Motor vehicle inspector vs emissions testing technician

The differences between motor vehicle inspectors and emissions testing 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 motor vehicle inspector and an emissions testing technician. Additionally, an emissions testing technician has an average salary of $48,515, which is higher than the $44,145 average annual salary of a motor vehicle inspector.

The top three skills for a motor vehicle inspector include vehicle inspections, safety inspections and motor vehicle. The most important skills for an emissions testing technician are emission test, DOT, and dynamometers.

Motor vehicle inspector vs emissions testing technician overview

	Motor Vehicle Inspector	Emissions Testing Technician
Yearly salary	$44,145	$48,515
Hourly rate	$21.22	$23.32
Growth rate	-	1%
Number of jobs	18,516	25,097
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Associate Degree, 37%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

Motor vehicle inspector vs emissions testing technician salary

Motor vehicle inspectors and emissions testing technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Motor Vehicle Inspector	Emissions Testing Technician
Average salary	$44,145	$48,515
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $75,000	Between $31,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between motor vehicle inspector and emissions testing technician education

There are a few differences between a motor vehicle inspector and an emissions testing technician in terms of educational background:

	Motor Vehicle Inspector	Emissions Testing Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Associate Degree, 37%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Motor vehicle inspector vs emissions testing technician demographics

Here are the differences between motor vehicle inspectors' and emissions testing technicians' demographics:

	Motor Vehicle Inspector	Emissions Testing Technician
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 81.9% Female, 18.1%	Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 7.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between motor vehicle inspector and emissions testing technician duties and responsibilities

Motor vehicle inspector example responsibilities.

Score driving tests for chauffer, passenger and CDL endorsement.
Enforce complex federal, state and agency policies to ensure conformance with establish regulations concerning eligibility factors regarding compliance.
Diagnose and troubleshot vehicle malfunctions.

Emissions testing technician example responsibilities.

Operate dynamometers on diesel engines, testing emission systems for``on and off"road application.
Work with thermocouple installation as well as wiring harness troubleshooting and run complex testing and sequences set-ups.
Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
Repair or replace shock absorbers.

Motor vehicle inspector vs emissions testing technician skills

Common motor vehicle inspector skills

Vehicle Inspections, 34%
Safety Inspections, 13%
Motor Vehicle, 10%
Federal Laws, 9%
CDL, 6%
Commercial Vehicles, 5%

Common emissions testing technician skills

Emission Test, 42%
DOT, 25%
Dynamometers, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Vehicle Emissions, 8%
EPA, 6%

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Motor Vehicle Inspector
Motor Vehicle Inspector vs Emissions Testing Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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