Diesel Technician

[JMorrison4371]

Are any of you Diesel Techs? I am currently a Tire and Lube Tech at a Chrysler dealership and I have always been fascinated with Diesel trucks. I have a few questions about the field.
1. Where would I start out?
2. Is being a Diesel Tech a pain in the ***?
3. Is there good money in it?
4. Is it hard to work your way up?

I'm sure there are several others but this is what I can think of right now. Please reply with any advise or information. thanks guys!

 

[bobcatdan]

Have you gone to school yet? If not go to school for diesel. Otherwise it maybe hard to get in a truck shop without any other experiance. I went from cars to farm tractors and found the money better, not great. If you love trucks, drive the things, don't work on them, wrench for a living *****.

 

[diesel research]

Are any of you Diesel Techs? I am currently a Tire and Lube Tech at a Chrysler dealership and I have always been fascinated with Diesel trucks. I have a few questions about the field.
1. Where would I start out? You have already started
2. Is being a Diesel Tech a pain in the ***? Of course, like everything else
3. Is there good money in it? If it is a truck, the money is going away (big or small)
4. Is it hard to work your way up?That is corporate policy not fuel specific policy

I'm sure there are several others but this is what I can think of right now. Please reply with any advise or information. thanks guys!

Do your Chrysler academy online courses. You aren't going to learn much of anything from them, but that is not the point.

As soon as you can, start trying to get away from trucks. Too many over-confident people starting to creep into trucks. Luckily they are scared of everything else (marine, heavy equipment, oil rigs, pumps, etc)

Just like in the stock market, it's usually best to run OPPOSITE of the herd.

 

[benielsahn]

I'm a diesel tech "apprentice" (even though they let me do non-apprentice work ).

Just know that there are basically only 3 reasons trucks come into the shop.
1 - Check engine light, plug it in, diagnose, usually after-treatment related
2 - Basic oil change and chassis lube
3 - Major engine internal work

The majority of it will be the latter.

 

[bayoutoolguy]

are you planning to go for marine or truck? I'm most likely going into high performance diesel, theres so many cummins, dmaxes and power strokes just waiting to be turned into 1,000 hp monsters. been wrenching on them for a good while. good to get some hands on experience

 

[LGMechanical]

I've been wrenching on rigs for 8 years. Beats the hell out of workings on cars. Money is good. I work on everything from motors, to transmissions, rear ends, brakes, electrical, etc. Do not let those guys get you down, it all depends on where you work.

I started when I was 18 just doing lubes and a few years later I was doing it all. It's not hard to work your way up at all, just go through your schooling, stay focused and pay attention. I'm sure you'll do fine!

Do your Chrysler academy online courses. You aren't going to learn much of anything from them, but that is not the point.

As soon as you can, start trying to get away from trucks. Too many over-confident people starting to creep into trucks. Luckily they are scared of everything else (marine, heavy equipment, oil rigs, pumps, etc)

Just like in the stock market, it's usually best to run OPPOSITE of the herd.

Who wants to work on an oil rig? I mean your situation must be desperate to go there. 401/Dixie is the largest trucking sector in Canada and possibly the entire continent. There will never be a shortage of work here so why go work on ****** boats and dirty hydraulics for basically the same pay?

I'm a diesel tech "apprentice" (even though they let me do non-apprentice work ).

Just know that there are basically only 3 reasons trucks come into the shop.
1 - Check engine light, plug it in, diagnose, usually after-treatment related
2 - Basic oil change and chassis lube
3 - Major engine internal work

The majority of it will be the latter.

Sounds like you work at a dealer. I've worked at both Western Star and Kenworth and this is basically all you see. Nothing but warranty and maintenance. I'm glad I got out of it. No one is going to pay $110 an hour at a dealership. If you want good experience I would recommend a busy private owned shop unless you want to push the broom all day at an empty dealership trying to cover your hours.

 

[clueless]

working at dealerships ****,you get the **** jobs,i worked at a large truck rental firm,and there you do a lot of services,and brakes,and light repairs,the other work,gets shipped off to dealers for warranty work,but what isnt warranty they do.

presently i work at a utility contractor,and we do everything and anything,this week we shipped out 2 transmissions for rebuilding and a rear.sometimes a small shop is the best to learn from the people that are there,the rental place didnt encourage that,they want you to learn,but the time it takes for you to do the job cuts into there bottom line dollar figure!

enough about them, be prepared to screw with stuff that used to weigh 100lbs to being over 500 lbs,brake drums that were 10lbs are 70 lbs.plus the fasteners are much bigger,i got sockets to 2" and wrenches to 2" also,plus 3/4" and 1" impact guns.wheel torque to 450-500 ft lbs,torque 4 wheels,thats 40 lugs!it is harder work,but sometimes you have the room to get in and fix the part,than in a car you cane get to it.

 

[MattPersman]

if you stay at the Chrysler dealership trying to be a diesel tech only good luck. most of the owners will not spend any money on the trucks at a dealership other than for an oil change or free warranty work. 1/2 of the owners think they are smarter and more knowledgeable than you, and their normal guy can fix that for less.

do what was suggested, do your online training, as much as you can, ask your manager if he or she will pay you to do them. you can learn something from them. but if nothing else it looks like you care about your job. and in 2012 you have to be level 3 or 4 to do get paid for warranty work

 

[binkcat16]

i started out when i as a teenager working on our log trucks and dump trucks. i went to uti to learn some more. i started professonaily working with truckstops of america and haited it when i gratuated i went to work with a fleet over the road company and learned a whole lot real quick from the old timers (thats the key) there then went to work in the oil field for a company that moves rigs and loved it since then i started with halliburton and have been here for seven years and love every min some of the stuff is hard sometimes and you are not always in the shop but you get to see some pretty cool stuff. me myself i hate working on cars heavy trucks is all i know and love it. if you think you would like it try it out

 

[diesel research]

Who wants to work on an oil rig? I mean your situation must be desperate to go there. 401/Dixie is the largest trucking sector in Canada and possibly the entire continent. There will never be a shortage of work here so why go work on ****** boats and dirty hydraulics for basically the same pay?

The US vs canada payscales are apparently nothing alike. In the US, hourly fleet truck tops out about $25 +/- a few. Heavy industry can go significantly beyond this. We obviously have more truck techs willing to work than canada. If you go flag, it is possible to get $50/flag hr at select dealerships, but this is boom and bust.

I definitely would NOT be in a small independent fleet shop or small private shop serving public commercial trucks.

Why? There is approx only 5% profit margin in the trucking industry now. It is so competitive that rates have been slashed. Ask any driver compared to 20 years ago. This results in smaller maintenance budgets and raggedier equipment as they try to pinch pennies. The small fleets being even less efficient/less profit margin, are forced to cut the budget even more. The small shops catering to the outside attract these small fleet operators, but they cannot afford needed maintenance.

I have re-worked plenty of repairs performed over the road by these small shops. It is horrendous.

DOT does not target these smaller companies to the same extent, and many try to slide away with horribly unsafe repairs. Especially with brakes and tires.

Pay/working conditions are not necessarily horrible, but they will not be a long term "career" plan that most should consider. An entry level should not expect to see brakes or oil changes in most fleets. DOT regulations require "certified" and/or commercial experience for brake and AVI inspection. Typically lube changes are tied into the "annuals" or PMs. Some of the fly by night places won't care and will gladly falsify a few documents to say you were properly trained.

I am not at all bitter about where I am, but I am smart enough to realize I am lucky and not in the majority. It's not as bad as some auto shops, but it will be getting that way as more idiots and hacks trickle their way in and profit margins continue to shrink as fuel costs rise and more idiots with an old truck start their own fly-by-night fleet.

 

[Two dollar steak]

Oilfield = MONEY, and to a lesser extent easy work for most jobs

 

[Rivethead]

i started out when i as a teenager working on our log trucks and dump trucks. i went to uti to learn some more. i started professonaily working with truckstops of america and haited it when i gratuated i went to work with a fleet over the road company and learned a whole lot real quick from the old timers (thats the key) there then went to work in the oil field for a company that moves rigs and loved it since then i started with halliburton and have been here for seven years and love every min some of the stuff is hard sometimes and you are not always in the shop but you get to see some pretty cool stuff. me myself i hate working on cars heavy trucks is all i know and love it. if you think you would like it try it out

i saw your avatar and thought i recognized an elite .

JMorrison4371:
you can go into a diesel field and not have any diesel experience. there's a guy on our shift that worked for mercedes for 8 years & more for honda and there's a kid on another shift that worked for honda, both of them not knowing anything about diesel trucks or diesel units. depending on what you have to do, it can be a pain in the *** sometimes, its just like anything else. but its bigger equipment you work on so that generally means you have more room than you would with a regular car or truck. really imo the good money would be working for an oilfield company. i worked for the truck rental company ryder and went over to halliburton and my starting pay was more than pay from ryder, and the ryder pay included 2 raises. so it all depends on where you go. i've seen a lot of good diesel mechanics not get paid for what they're worth just because of the company they're with.

idk how hard it is to work your way up but i do know if you're a diesel mechanic with the experience to back it up and are ase certified, as far as jobs are concerned, you can go wherever you want. and companies won't necessarily fight over your but they'll wheel and deal to try to get you to come work for them. thats happened to me before and a few guys i work with have told me similar stories.

 

[Chadro]

It all depends on where you start. I don't have any dealer experience but I do know our local Kenworth dealership is always hiring techs . I've only worked for fleets and with most fleets the new guy starts out working on trailers. Trailer work ***** but ya gotta start somewhere, lots of lights, wiring, tires, welding and brakes (maybe).

Once you get good with trailers you'll start doing PM's on tractors along with more lights and brakes. Some fleets see a lot of major jobs but I'd say most don't. Lots of fifth wheel work, tires, brakes, PM's, water pumps, king pins, the occasional turbo, alternators, clutches yadda yadda yadda.

If you want to rip engines apart all day then go work directly for a Cummins, Detroit or Cat shop.

The pay is good around here and there are jobs everywhere but it is hard work and it is DIRTY. It makes working on cars look like a clean job.

I'd say go for it. I would definitely get your CDL, you'll have more opportunities as some shops require one.