Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialist resume example

A resume for a Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialist needs to show the work itself: diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul buses and trucks, or maintain and repair any type of diesel engines. Day to day that means work like this: use handtools, such as screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, pressure gauges, or precision instruments, as well as power tools, such as pneumatic wrenches, lathes, welding equipment, or jacks and hoists; inspect brake systems, steering mechanisms, wheel bearings, and other important parts to ensure that they are in proper operating condition. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

  • Bus Mechanic
  • Diesel Mechanic
  • Diesel Technician
  • Diesel Tech
  • Truck Mechanic
  • Fleet Mechanic
  • General Repair Mechanic
  • Heavy Truck Mechanic
  • Service Technician
  • Trailer Mechanic
  • Transit Mechanic
  • Diesel Fleet Mechanic Tech
  • Diesel Mechanic Tech
  • Diesel Truck Tech
  • Mobile Diesel Tech
  • Biodiesel Engine Specialist
  • Boat Diesel Motor Mechanic
  • Boat Engine Installer

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

  • Use handtools, such as screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, pressure gauges, or precision instruments, as well as power tools, such as pneumatic wrenches, lathes, welding equipment, or jacks and hoists.
  • Inspect brake systems, steering mechanisms, wheel bearings, and other important parts to ensure that they are in proper operating condition.
  • Raise trucks, buses, and heavy parts or equipment using hydraulic jacks or hoists.
  • Adjust and reline brakes, align wheels, tighten bolts and screws, and reassemble equipment.
  • Attach test instruments to equipment, and read dials and gauges to diagnose malfunctions.
  • Perform routine maintenance such as changing oil, checking batteries, and lubricating equipment and machinery.
  • Examine and adjust protective guards, loose bolts, and specified safety devices.
  • Inspect, test, and listen to defective equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using test instruments such as handheld computers, motor analyzers, chassis charts, or pressure gauges.
  • Rewire ignition systems, lights, and instrument panels.
  • Test drive trucks and buses to diagnose malfunctions or to ensure that they are working properly.
  • Diagnose and repair vehicle heating and cooling systems.
  • Inspect, repair, and maintain automotive and mechanical equipment and machinery, such as pumps and compressors.

26 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

  • Use handtools, such as screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, pressure gauges, or precision instruments, as well as power tools, such as pneumatic wrenches, lathes, welding equipment, or jacks and hoists, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Inspect brake systems, steering mechanisms, wheel bearings, and other important parts to ensure that they are in proper operating condition, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Raise trucks, buses, and heavy parts or equipment using hydraulic jacks or hoists, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Adjust and reline brakes, align wheels, tighten bolts and screws, and reassemble equipment, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Computer aided design CAD software
  • Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
  • Computerized maintenance management system software CMMS
  • Cummins INSITE
  • Dassault Systemes CATIA
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
  • Database software
  • Engine diagnostic software
  • Fleet management software
  • Inventory tracking software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Word

18 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

  • Acetylene torches
  • Adjustable crescent wrenches
  • Adjustable widemouth pliers
  • Adjustable wrenches
  • Ball peen hammers
  • Battery chargers
  • Bearing heating ovens
  • Blast cleaning cabinets
  • Bleeder wrenches
  • Blow guns
  • Bore gauges
  • Boring bars

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

  • monitor resources
  • repair tires

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

  1. 01Repairing
  2. 02Troubleshooting
  3. 03Operations Monitoring
  4. 04Equipment Maintenance
  5. 05Critical Thinking
  6. 06Quality Control Analysis
  7. 07Equipment Selection
  8. 08Judgment and Decision Making
  9. 09Speaking
  10. 10Active Listening

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

  • Mechanical
  • Transportation
  • Education and Training
  • English Language
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Mathematics
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Administration and Management

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

  • 39%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
  • 37%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
  • 22%Some College Courses

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialist do?
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul buses and trucks, or maintain and repair any type of diesel engines. Day to day that includes work like use handtools, such as screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, pressure gauges, or precision instruments, as well as power tools, such as pneumatic wrenches, lathes, welding equipment, or jacks and hoists and Inspect brake systems, steering mechanisms, wheel bearings, and other important parts to ensure that they are in proper operating condition.
What skills should a Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialist put on a resume?
O*NET rates Repairing, Troubleshooting, Operations Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance, and Critical Thinking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialist list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Autodesk AutoCAD, Computer aided design CAD software, Computer aided manufacturing CAM software, Computerized maintenance management system software CMMS, and Cummins INSITE. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialist work?
O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Bus Mechanic, Diesel Mechanic, Diesel Technician, and Diesel Tech. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialist need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 39% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialist role?
No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

  • No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
  • This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
  • Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.