How do you become a diesel mechanic?

Hi guys, I'm a high school senior interested in a career in diesel mechanics/heavy duty truck repairs. Where I live, we don't have any training programs and all of the shops around here want 3-5 years experience, so I'm not really sure how I would get started. I've been seeing some online programs through Penn Foster and Ashworth College. Are those worth it?? It seems weird to learn this trade online without any real hands-on practice.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. And I live in Buffalo, NY if that makes any difference!

 

Could start as a helper or doing clean up around the shop, or go to a tech school somewhere else then move back home after graduation.

When I went to Nashville Auto-Diesel College in Nashville,Tn I had been living in IN after graduating I moved back to OK where I’m originally from. There was students there from all over the country.

 

Like Slowpoke says...Start out as a Helper/parts runner/etc....Start buying tools,Show your desire..And Poof,Your A Mechanic- Not too hard to do.

I Even Think Truckstops like Loves and Pilots that have Tire Shops will Hire and Trainj with no experience- You'd be doing Simple tasks like changing Tires-Oil Changes,Shocks,Brakes, But its a tart

 

Find a company that is looking for a yard guy/labourer or washbay attendant. Put your time in, work hard and put the bug in their ear about moving over to the wrenches.

 

Learn every cuss word out there. Get used to never having a full glove of skin over your fingers and hands. Start out by hating drivers, and then in time you'll grow to hate engineers and designers just as much. learn to become immune to the fact that every person that tells you how something broke is a lie to protect their own butt and these few things will get you started down the right path

 

Truth right there. About the only thing that whines more than a trucker is an equipment operator

 

I am Canadian, but I started out as a high school co-op student at the local dealership and basically been there ever since. I did very well as just a high school student helping out as part of my classes, then they gave me a job sweeping floors and emptying garbage cans after school and helping the guys when they needed it. I went to college for two years to a heavy equipment technician program here in Ontario and the dealer I worked at was waiting for me. The rest is history. Do you have any sort of high school cooperative education program there?

 

Best way in my experience to get any mechanic job just hang around the shops start talkin to some of the mechanics tell em ur interested in learning, usually mechanic shops are always busy theres always somethin to do.. U might have to start out bustin lug nuts and changin tires, sweeping floor, organizing tool box, sorting out parts/inventory, but evenetually they will give u a chance... Most of my family turns wrenches for a living and they all got started this way... Screw school waste of time and money imo

 

Oh yeah rookies always got to clean the toilet too , anybody who ever spent time in a shop and has seen the shop toilet , it the most nasty place u could go in the entire world lol been cleaned it myself a couple times before , cmon

 

New York Diesel Mechanic Schools and Programs | AllTrucking.com
I did a quick google search, this site said there are 4 diesel tech programs in NY state. I had to move 100 miles from home to find a program. If you can’t get a local shop to take you “under their wing”, or if your high school doesn’t have a shop/ Mechanic class, this may be an option for you. Those places that want 3-5 year experience may give you a chance with just 2 years of school IF you can get the teacher to give you a good recommendation.

Any way you can, the best route to becoming a great mechanic is start with the trash cans and brooms, listen and pay attention, and ask the experienced around you!! You’ll come to find out as a mechanic that many of the promotions you’ll receive in your career will be payed in respect and not always dollars, but the bloody knuckles are worth it. (Until your knees and back give out, then you’ll be stuck behind a desk)