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How to become a diesel mechanic
Most diesel technicians learn on the job after high school, though employers may prefer a postsecondary diesel program, and industry certification may be required. Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists earned a median $61,770 a year in May 2025, and BLS projects 3.6% growth in the job count from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,400 openings a year. Typical entry education: high school diploma or equivalent.
The steps
- Finish high school or the equivalent. Most employers require a diploma or equivalent. High school or postsecondary courses in automotive repair, electronics and math provide a strong educational background.
BLS wording
“Most employers require a high school diploma or equivalent. High school or postsecondary courses in automotive repair, electronics, and mathematics provide a strong educational background for a career as a diesel technician.”
- Consider a diesel certificate or degree program. Some employers may prefer candidates with postsecondary education in diesel engine repair. Some community colleges and vocational-technical schools offer certificate or degree programs in it, which mix classroom instruction with hands-on training.
BLS wording
“Some employers may prefer to hire candidates with postsecondary education in diesel engine repair. Some community colleges and vocational-technical schools offer certificate or degree programs in diesel engine repair. These programs mix classroom instruction with hands-on training and include learning the basics of diesel technology, repair techniques and equipment, and practical exercises.”
- Train on the job. Technicians who start without postsecondary education are trained extensively on the job. They begin with basic tasks and, once they learn routine work and show competence, move on to more complicated subjects such as vehicle diagnostics.
BLS wording
“Diesel technicians who begin working without any postsecondary education are trained extensively on the job. Trainees are assigned basic tasks, such as cleaning parts, checking fuel and oil levels, and driving vehicles in and out of the shop. After they learn routine maintenance and repair tasks and demonstrate competence, trainees move on to more complicated subjects, such as vehicle diagnostics.”
- Certification and a CDL, where needed. Employers may require or prefer certification, which demonstrates competence and may bring higher pay. It may take previous experience and requires passing an exam. Test-driving buses and large trucks may require a commercial driver's license.
BLS wording
“Employers may require or prefer that their diesel technicians become certified. Having industry certifications demonstrates competence and may bring higher pay. To become certified, diesel technicians may need previous experience and must pass an exam. ... Diesel technicians might need a commercial driver's license to test-drive buses and large trucks.”
Steps follow the Occupational Outlook Handbook: Diesel Service Technicians and Mechanics, read 2026-09-23.
How long it takes
Most technicians learn on the job after high school, and those who start without postsecondary education are trained extensively on the job; the Handbook classes the on-the-job training as long-term, and employers may prefer candidates who have completed a postsecondary diesel program.
What it costs
No state license fee is sourced here for diesel mechanics.
License requirements by state
Do you need a license? Certification where an employer requires it, and possibly a commercial driver's license to test-drive buses and large trucks. No state licensing records are sourced here for diesel mechanics; the 51 state pages carry pay and employment.
Apprenticeships
The Handbook describes extensive on-the-job training for technicians who start without postsecondary education and does not describe an apprenticeship. The federal Apprenticeship Finder searches apprenticeship openings by occupation and by city, state or ZIP code. Apprenticeship Finder →
BLS wording
“Diesel technicians who begin working without any postsecondary education are trained extensively on the job.”
U.S. Department of Labor records list 942 registered apprentices active across the 50 states and DC in fiscal year 2024 under the occupation titles DOL maps to bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists; the state pages give each state's count and, where enough apprentices carry a wage DOL counts, the median starting and completing wages (how they are counted). Apprentice counts and wages in every state → · what those wages come to at your hours a week →
What diesel mechanics earn, by state
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (SOC 49-3031) earned a national median of $61,770 a year in May 2025, $29.70 an hour, with 289,960 employed. Hawaii paid the most, $80,080, 30% above the national median.
Top five by median annual wage: Hawaii ($80,080), Washington ($77,900), Alaska ($75,580), Maryland ($74,790), California ($73,950). Lowest five: West Virginia ($46,610), Alabama ($50,470), Arkansas ($52,330), Mississippi ($54,360), Oklahoma ($55,340).
| # | State | Median annual | Median hourly | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employed | Per 1,000 jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $80,080 | $38.50 | $54,330 | $100,540 | 690 | 1.1 |
| 2 | Washington | $77,900 | $37.45 | $54,720 | $102,800 | 7,410 | 2.1 |
| 3 | Alaska | $75,580 | $36.34 | $52,000 | $98,610 | 860 | 2.6 |
| 4 | Maryland | $74,790 | $35.96 | $50,010 | $97,800 | 3,030 | 1.1 |
| 5 | California | $73,950 | $35.55 | $47,180 | $96,730 | 20,940 | 1.1 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $73,270 | $35.23 | $49,400 | $99,460 | 4,870 | 1.3 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $72,340 | $34.78 | $49,140 | $94,150 | 8,160 | 1.9 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $71,390 | $34.32 | $52,730 | $99,590 | 1,040 | 1.5 |
| 9 | Colorado | $70,480 | $33.89 | $47,450 | $96,450 | 4,600 | 1.6 |
| 10 | New York | $70,100 | $33.70 | $48,360 | $90,090 | 13,230 | 1.4 |
| 11 | Nevada | $68,410 | $32.89 | $48,770 | $97,720 | 1,990 | 1.3 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $67,300 | $32.36 | $45,260 | $97,220 | 2,860 | 1.7 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $67,270 | $32.34 | $51,020 | $85,420 | 350 | 0.7 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $66,840 | $32.14 | $49,810 | $90,520 | 7,300 | 2.5 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $66,110 | $31.78 | $46,790 | $91,520 | 1,790 | 4.2 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $65,200 | $31.34 | $49,930 | $93,040 | 110 | 0.2 |
| 17 | Utah | $64,350 | $30.94 | $46,970 | $83,140 | 2,690 | 1.6 |
| 18 | Illinois | $64,340 | $30.93 | $44,760 | $97,670 | 11,320 | 1.9 |
| 19 | Oregon | $63,970 | $30.76 | $47,690 | $90,700 | 3,770 | 1.9 |
| 20 | Delaware | $63,590 | $30.57 | $49,250 | $82,650 | 670 | 1.4 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $62,450 | $30.02 | $45,250 | $82,210 | 6,750 | 2.3 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $61,740 | $29.68 | $45,910 | $80,440 | 12,630 | 2.1 |
| 23 | Arizona | $61,680 | $29.65 | $45,460 | $84,350 | 5,140 | 1.6 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $61,580 | $29.61 | $45,140 | $80,400 | 1,100 | 3.9 |
| 25 | Michigan | $61,420 | $29.53 | $45,240 | $81,010 | 9,020 | 2.0 |
| 26 | Georgia | $61,370 | $29.50 | $45,890 | $85,260 | 10,910 | 2.2 |
| 27 | Virginia | $61,090 | $29.37 | $45,250 | $79,150 | 8,070 | 2.0 |
| 28 | Maine | $60,850 | $29.26 | $45,760 | $79,450 | 1,380 | 2.1 |
| 29 | Indiana | $60,610 | $29.14 | $44,160 | $79,730 | 8,840 | 2.8 |
| 30 | Florida | $60,490 | $29.08 | $44,300 | $79,210 | 14,900 | 1.5 |
| 31 | Ohio | $60,470 | $29.07 | $44,860 | $78,120 | 14,240 | 2.6 |
| 32 | Montana | $59,990 | $28.84 | $44,880 | $77,700 | 1,230 | 2.4 |
| 33 | Iowa | $59,680 | $28.69 | $43,710 | $80,080 | 4,140 | 2.7 |
| 34 | Kansas | $59,460 | $28.59 | $43,610 | $81,000 | 3,300 | 2.3 |
| 35 | Vermont | $59,390 | $28.55 | $46,380 | $84,060 | 550 | 1.8 |
| 36 | Missouri | $59,360 | $28.54 | $41,170 | $82,480 | 6,780 | 2.3 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $59,330 | $28.53 | $41,440 | $76,670 | 3,360 | 1.5 |
| 38 | Idaho | $59,230 | $28.48 | $45,960 | $77,800 | 1,930 | 2.3 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $59,190 | $28.46 | $40,450 | $80,580 | 5,720 | 1.7 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $59,140 | $28.44 | $44,010 | $79,400 | 2,720 | 2.7 |
| 41 | Texas | $58,810 | $28.27 | $40,930 | $81,660 | 29,870 | 2.1 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $58,680 | $28.21 | $38,900 | $79,160 | 3,270 | 1.7 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $58,120 | $27.94 | $45,500 | $78,810 | 1,340 | 2.9 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $57,490 | $27.64 | $39,890 | $76,240 | 11,070 | 2.2 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $55,910 | $26.88 | $37,860 | $83,260 | 1,740 | 2.0 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $55,480 | $26.67 | $38,250 | $80,500 | 3,890 | 1.9 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $55,340 | $26.61 | $37,250 | $76,130 | 3,970 | 2.3 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $54,360 | $26.14 | $37,390 | $82,020 | 3,140 | 2.7 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $52,330 | $25.16 | $38,620 | $69,260 | 4,090 | 3.1 |
| 50 | Alabama | $50,470 | $24.26 | $37,470 | $75,660 | 6,130 | 2.9 |
| 51 | West Virginia | $46,610 | $22.41 | $35,350 | $78,460 | 1,040 | 1.5 |
"Per 1,000 jobs" is how concentrated the trade is in that state's workforce. A state can pay well and still have few openings; the employment column and this one together say how much of a market there is.
As files: pay by state (CSV) · pay by metro area (CSV) · all files and how to credit them.
Job outlook, 2025 to 2035
BLS projects 3.6% growth in employment from 2025 to 2035 (316,000 to 327,400 jobs) and about 24,400 openings a year over the decade, counting growth and replacement.
| Figure | 2025 | 2035 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 316,000 | 327,400 | +11,400 (3.6%) |
| Openings a year, average | 24,400 | ||
| Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalent | ||
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, Table 1.2 Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025, retrieved 2026-10-03. Openings count growth plus the workers who leave the occupation.
Common questions
How long does it take to become a diesel mechanic?
Most technicians learn on the job after high school, and those who start without postsecondary education are trained extensively on the job; the Handbook classes the on-the-job training as long-term, and employers may prefer candidates who have completed a postsecondary diesel program.
Do you need a license to be a diesel mechanic?
Certification where an employer requires it, and possibly a commercial driver's license to test-drive buses and large trucks.
How much do diesel mechanics make?
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists earned a median $61,770 a year in May 2025 ($29.70 an hour). The 10th to 90th percentile range is $44,530 to $88,740; Hawaii pays the most at $80,080.
What is the job outlook for diesel mechanics?
BLS projects 3.6% growth in employment from 2025 to 2035 (316,000 to 327,400 jobs) and about 24,400 openings a year over the decade, counting growth and replacement.
Sources
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Diesel Service Technicians and Mechanics, read 2026-09-23: the steps, training length and licensing pattern.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, retrieved 2026-10-03: every wage and employment figure. How the numbers are built.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, Table 1.2, retrieved 2026-10-03: growth, openings and entry education.