Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between oilers and preventive maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an oiler and a preventive maintenance technician. Additionally, an oiler has an average salary of $41,034, which is higher than the $40,935 average annual salary of a preventive maintenance technician.
The top three skills for an oiler include preventative maintenance, oiling and lube. The most important skills for a preventive maintenance technician are customer service, hand tools, and HVAC.
| Oiler | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,034 | $40,935 |
| Hourly rate | $19.73 | $19.68 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 215 | 170,517 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 52% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An Oiler applies or puts lubricants, oil, or fuel on vehicles, motors, or machines. Besides monitoring and recording gage readings, an Oiler also helps professional engineers to start and operate machinery. These professionals service vehicles, motors, or machines from time to time and help skilled engineers maintain, repair, and overhaul them. Other duties performed by oilers include cleaning and maintaining the engine room, repairing and welding the engine part and deck, and recording all the engine department's tasks.
A preventive maintenance technician performs routine facility maintenance to prevent possible mechanical failure. The technicians change worn out machine parts before they can cause mechanical damage. They keep the facility operating. It is their job to conduct quality assessments, maintain inventory, and schedule repairs. Also, they see to it that machines are up and running at all times. They are expected to be equipped with skills in customer service, problem-solving, reading comprehension, business operation, and mechanical aptitude.
Oilers and preventive maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Oiler | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,034 | $40,935 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $72,000 | Between $31,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Owatonna, MN |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Kiewit |
| Best paying industry | - | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an oiler and a preventive maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Oiler | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 52% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | General Studies | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between oilers' and preventive maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Oiler | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.3% Female, 8.7% | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 2.7% White, 68.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 2% |