Diesel Engine Specialists vs Heavy Equipment Mechanics
Median pay is about $4k higher for Heavy Equipment Mechanics. The usual entry education is postsecondary cert for Diesel Engine Specialists and high school for Heavy Equipment Mechanics.
marks the higher pay or growth. Education, difficulty and the AI rows depend on what you want, so they are not marked.
| Measure | Diesel Engine Specialists | Heavy Equipment Mechanics |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | ||
| Median pay | $61,770 | $65,510, higher |
| Entry pay 25th percentile | $50,540 | $56,970, higher |
| Experienced pay 75th percentile | $75,470 | $79,270, higher |
| Outlook, 2025 to 2035 | ||
| Projected growth | +3.6% Growing | +6.7% Growing fast, higher |
| Openings a year | 24,400 | 15,000 |
| Getting in | ||
| Typical education | Postsecondary cert | High school |
| Difficulty modeled | 2 / 5 | 2 / 5 |
| AI | ||
| Displacement risk modeled | Low | Low |
| AI exposure modeled, percentile | 17th pct | 7th pct |
Where the skills differ
Only Diesel Engine Specialists
- Monitoring
Only Heavy Equipment Mechanics
- Writing
Both lean on critical thinking, speaking, active listening, reading comprehension, active learning.
More comparisons
Compare Diesel Engine Specialists with
Pay and outlook: BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills: O*NET 30.3. Difficulty, displacement risk and AI exposure are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.