Heavy Equipment/Truck Mechanic

[Mack185]

Well I've hit that point in my life(past it actually lol) where it's finally time I choose my career. I was going to get my Bachelors and join the Army But thats no longer a possibility for me.

I came up working for a high school buddies family dump truck company driving and working on trucks, Nothing like inframes or anything, more like PM service, Springs, Alt, Starters etc etc. and I loved it.

I have a couple of schools around me that offer programs in Heavy Equipment tech. and heavy truck diesel tech. I'm going to go for one of them (maybe both?) but I'm not sure which yet. The heavy equipment one offers the thinkbig program through my local CAT dealer.

I don't have any pro. mechanic buddies so I figured I ask yall. Is this a good career with good income potential? I'm sure I would love the work so I guess it boils down to salary/benefits more or less. I plan to continue working towards by Bachelors in business admin. part time after trade school is completed so maybe a few years down the road that may lead to management opportunities. Any opinions are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[bustedknuckle]

If that's what you think you'll enjoy, go for it. But I would focus on the heavy truck side, it seems to be a little more stable with the economy the way it is. I work in an equipment dealership's shop, and somedays it feels like I'm waiting for the axe to drop.

 

[IH 3500A]

Be aware, Cat has gotten out of the truck engine business.

 

[Mack185]

If that's what you think you'll enjoy, go for it. But I would focus on the heavy truck side, it seems to be a little more stable with the economy the way it is. I work in an equipment dealership's shop, and somedays it feels like I'm waiting for the axe to drop.

lol, I was actually leaning more towards the heavy equipment side simply because it is a guaranteed job with Fabick CAT. The school is like 80 miles away though so maybe heavy truck is the way to go. Any idea what kind of salary I could expect starting out? Thanks for the advice.

 

[buggyman]

So you want to be a Mechanic?

Well I've been a mechanic for a long time. Then I got a Bachelors of Science in Agricultural Education and Finally a Masters in Vocational Education. I’ve taught from grade school to community college and educated many into mechanics and welding.
It is my experience that most employers don’t treat their mechanics nearly as well as they should. Most employers treat/pay their operators as much or more than the mechanics. Mechanics put large sums of dollars into tools. Mechanics work odd schedules, much worse conditions “outside, cold, hot, wet, well you get the idea”.
There are lots of worse occupations than Mechanics but just be aware, there may be better occupations too!
Good luck, Paul

 

[stock]

I know very few wrench benders who are still working on equipment at the retiring age,most have gone into management or like me started as an operator,then an apprentice,a wrench bender (saw what I thought was an easier way to make money) into construction operation,(saw what I thought was an easier way to make money) and then plant management.

 

[#12Caterpillar]

Hay Mack I'm going to bore you with some of my life history. I grew up on a farm and loved to fix the equipment so much i new i wanted to be a mechanic and even more than that i loved to operate the equipment. So i went to collage and got a certificat in diesel tech and went to work for a construction company we worked on everything from pickups to 988G cat loaders and did everything but warenty work in house. I am not just a little man and when something was to tight for those little skinny boys to do they just yelled (Were's the Beef!) and i could most always break it lose for them but i was yung and dumb and after eight years, a dislocated shoulder, dislocated ribs, and a back injury all from loveing to work on that big iron, and being to stuped to use cranes and lifting equipment to do the heavy liften i just had to hang up the tools as a carear and now i get to sit behind a desk and operate a gas processing plant. Sorry to bore you, and i hope not to discorage you but i would recomend the heavy iron it is set up in moduals and to pull a engen or trans ect. is a cake walk just remember they invented overhead cranes for a reason and it is always better to get a bigger wrench to bust things loose.

And if fixen dont work out for ya, operating that big yellow iron comes in seconed in my book. :my2c

 

[Mack185]

Well hopefully I'll be able to start heavy truck tech. this Spring. It'll be Diesel fuel systems, Heavy Truck Electronics, Electronic Information Systems and Manuals and maybe Preventive Maintenance Inspection. Next year will be Engine repair, brakes and duct systems. Maybe my first semester will be enough to land me an entry level job while completing my second. I reckon we'll see.

 

[dist3]

Mack185, Take the time and schedule an appoinment at the school offering the training. I beleive the CAT thinkbig program requires sponsorship from a dealer but I could be wrong. Check with the school or the local dealership. If pulling wrenches is what you enjoy then do it. Enjoying what you do makes work alot more bearable I think.

 

[RobVG]

If you really enjoy it, then it's a good occupation. There is not much reward in making repairs. Operators who work above ground at least get a chance to look at their work and get some satisfaction. I get juiced by saving my company money, and I let them know it when I do.

As far as "respect" goes, It's something you have to earn. You'll see several references to "Parts Changers" and rarely the mention of a "good mechanic" on these boards. It pisses one off at times.

Average wage in Seattle is $25.88 / hr.

 

[John C.]

To tell the truth you will go through all that school and then end up on a steam clean rack for a year or more. If the foreman likes you he might let you do service work once in awhile. Mostly you're just cheap labor for about three years. That's how the dealers work. It used to be you needed about five years before you got out of the shops an into a field truck. Nowdays I see three year wrenches get thrown to wolves pretty regular.

To make it more fun get some time in at a dealer and then find a good end user. You will be asked to do lots of different jobs and the wrench pulling is alway interesting. You have to think because there is no one close to tell you how to do it. It's always an adventure!

To make real money turning wrenches you need to be a field mechanic at a dealer. The reason is the overtime. Your top wages are set and there is no way to get bonus or raise. Many end users don't like to pay overtime and they don't pay near what the dealers pay. An end user mechanic is an expense, a dealer mechanic is a profit center. You can see who gets to work more.

I loved working for the end users but didn't get paid enough. I loved working in the field for the dealers but didn't get home enough.

I really love working on my own now.

 

[AK HDM]

If you really enjoy it, do it! I went to a votech for heavy equipment mechanics shortly after highschool. Went to work for a large logging co. for a few years, got lots of experience on trucks & logging equipment. Came to Alaska, went to work for the Detroit Diesel distributor & got into the Operating Engineers Union. Worked on the construction of the Trans Alaska Pipeline,lots of road construction, & maintenance on the pipeline. Made a good living & had a lot of fun, really enjoyed the work,[still do].I really like rebuilding components,& generator work. I took early retirement at age 52 with a decent pension & now work on what I want, when I want.
Do I wishI had done something else? Sometimes I kind of wish maybe I had gotten an Electrical Engineering degree, specializing in Power Generation. We don't have the power grid like in the rest of the US,nearly every town or village has their own power plant.
There is always going to be a need for someone to repair equipment.:thumbsup
Hope this helps you.
Mike

 

[Mack185]

Thanks for the input everyone. I will be starting next month for heavy truck/diesel tech. Hopefully I'll be able to find a entry level position around here in St. Louis.

 

[HB-RD-Shop]

I will tell you my experiences and maybe it will help in some sort of way. I am from mid-Missouri. After two years of vo-tech in high school covering automotive technology I went to Ozarks Technical Community College for Diesel Technology. I only went for a year before running onto a job with a Road District about 30 miles away from where I live. I started as a general laborer and equipment operator, helping the shop foreman when needed. After a little while I worked my way into the shop foreman position by age 20 and with a little help from the rest of the guys I am really enjoying the job and we're keeping everything running. It's mainly PM with a little fabrication every now and then. So my advice is that even if you are in school keep looking around especially in the state/county/city road/water/ect. districts. Any kind of school or experience is well noticed in these places that I have seen. Good luck with it all and thanks ahead of time to anyone helps me with any questions I might have.

 

[CinOK]

Mack, I know JD has a program where you work and go to school. Also you say you have VA benifiets. Did you get out with a rating or just did complete your contract. Reason I ask is that the VA has some programs also my brother is retired miltary and now works for the VA voc rehab.

 

[GOINGBROKE]

Mack, I know JD has a program where you work and go to school. Also you say you have VA benifiets. Did you get out with a rating or just did complete your contract. Reason I ask is that the VA has some programs also my brother is retired miltary and now works for the VA voc rehab.

I went through John Deere's program, we were the first class in their first school. Worked out pretty good for be the first one they put together. Think it was 7,3 month quarters and you alternated quarters between working at a dealership and going to school. This way you at least got some hands on experience and could make some money to pay for the good time you had while at school. :drinkup You did need to be sponsored by a dealership, which wasn't a problem, as they were always looking for help. Of course this was 20 years ago, should be better now.

 

[Mack185]

I checked out Deeres program and it sounded awesome as well, sadly the closest school to me is in Nebraska. JD is in Nebraska and CAT is 90 miles away, I just cant win lol. I'm going to start out with Heavy Trucks and maybe if I want a change I can see what I can do to make the transition into Heavy Equipment. Hell I still have a third option with applying for a IUOE 513 apprenticeship. I'm confident with my choices and feel that they will provide a good bit of opportunity for myself. The sad thing is, I look at the interactive class schedules online and nobody is signing up for trade degrees anymore. Registration has been open for months now and classes in the trade fields are damn near empty. Auto tech fills up quick, but thats it. The way I see it is that kids these days are concerned with getting a bachelors and not taking the major trades seriously. This will end up leading to a over abundance of college educated folks and a shortage of trade skills which will end up being good for me, lol.

 

[Muffler Bearing]

Oh there will be a mechanic shortage alright, I think it is already here because computer controls flushed a lot of old school guys out of the shops. I'm hitting 17 years of greasy hands and I say go for it. There are pro's and con's to every type of shop, as well as HE vs truck. I've bounced back and forth between the two, and in the right fleet you could still get your hands on both. Money is more about where you work than what you do, Cities=$$. And just because guys broke their bodies doing it doesn't mean it's mandatory. Some guys take pride in carrying a brake drum across the shop, me, I'll just wheel it over on a dolly, thank you. Just get going in school and see where it takes you, but feel free to ask any questions.

 

[Mack185]

Well I'm excited. Hopefully I can get a job when I'm done. As long as I can make $40-45,000 a year after a few years experience, I'll be happy. Most HE mechanics around here are Union, not sure about heavy truck though.