light wheel mechanic education requirements
Start to develop specific light wheel mechanic skills
Skills Percentages Mechanical Problems 35.82% Electrical Systems 21.29% Equipment Systems 18.32% MOS 9.00% Track Vehicles 8.76% Complete relevant light wheel mechanic training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New light wheel mechanics learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a light wheel mechanic based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real light wheel mechanic resumes.Research light wheel mechanic duties and responsibilities
- Manage projects dot compliance and driver logs.
- DOT inspections on assign vehicles.
- Install and run hydrolic lines.
- Complete basic training and additional AIT training.
Prepare your light wheel mechanic resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your light wheel mechanic resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a light wheel mechanic resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable light wheel mechanic resume templates
Build a professional light wheel mechanic resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your light wheel mechanic resume.
Apply for light wheel mechanic jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a light wheel mechanic job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first light wheel mechanic job
Are you a light wheel mechanic?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average light wheel mechanic salary
The average light wheel mechanic salary in the United States is $41,948 per year or $20 per hour. Light wheel mechanic salaries range between $25,000 and $67,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do light wheel mechanics rate their job?
Light wheel mechanic reviews
Dealing with management and unqualified coworkers
Pay is minimal for your knowledge. Hours are better for white collar professionals. Have to buy your own tools with witch you could have bought your home with and no one cares. Treated as a second rate individual because you said "I'm an automotive mechanic." Expected to be perfect from customers who wonder why you didn't get it fixed on the first try when MD's almost never get it right. Expected to be an expert on over 60k types of automobiles that change every friggan year.....want more? If I had the choice to do it all over again I'd go into politics so I could rip off ppl every day and get rich and no one would ever complain.
People looking over me when they can’t do the jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
