Truck mechanic

Truck mechanic is the field for you who wants to work with the big vehicles — trucks, buses, trailers and other heavy equipment. You learn to service and repair vehicles that companies depend entirely on to get their goods and passengers forward. When a truck sits idle, it costs money, so your job is to get it quickly and safely back on the road.

§What do you do in everyday life?

You perform service inspections, find faults, and repair everything from engines and brakes to hydraulics and electronics on heavy vehicles. The work is often larger scale than on passenger cars and you use both heavy tools and advanced diagnostic equipment. Part of the job is planning so vehicles are ready when transporters need them.

• 01You work with large, powerful vehicles and advanced technology.
• 02You learn troubleshooting on engines, brakes, hydraulics, and electronics.
• 03You get paid during your training, because you are apprenticed to a workshop.
• 04Your work keeps important transport and logistics running.
• 05You learn to work safely with heavy equipment.
• 06Skilled truck mechanics are sought after in transport industry.

§How do you get started?

You typically start with a basic course at a vocational school and continue alternating between school stays and practice as an apprentice — often at a truck, bus, or contractor equipment workshop. You can start after primary school or switch to the trade later.

§The way forward

With the trade in your pocket you can specialise in specific brands or systems become workshop manager or service manager and with experience possibly run your own workshop. You can also move further into adjacent technical areas within transport and machinery.

“When a truck rolls out again after your hand, you set the entire transport chain in motion again.”