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Heavy Equipment Mechanic

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AVG. SALARY

$51,870

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EDUCATION

Post-secondary training +

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JOB OUTLOOK

Stable

Interviews

Insider Info

Doug Wedley, a heavy equipment mechanic employed by a city, braves snowstorms, unlit roads and gale-force winds to rescue snowplows. He's used to being called out into bad weather. "November to March are our busiest months," he says. "Because of winter, things are more apt to fail."

Wedley never planned on being a heavy equipment mechanic. "The job I had was being eliminated, so my employer offered to enroll me in the apprenticeship program to become a technician," he says.

Wedley got his certification. Seven years later, he's busy repairing and maintaining the city's big rigs.

Wedley's training has proven essential to his livelihood. He considers ongoing experience and education crucial for anyone considering the industry. "Try to get a job with a wide variety of equipment to work on," he says. "This will give you the most experience."

Experience and knowledge definitely paid off for Richard Syx. Syx, a heavy-duty automotive technician, got a bonus for saving his employer thousands of dollars. "It was one of my best days on the job," he says.

Syx maintains a fleet of tractor-trailers. He provides all maintenance, repairs and overhauls. "I provide 100 percent of all repair duties, from oil changes to engine and transmission overhauls," he says. Despite his daunting responsibilities, he works a standard Monday-through-Friday shift.

"I followed my instincts when I was younger and ended up doing what I liked to do," Syx says. Rather than attending school to learn his trade, Syx learned on the job.

But despite his lack of formal technician schooling, he strongly believes in continuing education and excellent equipment knowledge. "I'm ASE [Automotive Service Excellence] certified, a gigantic plus in my industry now."

And 30 years after entering his profession, Syx is still going strong. "I like the challenge. Take an engine apart into a thousand pieces on the floor. Put it back together. Start it up. Instant gratification."

Lorri Seiger is a diesel mechanic in Cincinnati. She agrees that a wide variety of knowledge and equipment knowledge is required. "Try to learn something new every day," she says. "You may change jobs, but nobody can take away what you learn! Knowledge is yours to keep."

Seiger found her niche in high school. Her mother made her take an auto mechanics class so she would be able to keep her car in good repair.

"I liked taking things apart and seeing what makes them work," she says. "I like the feeling of accomplishment that I get every time I send a truck out of the shop, knowing that I did the job right."

Seiger is a woman in a traditionally male job, but she has no problems getting along with co-workers. "When I first started it was kind of tough, because as a woman in a man's job, I had to prove that I could do the job as well as a man could," she says.

"Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Don't start out on the wrong foot by expecting special treatment because you're a woman. Just do the job and don't expect a free ride. You won't get it."

Lynne Hansen is a diesel technician in Oregon. She agrees with Seiger. "You have to be able to get along with men, and almost be one of the boys," Hansen says. "They know you're a woman without making a big issue about it."

She works side by side with her male co-workers, fixing buses, providing preventative maintenance to the fleet and acting as supervisor when her boss is gone.

Hansen has worked in this industry all her life -- she trained in the military as a mechanic and took that knowledge into the public sector. She recently returned to college to improve her marketability. Her goal is a management or supervisory position.

"It's definitely not a mindless job," she says. "It takes concentration, knowledge of mechanical parts, logical thinking for problem solving and the ability to take something apart and put it back together.

"If you really enjoy the challenge of finding out what's broken and take pride in getting it going again, then this job is for you."

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