How To Become A Shovel Mechanic: What It Is and Career Path

What is a shovel mechanic and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a shovel mechanic. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.64 an hour? That's $47,081 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 17,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreShovel MechanicUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,081

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.68%

Asian 1.59%

Black or African American 3.79%

Hispanic or Latino 11.53%

Unknown 3.68%

White 78.73%

Gender

female 0.00%

male 100.00%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a shovel mechanic

Explore shovel mechanic education requirements

Most common shovel mechanic degrees

High School Diploma

45.5 %

Associate

27.3 %

Certificate

18.2 %

Start to develop specific shovel mechanic skills

Skills	Percentages
Shovels	33.23%
Cranes	25.75%
MSHA	15.66%
Lube	14.80%
Electrical Systems	4.58%

Complete relevant shovel mechanic training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New shovel 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 shovel mechanic based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real shovel mechanic resumes.

Research shovel mechanic duties and responsibilities

Begin teardown to determine problems with operation or places showing abnormal wear and tear.
Document repairs, modifications and inspections in accordance with FAA requirements on both paper and in an automate maintenance information database.
Plan and schedule preventive maintenance for mine equipment.
Perform preventive daily maintenance following a schedule maintenance schedule.

Prepare your shovel mechanic resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your shovel 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 shovel 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 shovel mechanic resume templates

Build a professional shovel 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 shovel mechanic resume.