Diesel Mechanic Job Description Template
Free diesel mechanic and technician job description templates: standard, dealership, heavy equipment, fleet, and apprentice. Download 5 as one DOCX.
Diesel Mechanic Job Description Templates
5 free templates by shop type. Download as DOCX or copy-paste.
The diesel mechanic job description is really several different postings under one title. A dealership technician working to manufacturer standards, a heavy equipment mechanic fixing hydraulics in the field, and a fleet mechanic running DOT inspections on Class 8 trucks all do the trade, but they need different skills, certifications, and licenses. Most templates online give you one generic version, which leaves a shop or fleet with a posting that misses the equipment, the pay structure, and the compliance that actually define the role.
At FirstHR, we build for the trucking, fleet, and equipment businesses that hire mechanics directly, where the owner or shop foreman writes the posting and runs the hire. The five templates below cover the role by shop type: standard, dealership/OEM, heavy equipment, fleet/trucking, and apprentice. They cover both diesel mechanic and diesel technician, since the federal data treats them as one occupation. Fill in the brackets and post. For the principles behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
What Does a Diesel Mechanic Do?
A diesel mechanic inspects, diagnoses, repairs, and maintains diesel engines and the vehicles and equipment they power, from trucks and buses to construction and farm machinery. The federal data maps the role to bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists (SOC 49-3031), which covers both diesel mechanic and diesel technician titles.
For the employer writing the posting, the key point is that the work depends on the shop and equipment. A dealership tech works to manufacturer standards; a heavy equipment mechanic services hydraulics and machinery; a fleet mechanic handles DOT inspections and Class 8 trucks. The five templates on this page split by shop type so the responsibilities and requirements match the actual role rather than a generic definition.
Diesel Mechanic Duties and Responsibilities
Diesel mechanic duties center on diagnosis, repair and maintenance, safety and inspection, and records. The shop type shifts the emphasis, warranty work at a dealership, hydraulics on heavy equipment, DOT inspections in a fleet, but these four categories hold across nearly every diesel mechanic role. These are the duties grouped the way the templates use them.
A strong posting grounds these in your specifics: the equipment, the pay structure, the certifications, and who the mechanic reports to. For a structured way to scope any role before posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Diesel Mechanic Skills and Requirements
A diesel mechanic needs hands-on repair skills, diagnostic ability, and the right certifications for the role. List what is truly required separately from what is preferred so you do not screen out strong, experienced candidates.
| Type | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Hard skills | Diesel engine repair, diagnostics, brakes, drivetrains, hydraulics |
| Tools and software | Shop tools, diagnostic software, maintenance systems |
| Certifications | ASE (T-series), manufacturer certification where relevant |
| Education | High school diploma minimum; vocational diesel training preferred |
Most shops weigh hands-on experience and the right certifications over formal education. Require the experience and any genuinely needed certifications, and keep the rest under preferred. Keep the language neutral and inclusive too, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics, and the SHRM guide to writing a job description covers the standard sections.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by your shop type and the equipment you service. All five share the same skeleton, but each emphasizes the duties, certifications, and licenses that fit a specific kind of diesel role. Use this guide to choose.
5 Free Diesel Mechanic Job Description Templates
Download all five as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company summary, position overview, key responsibilities, required and preferred qualifications, certifications and physical demands, and compensation and how to apply, with an EEO statement included. Fill in the brackets before you post.
Template 1: Standard Diesel Mechanic
The universal version for a repair shop or general diesel role, including a senior-level preset for a journeyman tech. Diagnose, repair, and maintain diesel engines and vehicles. Start here.
Template 2: Diesel Technician (Dealership / OEM)
For a dealership service department. Adds manufacturer (OEM) diagnostic tools, warranty work and documentation, and flat-rate or book-hour pay. Often calls for OEM certification.
Template 3: Heavy Equipment / Off-Highway Diesel Mechanic
For construction, mining, agriculture, and equipment rental. Adds hydraulics, tracked machinery, and field service. A CDL is often not required for this version.
Template 4: Fleet Diesel Mechanic (Trucking / Municipal)
For trucking and municipal fleets. Adds DOT inspections, air brakes, FMCSA recordkeeping, and a CDL with air brake endorsement. Also called truck or OTR mechanic.
Template 5: Apprentice / Entry-Level Diesel Mechanic
For growing junior talent. No prior experience required, with vocational training preferred, structured mentorship, and a gradual certification pathway.
ASE Certifications for Diesel Mechanics
ASE certification is the most recognized credential in the field, and the Medium and Heavy Truck (T-series) set is the one most relevant to diesel mechanics. List it as preferred for most roles, and as required only where the work truly depends on it.
| ASE area | Covers |
|---|---|
| T2 Diesel Engines | Diesel engine diagnosis and repair |
| T3 Drive Train | Clutch, transmission, driveline |
| T4 Brakes | Air and hydraulic brake systems |
| T6 Electrical / Electronic | Electrical and electronic systems |
| T8 PMI | Preventive maintenance inspection |
The full T-series runs from T1 through T8, with an L2 specialist credential for electronic diesel engine diagnosis, and ASE certifications require periodic recertification to stay current. See the ASE test series for the full list. For dealership roles, manufacturer (OEM) certification often matters as much as ASE.
CDL and DOT Requirements
For fleet and trucking operations, federal rules can affect both who you hire and how you onboard them. Whether a CDL and DOT testing apply depends on the specific role.
The fleet template includes CDL and DOT fields so you can set the requirement to match the work. Settle this before you post, since it affects the offer, the consent forms, and the onboarding.
How to Write a Diesel Mechanic Job Description
A strong diesel mechanic posting takes about fifteen minutes once you settle the shop type, the responsibilities, the certifications, and the pay structure. Here is the process the templates are built around. If you are building out your team, the small business hiring guide covers the steps around the posting itself.
Diesel Mechanic Pay
Diesel mechanic pay varies by experience, certification, region, and shop type, and the role is often paid hourly, flat-rate, or by salary. The federal data gives a solid anchor for setting a range.
Experienced, ASE-certified technicians and those at dealerships or specialized fleets tend to earn toward the higher end, while apprentices start lower. These are the most recent confirmed federal estimates for the occupation.
| Role | Relative pay | Common pay structure |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry-level | Lower end | Hourly |
| Standard / shop | Around the median | Hourly or flat-rate |
| Dealership / OEM | Mid to higher | Flat-rate or book hours |
| Senior / journeyman | Higher | Hourly or salary |
For setting pay, use the federal median as a reference, decide your pay structure, factor in certifications and local rates, and state the range and structure in the posting, since a growing number of states require a range.
Hiring a Diesel Mechanic
A large dealer network or carrier hires mechanics through a recruiting team and a standard pay plan. A small shop, fleet, or equipment business makes the same hire directly, and has to handle the equipment fit, the certifications, and the DOT picture itself. Here is how to do it well.
After You Hire: Onboarding a Diesel Mechanic
Diesel mechanic onboarding often involves more documents and compliance than a typical hire. The basics come first: the offer with the pay structure stated, the I-9, tax forms, and state new-hire reporting, plus a tool policy and a shop safety and PPE acknowledgement. For fleet and trucking roles, that can also include DOT drug and alcohol testing consent and copies of the CDL and medical card. Then comes role-specific onboarding: shop safety training, diagnostic and tool setup, and bay and systems access. For the broader flow, the new hire paperwork guide covers the documents and the training new employees guide covers running orientation with sign-offs.
The documents around the hire follow the usual sequence: the offer letter template for the terms and pay structure and the onboarding checklist template for the first weeks of setup and training.
FirstHR fits this directly: e-signature for the offer, tool policy, and safety and consent forms, document management for ASE and manufacturer certifications, CDL and DOT medical cards, and testing records, with expiration reminders so credentials do not lapse, training assignments with completion records for shop and safety onboarding, an HRIS with an org chart for your shop hierarchy, and a self-service portal where techs update certifications. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR; today the platform handles onboarding and document tracking once the candidate signs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a diesel mechanic and a diesel technician?
The two titles are largely interchangeable, and the federal government tracks them as a single occupation: diesel service technicians and mechanics. In everyday use, some employers favor diesel technician for roles that lean heavily on computer diagnostics and manufacturer systems, especially at dealerships, while diesel mechanic is the more traditional term for hands-on repair work. There is no firm line between them, and many job postings use them as synonyms. For hiring, what matters more than the title is describing the actual work: the equipment serviced, the diagnostic tools used, the certifications expected, and the pay structure. The templates on this page cover both terms and split instead by the kind of shop and equipment, standard, dealership, heavy equipment, fleet, and apprentice, since that is what really changes the role.
Do I need ASE certification to hire a diesel mechanic?
No, ASE certification is not legally required to hire or work as a diesel mechanic, but it is the most widely recognized certification in the field and a strong signal of skill. ASE offers a Medium and Heavy Truck (T-series) set of certifications covering areas like diesel engines, brakes, drivetrain, electrical systems, and preventive maintenance inspection, and ASE certifications require periodic recertification to keep technicians current. For most shops, listing ASE as preferred rather than required is the right call, since it lets you consider strong, experienced mechanics who have the skills but not the certificate, while still signaling that you value it. For dealership roles, manufacturer (OEM) certification often matters as much as or more than ASE. Decide which certifications are genuinely required for your role versus preferred, and say so clearly in the posting.
Is a CDL required for a diesel mechanic?
It depends on the role. Many diesel mechanic jobs do not require a commercial driver's license, especially shop-based and heavy equipment roles where the mechanic does not drive commercial vehicles on public roads. For fleet and trucking roles, a CDL is often preferred or required, because the mechanic may need to test-drive or move Class 8 trucks, and an air brake endorsement is commonly expected. State whether a CDL is required, preferred, or not needed for your specific role, since requiring one unnecessarily shrinks your candidate pool, while leaving it out of a role that genuinely needs it attracts applicants who cannot do part of the job. The fleet template on this page includes CDL and endorsement fields so you can set the requirement to match the work.
Are diesel mechanics subject to DOT drug and alcohol testing?
They can be, depending on the role and the operation. Under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules (49 CFR Part 382), drug and alcohol testing applies to employees who perform safety-sensitive functions requiring a commercial driver's license. A mechanic who holds a CDL and is on call to perform safety-sensitive functions, such as moving or test-driving commercial vehicles, can be subject to testing when on call and ready to be dispatched. Shop-only mechanics who do not hold a CDL or perform those functions generally are not. Because the rules turn on specific facts about the role and the operation, you should determine whether they apply to your position and consult the FMCSA guidance or a qualified advisor if you are unsure. The fleet template flags this so it is considered before you hire, and FirstHR can store the related consent forms and records once the rules apply.
How much does a diesel mechanic make?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for diesel service technicians and mechanics was $60,640 in May 2024, which works out to about $29.15 per hour, with the lowest 10 percent earning under about $41,670 and the highest 10 percent over $85,980. Pay varies by experience, certification, region, and the type of shop, and diesel mechanics are often paid in one of several ways: hourly, flat-rate (paid per job by book hours), or salary, particularly at dealerships. Experienced ASE-certified technicians and those at dealerships or specialized fleets tend to earn toward the higher end, while apprentices and entry-level mechanics start lower. For setting pay, use the federal median as a reference, decide your pay structure, factor in certifications and local market rates, and state the range and structure clearly in the posting, since a growing number of states require a pay range.
What is the difference between a journeyman and an apprentice diesel mechanic?
An apprentice diesel mechanic is an entry-level worker learning the trade, typically with little or no prior experience, who works under the supervision of experienced technicians while building skills and certifications over time. A journeyman diesel mechanic is a fully qualified, experienced technician who can work independently across a wide range of repairs, often with several years of experience and ASE certification, and who may supervise or mentor apprentices. The progression usually runs from apprentice to mid-level mechanic to journeyman, sometimes to an ASE Master Technician or shop foreman. For hiring, this page covers both ends: the apprentice template is built for growing junior talent with mentorship and a certification pathway, while the standard template includes a senior-level preset for a journeyman role with more experience and leadership of junior techs.
What happens after I hire a diesel mechanic?
Once the candidate accepts, the hire moves into onboarding, which for a diesel mechanic often involves more documents and compliance than a typical role. The first steps are the offer and paperwork: the offer letter with the pay structure stated (hourly, flat-rate, or salary), the I-9, tax forms, and state new-hire reporting, plus a tool policy and a shop safety and PPE acknowledgement. For fleet and trucking roles, that can also include DOT drug and alcohol testing consent and copies of the CDL and medical card. Then comes role-specific onboarding: shop safety training, diagnostic and tool setup, and bay and systems access. FirstHR fits this directly: e-signature for the offer, tool policy, and safety and consent forms, document management for ASE and manufacturer certifications, CDL and DOT medical cards, and testing records, with expiration reminders so credentials do not lapse, training assignments with completion records for shop and safety onboarding, an HRIS with an org chart for your shop hierarchy, and a self-service portal where techs update certifications. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR; today the platform handles onboarding and document tracking once the candidate signs.