How To Become A Transmission Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a transmission technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Julia Johnson

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a transmission technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.28 an hour? That's $42,179 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 10,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a transmission technician?

Julia Johnson

Professor, Automotive Technology, Skyline College

You will be starting out as a Lube Tech for your first job in the automotive industry. You will be expected to perform maintenance services accurately and within the industry standard timeframe. It may seem like it’s not challenging enough or too repetitive, but you will be expected to prove yourself at this level before you can advance.

ScoreTransmission TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,179

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.7

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.80%

Asian 4.94%

Black or African American 9.45%

Hispanic or Latino 18.87%

Unknown 4.23%

White 61.72%

Gender

female 6.32%

male 93.68%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress level

7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.2

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a transmission technician

Explore transmission technician education requirements

Most common transmission technician degrees

Associate

33.1 %

High School Diploma

30.8 %

Bachelor's

18.8 %

Start to develop specific transmission technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	36.27%
Hand Tools	9.10%
Shop Equipment	8.78%
Chrysler	8.37%
Diagnosis	7.81%

Complete relevant transmission technician training and internships

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

Research transmission technician duties and responsibilities

Tap and install high pressure taps.
Complete rebuild and dyno test each transmission.
Inspect machinery, troubleshoot issues, and document findings.
Perform clutch, manual transmissions and other driveline repairs.

Prepare your transmission technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your transmission technician 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 transmission technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable transmission technician resume templates

Build a professional transmission technician 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 transmission technician resume.