Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul buses and trucks, or maintain and repair any type of diesel engines. Includes mechanics working primarily with automobile or marine diesel engines.
Most important skills
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Operations Monitoring
- Equipment Maintenance
- Critical Thinking
- Quality Control Analysis
- Speaking
- Equipment Selection
Key knowledge
- Mechanical
- Transportation
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Mathematics
- Computers and Electronics
- Administration and Management
What the work involves
- Use handtools, such as screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, pressure gauges, or precision instruments, as well as power tools, such as pneumatic wrenches, lathes, welding equipment, or jacks and hoists.
- Inspect brake systems, steering mechanisms, wheel bearings, and other important parts to ensure that they are in proper operating condition.
- Perform routine maintenance such as changing oil, checking batteries, and lubricating equipment and machinery.
- Adjust and reline brakes, align wheels, tighten bolts and screws, and reassemble equipment.
- Raise trucks, buses, and heavy parts or equipment using hydraulic jacks or hoists.
- Test drive trucks and buses to diagnose malfunctions or to ensure that they are working properly.
- Inspect, test, and listen to defective equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using test instruments such as handheld computers, motor analyzers, chassis charts, or pressure gauges.
- Examine and adjust protective guards, loose bolts, and specified safety devices.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Post-Secondary Certificate (39.5% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (35.1%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (41.1%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Moderate | Lower on contact with others than 59% of occupations compared | 51% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Low | Lower on dealing with the public than 69% of occupations compared | 32% of surveyed respondents chose “Important” |
| Teamwork | Low | Lower on teamwork than 79% of occupations compared | 41% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Moderate | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 56% of occupations compared | 45% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | High | Higher on time pressure than 67% of occupations compared | 40% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | Very low | Lower on conflict situations than 80% of occupations compared | 50% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Moderate | Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 59% of occupations compared | 36% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 70% of occupations compared | 31% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: high
- Conflict situations: very low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
- Consequence of error: high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 5.9%
- Contact with others about half the time: 12.21%
- Contact with others most of the time: 30.5%
- Constant contact with others: 51.38%
n = 27, Incumbent 08/2022
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 20.46%
- Fairly important: 12.63%
- Important: 31.59%
- Very important: 25.91%
- Extremely important: 9.41%
n = 27, Incumbent 08/2022
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 17.7%
- Important: 11.03%
- Very important: 40.66%
- Extremely important: 30.61%
n = 27, Incumbent 08/2022
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 7%
- Limited freedom: 24.06%
- Some freedom: 23.9%
- A lot of freedom: 45.04%
n = 27, Incumbent 08/2022
Time pressure
- Never: 4.04%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 4.44%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 12.02%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 39.43%
- Every day: 40.07%
n = 27, Incumbent 08/2022
Conflict situations
- Never: 18.62%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 49.79%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 5.68%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 25.91%
- Every day: 0%
n = 27, Incumbent 08/2022
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 10.62%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 36.04%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 13.58%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 29.37%
- Every day: 10.38%
n = 27, Incumbent 08/2022
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 5.89%
- Fairly serious: 21.94%
- Serious: 24.71%
- Very serious: 16.19%
- Extremely serious: 31.27%
n = 26, Incumbent 08/2022
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O*NET-SOC 49-3031.00 · SOC 49-3031 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8