Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul mobile mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment, such as cranes, bulldozers, graders, and conveyors, used in construction, logging, and mining.
Most important skills
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Equipment Maintenance
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Equipment Selection
- Quality Control Analysis
- Critical Thinking
Key knowledge
- Mechanical
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mathematics
- Computers and Electronics
- Public Safety and Security
- Building and Construction
- English Language
- Transportation
What the work involves
- Test mechanical products and equipment after repair or assembly to ensure proper performance and compliance with manufacturers' specifications.
- Repair and replace damaged or worn parts.
- Operate and inspect machines or heavy equipment to diagnose defects.
- Diagnose faults or malfunctions to determine required repairs, using engine diagnostic equipment such as computerized test equipment and calibration devices.
- Dismantle and reassemble heavy equipment using hoists and hand tools.
- Clean, lubricate, and perform other routine maintenance work on equipment and vehicles.
- Examine parts for damage or excessive wear, using micrometers and gauges.
- Schedule maintenance for industrial machines and equipment, and keep equipment service records.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Post-Secondary Certificate (54.6% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (34.1%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (25.9%)
- 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 Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines 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 | 50% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Moderate | Lower on dealing with the public than 50% of occupations compared | 31% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Teamwork | Moderate | Higher on teamwork than 50% of occupations compared | 57% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Moderate | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 57% of occupations compared | 48% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Moderate | Higher on time pressure than 56% of occupations compared | 49% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Conflict situations | Very low | Lower on conflict situations than 80% of occupations compared | 31% of surveyed respondents chose “Never” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Moderate | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 50% of occupations compared | 39% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 74% of occupations compared | 43% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: moderate
- 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: 4.49%
- Contact with others about half the time: 14.24%
- Contact with others most of the time: 31.11%
- Constant contact with others: 50.16%
n = 48, Incumbent 07/2017
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 11.74%
- Fairly important: 15.62%
- Important: 25.1%
- Very important: 16.1%
- Extremely important: 31.44%
n = 48, Incumbent 07/2017
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 7.09%
- Fairly important: 0.89%
- Important: 3.46%
- Very important: 31.56%
- Extremely important: 57%
n = 48, Incumbent 07/2017
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 8.1%
- Limited freedom: 11.11%
- Some freedom: 33.27%
- A lot of freedom: 47.52%
n = 49, Incumbent 07/2017
Time pressure
- Never: 4.32%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 1.15%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 18.64%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 49.4%
- Every day: 26.49%
n = 48, Incumbent 07/2017
Conflict situations
- Never: 31.24%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 27.78%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 12.38%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 27.51%
- Every day: 1.1%
n = 49, Incumbent 07/2017
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 12.43%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 38.49%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 9.99%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 39.1%
- Every day: 0%
n = 49, Incumbent 07/2017
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 15.32%
- Fairly serious: 9.49%
- Serious: 19.95%
- Very serious: 12.08%
- Extremely serious: 43.16%
n = 49, Incumbent 07/2017
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O*NET-SOC 49-3042.00 · SOC 49-3042 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8