If you’ve ever required the services of a truck mechanic in Gainesville, GA, you may have stopped to ask yourself: what all do truck mechanics do?
Also known as diesel technicians, truck mechanics have many responsibilities and duties as part of their work on large trucks, construction vehicles, and other machines that run on diesel duel. What are the specifics? Let’s take a look.
Diesel Truck Mechanic Duties
The primary duty of a truck mechanic is to make a preventive maintenance checklist & complete routine checks on vehicles and make the necessary repairs and maintenance that keep them running safely. This makes up the bulk of what they do each day. As part of this, they examine all parts of diesel vehicles, diagnose specific problems, deliver solutions, and take steps to prevent new problems from developing.
How intensive this work is varies. Sometimes, the daily work of a truck mechanic in Gainesville, GA is light; they make small repairs and simple maintenance such as replacing oil of the diesel engine in correct intervals. Other days, they need to dismantle and rebuild entire engines.
However, the job description for a truck mechanic doesn’t end with the work they do on vehicles. They also need to have customer service skills, clear communication when explaining issues to clients, and a knack for sales.
Let’s break this down further with a list of common truck mechanic responsibilities:
- Maintaining trucks and other vehicles by checking things such as batteries, oil, lubrication, nuts and bolts, and other items.
- Inspecting trucks on a routine or on-demand basis to address concerns of the owner. This can mean looking at one or multiple areas of the vehicle, such as the braking system, steering mechanism, engine, etc.
- Understanding the purposes of different tools and how to effectively use them. These include welding equipment, pneumatic wrenches, and jacks.
- Knowing how to properly maintain the tools of the trade, including cleaning, storing, and lubricating them.
- Ability to diagnose defective equipment through visual and auditory inspections and confirm this with devices such as motor analyzers.
- Driving vehicles before and after repair to assess condition and diagnose problems.
- Replacing any parts on a vehicle that have become defective.
- Measuring vehicle emissions and making corrections to get them within legal limits.
To gain the skills they need to perform their duties, truck mechanics must receive specialized training at a diesel mechanic school. This is typically a nine-month hands-on course. After, most mechanics will apprentice with an expert before starting to work independently.
Are you in need of expert roadside semi-truck repair service? Contact Road Rescue for assistance.
