Diesel & Heavy Equipment programs: earnings, debt and schools by state
581 certificate and associate-degree programs at 398 U.S. schools teach diesel, heavy-equipment and mobile-equipment mechanics. Federal data shows what past graduates earned and borrowed. Programs in this group (CIP 47.03) teach diesel engines, hydraulics, drivetrains and heavy-equipment maintenance for trucks, construction and farm machinery.
Best-paying diesel/heavy equipment programs (one year after completion)
Ranked by the median earnings of completers working and not enrolled, among programs with at least 10 earners reported. High earnings can reflect local labor markets and who enrolls, so compare debt and completion too.
| School | City | Program | Credential | Completers/yr | 1-yr earnings | Median debt | Monthly payment* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgerland Technical College | Logan, UT | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Certificate | 55 | $82,154 | – | – |
| Jefferson Community and Technical College | Louisville, KY | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Certificate | 118 | $81,025 | $8,919 | $101 |
| Bluegrass Community and Technical College | Lexington, KY | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Associate degree | 52 | $80,389 | $12,502 | $142 |
| Northwest Shoals Community College | Muscle Shoals, AL | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Associate degree | 17 | $78,775 | – | – |
| Ivy Tech Community College | Indianapolis, IN | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Certificate | 284 | $78,688 | – | – |
| Bluegrass Community and Technical College | Lexington, KY | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Certificate | 289 | $78,125 | $14,863 | $169 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Murfreesboro | Murfreesboro, TN | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Certificate | 48 | $77,216 | – | – |
| Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology | Okmulgee, OK | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Associate degree | 7 | $74,962 | – | – |
| Lakeshore Technical College | Cleveland, WI | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Certificate | 19 | $71,794 | – | – |
| Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College | Bowling Green, KY | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Certificate | 243 | $71,760 | $10,863 | $123 |
| Georgia Northwestern Technical College | Rome, GA | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Associate degree | 46 | $71,360 | – | – |
| Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College | Bowling Green, KY | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Associate degree | 50 | $71,220 | $11,113 | $126 |
| Northwood Technical College | Rice Lake, WI | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Certificate | 13 | $70,896 | – | – |
| Elizabethtown Community and Technical College | Elizabethtown, KY | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Associate degree | 48 | $69,358 | $7,225 | $82 |
| York Technical College | Rock Hill, SC | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technology | Associate degree | 11 | $69,127 | – | – |
*Scorecard's estimated monthly payment on the median debt over 10 years. “Not reported” means the Department suppressed or did not publish the figure.
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Diesel/Heavy Equipment programs by state
| State | Programs | Schools | Median 1-yr earnings | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 26 | 16 | $59,011 | $10,000 |
| Alaska | 2 | 1 | not reported | – |
| Arizona | 11 | 8 | not reported | $9,500 |
| Arkansas | 14 | 12 | not reported | – |
| California | 57 | 37 | $65,644 | $9,500 |
| Colorado | 5 | 3 | not reported | – |
| Delaware | 1 | 1 | not reported | – |
| Florida | 10 | 10 | not reported | – |
| Georgia | 43 | 23 | $59,224 | – |
| Idaho | 9 | 5 | not reported | – |
| Illinois | 38 | 25 | not reported | $9,500 |
| Indiana | 4 | 3 | $53,570 | $12,060 |
| Iowa | 17 | 9 | not reported | – |
| Kansas | 7 | 5 | not reported | – |
| Kentucky | 27 | 14 | $65,353 | $8,128 |
| Louisiana | 11 | 9 | not reported | – |
| Maine | 3 | 2 | not reported | – |
| Maryland | 1 | 1 | $51,452 | $9,771 |
| Michigan | 25 | 14 | $50,918 | $13,354 |
| Minnesota | 12 | 8 | $65,622 | $12,000 |
| Mississippi | 17 | 10 | $68,459 | – |
| Missouri | 16 | 11 | $57,382 | $12,000 |
| Montana | 3 | 2 | not reported | – |
| Nebraska | 8 | 5 | not reported | – |
| Nevada | 3 | 3 | not reported | – |
| New Hampshire | 2 | 2 | not reported | – |
| New Jersey | 2 | 2 | $52,302 | $12,000 |
| New Mexico | 6 | 4 | not reported | – |
| New York | 7 | 6 | $55,525 | $12,000 |
| North Carolina | 7 | 5 | not reported | – |
| North Dakota | 2 | 1 | not reported | – |
| Ohio | 23 | 20 | $56,283 | – |
| Oklahoma | 6 | 5 | $74,962 | – |
| Oregon | 15 | 8 | not reported | – |
| Pennsylvania | 17 | 15 | $44,993 | $9,012 |
| South Carolina | 10 | 7 | $69,127 | – |
| South Dakota | 1 | 1 | not reported | – |
| Tennessee | 28 | 26 | $51,780 | $12,060 |
| Texas | 19 | 14 | not reported | – |
| Utah | 10 | 9 | $82,154 | – |
| Virginia | 2 | 2 | not reported | – |
| Washington | 22 | 13 | not reported | – |
| West Virginia | 3 | 3 | not reported | – |
| Wisconsin | 25 | 16 | $65,484 | $6,162 |
| Wyoming | 4 | 2 | not reported | – |
States with fewer than three programs have no detail page.
What to know before you enroll
ASE offers truck and heavy-equipment tests. Employers such as dealerships and fleets sometimes run their own training pipelines, so compare school costs to paid alternatives.
Questions to ask every school
- Which engine makes and electronics do students train on?
- Are there employer partnerships with dealers or fleets?
- What are the tool costs?
For national pay and job outlook, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics profile: Diesel Service Technicians and Mechanics.
Frequently asked questions
How much do diesel/heavy equipment graduates earn?
Among 66 diesel/heavy equipment programs that report earnings, the median first-year figure is $63,060 for certificate programs ($61,118) and $64,182 for associate programs. These are medians of past graduates and vary by state and employer.
How much debt do diesel/heavy equipment students take on?
The median federal loan debt among borrowers across programs reporting it is $9,500. Many students in short programs borrow nothing; the figure only covers borrowers.
Is the data current?
It comes from the College Scorecard release dated October 15, 2026. The Department updates it annually and each figure describes graduates from earlier years.
Can I trust a school's own job-placement claims?
Treat them as a starting point. Ask for the placement rate definition, the number of graduates counted and the time window, then compare with the federal earnings above.
Related programs
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard Field of Study and Institution files (release dated 10/15/2026). Earnings are median annual earnings of completers working and not enrolled one year after finishing; debt is median federal loan debt of borrowers; both describe past cohorts and small programs are suppressed by the Department. See our methodology.