Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
Diesel technician
Diesel technicians keep trucks, buses, and heavy diesel equipment running: engines, brakes, transmissions, and emissions systems. Fleets, dealerships, transit agencies, and trucking companies employ them, and the work often carries shift differentials and overtime.
By the Degreeless Jobs research deskUpdated Sep 7, 2026Sources: BLS, O*NET
What a diesel technician makes
Median pay, May 2025, United States
$61,770
$29.70 an hour, median
- 25th percentile
- $50,540
- 75th percentile
- $75,470
- 90th percentile
- $88,740
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wages of employed workers, not offers.
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS
- Workers without a bachelor's
- 100%
- O*NET
- Growth, 2025 to 2035
- +3.6%
- BLS projections
- Openings a year
- 24,400
- BLS projections
How people get in without a degree
A high school diploma is the typical entry requirement, and most technicians learn through a mix of employer training and a one- to two-year diesel program. Large fleets run paid apprenticeships and will hire helpers with mechanical aptitude. A commercial driver's license raises your pay because you can road-test what you repair.
The work, as O*NET defines it: 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.
The next step
Diesel technology certificate or a fleet apprenticeship, plus ASE medium/heavy truck certification
- Typical cost
- $5,000 to $20,000 for a program; fleet apprenticeships are paid; ASE tests about $60 each
- Time to complete
- 1 to 2 years, or an employer program you are paid for
Where to start ASE medium and heavy truck test prep
Costs and durations are ranges gathered from provider and state sources; confirm the current price and your state's rules before you pay anything. Never pay a fee to apply for a job.
Pay by state
Median pay for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists by state, May 2025, sorted by annual median. States without a published estimate are omitted.
| State | Hourly median | Annual median | 25th to 75th | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $38.50 | $80,080 | $62,850 to $85,040 | 690 |
| Washington | $37.45 | $77,900 | $63,700 to $92,880 | 7,410 |
| Alaska | $36.34 | $75,580 | $62,450 to $83,210 | 860 |
| Maryland | $35.96 | $74,790 | $60,920 to $84,180 | 3,030 |
| California | $35.55 | $73,950 | $60,110 to $84,740 | 20,940 |
| Massachusetts | $35.23 | $73,270 | $59,920 to $84,410 | 4,870 |
| New Jersey | $34.78 | $72,340 | $59,740 to $79,850 | 8,160 |
| New Hampshire | $34.32 | $71,390 | $60,440 to $82,700 | 1,040 |
| Colorado | $33.89 | $70,480 | $59,300 to $79,780 | 4,600 |
| New York | $33.70 | $70,100 | $58,420 to $86,450 | 13,230 |
| Nevada | $32.89 | $68,410 | $58,240 to $80,950 | 1,990 |
| Connecticut | $32.36 | $67,300 | $60,300 to $81,160 | 2,860 |
| Rhode Island | $32.34 | $67,270 | $60,620 to $77,590 | 350 |
| Minnesota | $32.14 | $66,840 | $59,480 to $78,600 | 7,300 |
| North Dakota | $31.78 | $66,110 | $58,080 to $81,100 | 1,790 |
| District of Columbia | $31.34 | $65,200 | $59,450 to $75,980 | 110 |
| Utah | $30.94 | $64,350 | $57,450 to $74,930 | 2,690 |
| Illinois | $30.93 | $64,340 | $53,640 to $80,640 | 11,320 |
| Oregon | $30.76 | $63,970 | $57,580 to $76,840 | 3,770 |
| Delaware | $30.57 | $63,590 | $54,260 to $74,380 | 670 |
| Wisconsin | $30.02 | $62,450 | $52,040 to $74,800 | 6,750 |
| Pennsylvania | $29.68 | $61,740 | $51,060 to $73,000 | 12,630 |
| Arizona | $29.65 | $61,680 | $51,080 to $74,310 | 5,140 |
| Wyoming | $29.61 | $61,580 | $54,050 to $73,950 | 1,100 |
| Michigan | $29.53 | $61,420 | $51,280 to $67,460 | 9,020 |
| Georgia | $29.50 | $61,370 | $51,510 to $75,340 | 10,910 |
| Virginia | $29.37 | $61,090 | $50,840 to $70,460 | 8,070 |
| Maine | $29.26 | $60,850 | $51,070 to $72,850 | 1,380 |
| Indiana | $29.14 | $60,610 | $49,270 to $70,810 | 8,840 |
| Florida | $29.08 | $60,490 | $49,720 to $73,900 | 14,900 |
| Ohio | $29.07 | $60,470 | $50,700 to $69,290 | 14,240 |
| Montana | $28.84 | $59,990 | $51,650 to $71,180 | 1,230 |
| Iowa | $28.69 | $59,680 | $48,770 to $71,570 | 4,140 |
| Kansas | $28.59 | $59,460 | $48,870 to $71,430 | 3,300 |
| Vermont | $28.55 | $59,390 | $49,930 to $75,960 | 550 |
| Missouri | $28.54 | $59,360 | $48,070 to $69,000 | 6,780 |
| South Carolina | $28.53 | $59,330 | $48,510 to $65,690 | 3,360 |
| Idaho | $28.48 | $59,230 | $48,740 to $69,370 | 1,930 |
| Tennessee | $28.46 | $59,190 | $48,680 to $71,610 | 5,720 |
| Nebraska | $28.44 | $59,140 | $49,430 to $65,200 | 2,720 |
| Texas | $28.27 | $58,810 | $47,520 to $70,400 | 29,870 |
| Louisiana | $28.21 | $58,680 | $46,800 to $69,100 | 3,270 |
| South Dakota | $27.94 | $58,120 | $49,570 to $65,200 | 1,340 |
| North Carolina | $27.64 | $57,490 | $48,040 to $64,770 | 11,070 |
| New Mexico | $26.88 | $55,910 | $47,560 to $66,900 | 1,740 |
| Kentucky | $26.67 | $55,480 | $46,560 to $63,740 | 3,890 |
| Oklahoma | $26.61 | $55,340 | $46,310 to $62,580 | 3,970 |
| Mississippi | $26.14 | $54,360 | $44,120 to $65,400 | 3,140 |
| Arkansas | $25.16 | $52,330 | $46,090 to $60,940 | 4,090 |
| Alabama | $24.26 | $50,470 | $45,940 to $61,030 | 6,130 |
| West Virginia | $22.41 | $46,610 | $37,670 to $62,430 | 1,040 |
Questions
Do you need a degree to be a diesel technician?
No. BLS lists "high school diploma or equivalent" as the typical education for entry, and 100% of workers in the occupation report less than a bachelor's degree (O*NET). The usual credential is diesel technology certificate or a fleet apprenticeship, plus ASE medium/heavy truck certification.
How much does a diesel technician make?
The median pay was $61,770 a year ($29.70 an hour) in May 2025, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $50,540 and $75,470, and the top 10 percent earned more than $88,740.
How long does it take to become a diesel technician?
1 to 2 years, or an employer program you are paid for. The typical cost is $5,000 to $20,000 for a program; fleet apprenticeships are paid; ASE tests about $60 each.
Is diesel technician work growing?
BLS projects employment to grow 3.6% from 2025 to 2035 with about 24,400 openings a year from growth and from workers leaving the occupation.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation code 49-3031.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (Table 1.2).
- O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), CC BY 4.0. The share without a bachelor’s degree is our summary of O*NET’s education distribution; USDOL/ETA has not approved or endorsed it.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile