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Diesel & Truck Mechanic

Skilled Trades

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul buses and trucks, or maintain and repair any type of diesel engines. Includes mechanics working primarily with automobile or marine diesel engines.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Mechanical Engineering

Picture the job

Where you'd usually workA vehicle service bay

  • Outdoors most days, in all weather
  • On your feet for most of the day
  • Regular working hours
  • A noisy workplace

An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME)

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. Typical entry

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationPost-secondary certificate
The full route to this careerThe steps from school, UPU programmes and sourced costs, read against your answers.

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months
Compare routes against your results and interests

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

Quick answers

How do you become a Diesel & Truck Mechanic in Malaysia?

Routes after SPM that lead here include Matriculation.

Can I become a Diesel & Truck Mechanic straight after SPM?

Yes. This career can be started with a certificate, diploma or TVET training straight after SPM, without a degree.

What should I study to become a Diesel & Truck Mechanic?

Related fields of study: Mechanical Engineering. SPM subjects that help most: Mechanical Engineering Studies, Physics, Design & Technology (RBT) and English.

How much does a Diesel & Truck Mechanic earn in Malaysia?

We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Diesel & Truck Mechanic pay, so we show no figure.

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Use 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.
  2. 2Inspect brake systems, steering mechanisms, wheel bearings, and other important parts to ensure that they are in proper operating condition.
  3. 3Raise trucks, buses, and heavy parts or equipment using hydraulic jacks or hoists.
  4. 4Adjust and reline brakes, align wheels, tighten bolts and screws, and reassemble equipment.
  5. 5Attach test instruments to equipment, and read dials and gauges to diagnose malfunctions.
  6. 6Perform routine maintenance such as changing oil, checking batteries, and lubricating equipment and machinery.
  7. 7Examine and adjust protective guards, loose bolts, and specified safety devices.
  8. 8Inspect, test, and listen to defective equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using test instruments such as handheld computers, motor analyzers, chassis charts, or pressure gauges.
  9. 9Test drive trucks and buses to diagnose malfunctions or to ensure that they are working properly.
  10. 10Rewire ignition systems, lights, and instrument panels.
  11. 11Diagnose and repair vehicle heating and cooling systems.
  12. 12Inspect, repair, and maintain automotive and mechanical equipment and machinery, such as pumps and compressors.
  13. 13Inspect and verify dimensions and clearances of parts to ensure conformance to factory specifications.
  14. 14Disassemble and overhaul internal combustion engines, pumps, generators, transmissions, clutches, and differential units.
  15. 15Adjust or repair computer controlled exhaust emissions devices.
  16. 16Rebuild gas or diesel engines.
  17. 17Specialize in repairing and maintaining parts of the engine, such as fuel injection systems.
  18. 18Measure vehicle emissions to determine whether they are within acceptable limits.
  19. 19Follow green operational practices involving conservation of water or energy or reduction of solid waste.
  20. 20Recondition and replace parts, pistons, bearings, gears, and valves.
  21. 21Install or repair accessories.
  22. 22Repair or adjust seats, doors, or windows.
  23. 23Dismount, mount, and repair or replace tires.
  24. 24Align front ends and suspension systems.
  25. 25Maintain or repair vehicles with alternative fuel systems, including biodiesel, hybrid, or compressed natural gas vehicles.
  26. 26Operate valve-grinding machines to grind and reset valves.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Fleet Tech
  • Diesel Tech
  • Bus Mechanic
  • Boat Mechanic
  • Bus Overhauler
  • Fleet Mechanic
  • Motor Mechanic
  • Tractor Expert
  • Truck Mechanic
  • Diesel Mechanic

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
PhysicsDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Mechanical95%

    Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Transportation78%
  • Education and Training71%
  • English Language70%

    English

  • Public Safety and Security68%
  • Mathematics66%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
  • Outdoors, in all weatherEvery day
  • Noisy environmentEvery day
  • Time spent sittingA little

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

0%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

What beginner adverts asked for

We read 8 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.

8 of 8 were internships

Allowance or pay, when stated

RM850 – RM1,200

6 of 8 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM850 and RM1,200 a month. Many print none.

Languages named

Mandarin, Bahasa Malaysia

An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org