Heavy Equipment Mechanic
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Do you like working with your hands? Could you work with heavy-duty machinery? Are you strong and physically fit? Are you good at problem solving? Do you like precise work? Would you like working with machines? Then, you could be a heavy equipment mechanic!
What the work is like
Heavy equipment mechanics repair and maintain mobile heavy-duty equipment used in construction, oil and gas, landscaping and similar activities.
They are employed by heavy equipment dealers, railway transport companies and urban transit systems.
Heavy equipment mechanics work in all four construction sectors: new home building and renovation, heavy industrial, institutional and commercial, and civil engineering.
Your duties
Heavy equipment mechanics may specialize in specific types of machinery such as combines or tracked vehicles, or in engine overhaul, power shift transmissions, fuel injection, hydraulics or electronics.
As a heavy equipment mechanic, your duties may include:
- Inspecting bulldozers, cranes, graders and other heavy construction equipment
- Diagnosing malfunctions using computerized and other testing equipment
- Repairing equipment using hand and power tools
- Testing repaired equipment for proper performance
- Cleaning, lubricating and maintaining equipment
- Servicing attachments
Work conditions
There is no standard work week for heavy equipment mechanics. Travel requirements and hours of work vary considerably from one job to another. As with many careers in construction, there are peak periods that will require you to work overtime.
As a heavy equipment mechanic, you may work indoors or outdoors, usually on construction or industrial sites. Depending on the job, you could be working alone or with a team of other construction professionals.
As with all careers in the construction industry, safety is the top priority. Heavy equipment mechanics are trained to work safely, and take special precautions to protect themselves from injury.
Essential skills
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has identified nine essential skills that are necessary to succeed in the workplace. These skills provide the foundation for learning all other skills and are applicable to most construction careers. Best of all, you can learn and improve on these skills in school, on the job, and during your everyday life.
The most important Essential Skills for heavy equipment mechanics are:
- Numeracy—working with numbers to perform calculations
- Significant use of memory—performing tasks that call upon greater memory use than most jobs
- Working with others—interacting with co-workers to get the job done
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is one way of starting out in the construction industry. It involves both classroom studies and on-the-job training under the supervision of a certified heavy equipment mechanic, called a journeyperson.
As an apprentice, you earn while you learn and are paid by the hour while working on the job site. Wages start at about 60% of a journeyperson’s hourly rate and increase during your apprenticeship, until you reach the full rate.
Entering an apprenticeship program
Requirements for heavy equipment mechanic apprenticeship programs vary across Canada. In most provinces and territories, you must have a Grade 12 education, or equivalent, to enter a heavy equipment mechanic apprenticeship program.
Some provinces and territories offer secondary school apprenticeship programs that allow high school students to work towards a career as a heavy equipment mechanic.
Program length
Apprenticeship training programs for heavy equipment mechanics vary across Canada, but generally last four years and include at least 9,000 hours of on-the-job training, as well as technical training and a final certificate examination.
Related work experience or completion of a heavy equipment mechanic program at a college or technical institute can reduce the time required to complete your apprenticeship.
Certification
Heavy equipment mechanic certification is required in Alberta and Québec, and is available but voluntary in all other provinces and territories. Even where certification is voluntary, it is still recommended. Certification tells employers and other workers that you are a skilled professional. It also helps you get jobs.
To be certified as a heavy equipment mechanic, you usually need to complete a four- to five-year apprenticeship program. Once you successfully complete the on-the-job training, technical training and examinations required by the program, you are awarded a journeyperson certificate.
If you have over four years of on-the-job experience and some high school, college or industry courses for heavy equipment mechanics, you may be eligible for heavy equipment mechanic certification in some provinces and territories.
As a certified heavy equipment mechanic you may attempt the Interprovincial Exam to qualify for the Interprovincial Standards’ Red Seal. With a Red Seal, you can work as a heavy equipment mechanic anywhere in Canada.
To keep your skills current, you have to keep up with new technological developments by reading and talking with other heavy equipment mechanics.
Salary ranges
TYPICAL WORK WEEK/YEAR *
| JOURNEYPERSON |
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| HOURLY SALARY RANGE | |||||||||||||||||||||
| LOW | HIGH | ||||||||||||||||||||
| $19 | $34 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| APPRENTI | ||
| HOURLY SALARY RANGE | ||
| LOW | HIGH | |
| YEAR 1 – 60% | $ 11.40 | $ 20.40 |
| YEAR 2 – 70% | $ 13.30 | $ 23.80 |
| YEAR 3 – 80% | $ 15.20 | $ 27.20 |
| YEAR 4 – 90% | $ 17.10 | $ 30.60 |
In addition to their hourly rate, many construction workers receive statutory holiday and vacation pay. Depending on the contract, you may also receive benefits such as group insurance for health, dental and vision care, retirement packages, and training benefits up to 30% of your hourly rate.
If you are self-employed, it’s up to you to arrange your own benefits.
* Wages vary across Canada, among labour organization locals, and among open-shop construction contractors.
** Most construction work involves overtime, so your annual salary will vary depending on the number of hours you work. The salary range listed above represents the annual salary range for full-time journeyperson heavy equipment mechanics across Canada, based on a 40-hour work week, without taking overtime into account.
Building your career
With experience and additional training, you can move into more senior positions such as supervisor or service manager.
As with most careers in the construction industry, your skills are portable. If you want to move, you can take your skills with you.
