Forklift Mechanic job description
440 verified openings in Forklift Operator
A lift truck that will not lift has a hydraulic fault, an electrical fault, or a worn subassembly, and the mechanic's first job is working out which. Federal wage and task data covers that work under Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines, code 49-3042, an occupation spanning cranes, bulldozers, graders, and conveyors in construction, logging, and mining, and every figure here comes from it. It held 176,600 jobs, and OEWS put half of them above $65,510 a year, measured May 2025; $46,820 marks the bottom decile, $94,460 the top. Reported titles for it include heavy equipment technician and field service technician.
Core Duties and Responsibilities
Diagnosis comes first, then the repair: replacing damaged and worn parts, then testing the machine against the manufacturer's specification. Around that: operating and inspecting equipment to locate a defect, dismantling and reassembling it with hoists and hand tools, swapping subassemblies such as transmissions and crawler heads, rewiring electrical systems, and welding broken structural members. Manuals, blueprints, and technical drawings come with all of it, and so do parts ordering, service records, and maintenance scheduling.
Common Skills and Technologies
Troubleshooting and repairing come ahead of equipment maintenance and operations monitoring. Software barely features here: the named applications stop at the Microsoft Office basics, with facilities management and materials requirements planning systems behind the service records and the parts orders. The working kit is micrometers and gauges for checking wear, computerized engine diagnostic and calibration equipment, hoists, jacks, and electric or gas welders.
Education, Training, and Career Path
Vocational programs are the common route in, or two years of college, and the training that counts happens on the equipment beside experienced mechanics; a few employers run a recognized apprenticeship. O*NET Job Zone Three, its middle band of preparation. The certificate route dominates, taking 55 percent, and high school alone is the next largest group.
Sources: O*NET 30.0, 49-3042.00 Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines, https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/49-3042.00. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, 49-3042, https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm.