Heavy equipment mechanics, also called heavy-duty equipment technicians, repair, troubleshoot, adjust, overhaul, and maintain the mobile equipment used in construction, mining, forestry, oil and gas, and agriculture: bulldozers, excavators, graders, loaders, cranes, and similar machines. The work covers diesel engines, hydraulics, powertrains, and electrical and computerized diagnostic systems, in both the shop and the field. It is a skilled Red Seal trade in documented shortage, and it pays accordingly. This guide sets out what it pays.
The official wage band
Job Bank classifies this trade under NOC 72401, Heavy-duty equipment mechanics. These are the official hourly wages for the trade in Canada, low to high, updated November 19, 2025.
| Level | Hourly |
|---|---|
| Low | $23.87 |
| Median | $37.12 |
| High | $55.00 |
The national median employment income for the trade is about $76,000. Job Bank also notes that about 92 percent of workers in this trade receive at least one non-wage benefit, such as a pension, insurance, or paid leave.
Reading the band
The band is wide because it spans an apprentice near the floor and a certified journeyperson in the resource sector at the top. Read the upper end as the Red Seal journeyperson and the off-road, resource-equipment end, where diagnosing hydraulics, diesel engines, powertrains, and computerized systems on production-critical machines is core to the job.
What lifts your pay
- Red Seal certification and journeyperson status
- Resource-sector work in mining, oil and gas, and forestry, where the top of the band concentrates
- Field service and mobile repair on production-critical equipment
- Specialization in hydraulics, powertrains, and computerized diagnostic systems, including hybrid, electric, and automated equipment
- Working in the resource provinces, where Alberta and the territories post the highest bands
Reading the ranges
These bands cover NOC 72401, the heavy-duty equipment trade, which is distinct from automotive and truck or bus mechanics under NOC 72410. Apprentices and newer technicians sit near the floor. Certified journeyperson heavy equipment technicians with resource-sector and field-service experience sit toward the ceiling.
Sources: Job Bank Canada wage data (NOC 72401, updated November 19, 2025) and the Red Seal program.
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