regulate<\/strong> their benefits pretty well across the board. A shame really. I have a friend who worked for a dealer for years and never got much out of it but a paycheck.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s the thing you have to keep in mind about dealers. You work for the dealer, not a car manufacture. I think that\u2019s a big misconception among younger mechanics. Just because you work at a Ford dealer doesn\u2019t mean Ford is signing your paycheck every week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s right, Mr. Ford doesn\u2019t sign your check. \u201cMr. Borrow a bunch of money to buy my cars!\u201d owns the dealership. You better make sure you read the fine print of your job contract as carefully as your car purchase contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simple question. If you don\u2019t trust a car salesman, why would you trust a dealership owner who used to be a car salesman? Just asking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now look, I don\u2019t think all these guys are bad. There are honest ones out there. However, unlike the Ford motor company, which has great pay and benefits, the car dealership is just another small business. Like \u201cUncle Bob\u2019s Car Garage\u201d down the street from your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That means your benefits will be limited, your paycheck will be less, and you will likely be paid a flat rate. No one wants that. That means the more you work the less you make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s not to say that working at a dealership is all negative. It\u2019s just not where you should set your sites. Set your bar a bit higher. After all, you are a talented mechanic!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Diesel mechanics, on the other hand, are usually in a \u201cfleet\u201d environment or work for a company that works on big equipment. These are more expensive vehicles and equipment. That means bigger customers, bigger companies, and more stable income for whatever business you\u2019re in. That means better pay and benefits for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nNot to mention, good diesel mechanics are hard to find and harder to keep. Because of this, most \u201cfleet\u201d shops are willing to spend a little more in pay and benefits to keep you around. That will compound in your favor. The more money they spend on you, the more valuable you become to the company you work for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. More to work on than just cars and pickups<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAs an auto mechanic, you are limited to just that. While you can work on vehicles in many different capacities, by in large, you will be working on just cars and pickups. In the diesel world, you have so many more other opportunities to choose from. More opportunities equal more experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nSome of the different applications for diesel include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marine<\/strong><\/li>Generators<\/strong><\/li>Government fleets<\/strong><\/li>Semi-truck fleets<\/strong><\/li>Fire apparatus and suppression<\/strong><\/li>Heavy equipment<\/strong><\/li>Farm equipment<\/strong><\/li>and others<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nOnce you become familiar with the components of a diesel engine, you will open yourself up to many options as to what you can work on. If you grow tired of working on one type of heavy equipment, you simply move to something else if you want. Sick of working on Semis? Go and work on a cruise ship. Tired of working on bulldozers? Go check out diesel generators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your diesel experience will expose you to opportunities to grow your experience that you may never get as an automotive mechanic. More experience typically means a higher salary for you.<\/strong> It\u2019s hard to put a price tag on versatility and interesting career, but more money is always nice, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Diesel will be around a long time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nJob security is important. We all want to know that our job isn\u2019t constantly in jeopardy and that it is expected to be in demand years from now. If you are banking on a career in diesel mechanics, I think you are making a good decision.<\/strong> Even in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are a couple of reasons I believe this,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This may be controversial, but I see the diesel market having longer viability than gas engines in the future. There are lots of reasons for this.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nDiesel is used in the industrial and heavy-duty markets, something that is going to stay that way for years to come. While gas engines are having somewhat of a threat from electric vehicles, diesels are adapting using natural gas and other alternative fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is also more security with a diesel mechanic position because of the size or type of company you work for. Most diesel jobs are going to be with large companies or municipalities.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nThis work will be done on fleets of things like heavy equipment, fire apparatus, semi-trucks, generators, and others. For this reason, these companies become more stable. These industries are more stable and more reliable. This is not a guarantee, but very likely that your job as a diesel mechanic will be safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the car world (dealership) your job is heavily dependent on the salespersons where you are working. If they don\u2019t sell enough cars, the dealership can fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are in a small regular car shop, then you are heavily dependent on the management of that small business for your income. Unless you are working in an automotive \u201cfleet\u201d garage or municipality, such as a city or county, your job is highly volatile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Diesel mechanics become lead techs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe last thing we will talk about that can affect your pay is, advancement. This may be an important factor to you as you pursue your career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you have goals to be the shop foreman? Maybe even an upper management position? Well, in a diesel environment like a \u201cfleet\u201d garage, there will be plenty of opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a diesel shop there is often a supervisor, a fleet manager, and then depending on your company a regional manager or a \u201cfield engineer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the trucking world, there is also a \u201cVP of maintenance\u201d. Perhaps you want to work at a diesel dealer like\u00a0CAT or Cummins. In that case,\u00a0the sky is the limit. You can advance in these bigger organizations more quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This will not typically be the case for a normal auto mechanic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of the time in a dealership the highest position you can aspire to is the shop manager. This may not be where you want to end up in that stressful environment. In the case of the small shop, the owner is likely the only person over you. So unless you start your own car shop, the ceiling is pretty low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you progress upward in your career as a diesel mechanic, the opportunity for salary increases will be in your favor<\/strong>. Not to mention, the amount of experience you will be accumulating as you learn new positions and job roles. Always remember, more experience typically equals more money.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWho wins when it comes to earnings potential? Diesel, Hands Down! Tons more benefits, opportunity for experience, and advancement. And don\u2019t forget, an average of $556 more a month starting pay!<\/strong> If you want a durable career, chose diesel.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"So you want to know which field makes more money, huh? Well, in my experience, diesel mechanics always make more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Diesel\/Automotive Techs - Who Makes More Money? - learn diesels<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n