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The differences between trailer mechanics and shop 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 trailer mechanic and a shop technician. Additionally, a trailer mechanic has an average salary of $42,569, which is higher than the $36,798 average annual salary of a shop technician.
The top three skills for a trailer mechanic include CDL, hand tools and work ethic. The most important skills for a shop technician are preventative maintenance, routine maintenance, and diagnosis.
| Trailer Mechanic | Shop Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $42,569 | $36,798 |
| Hourly rate | $20.47 | $17.69 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 86,057 | 150,349 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 52% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A trailer mechanic specializes in providing repair services on large vehicles such as trailers, semi-trucks, and tractors. Their responsibilities revolve around liaising with clients to identify their needs, inspecting machinery and electrical systems, diagnosing issues, conducting fixes and replacements, and explaining the extent of damage or repairs to clients. There are also instances where they must devise testing strategies, ensuring compliance with the government's policies. Furthermore, a trailer mechanic must maintain regular maintenance checks on vehicles to ensure the safety of operators and the efficiency of workflow.
Shop Technicians are skilled workers assigned to a retail store. Their main activities depend on the nature of the business their company is in. Usually, Shop Technicians work with machines in the shop. They conduct repair and maintenance work for machines that have long been in the shop. They are also in charge of installing and building new machines as well. Shop Technicians are assigned to manage records of such machines or s other mechanical items in the store. This is part of the administrative activities they may do for the shop.
Trailer mechanics and shop technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Trailer Mechanic | Shop Technician | |
| Average salary | $42,569 | $36,798 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $55,000 | Between $25,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Billerica, MA | San Leandro, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Dayton Freight | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Energy |
There are a few differences between a trailer mechanic and a shop technician in terms of educational background:
| Trailer Mechanic | Shop Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 52% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between trailer mechanics' and shop technicians' demographics:
| Trailer Mechanic | Shop Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 98.0% Female, 2.0% | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 2.5% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |