Installation, Maintenance & Repair
Tire Repairers and Changers
Also called: Alignment Technician (Alignment Tech), Lube Technician (Lube Tech), Service Technician (Service Tech), Tire Alignment Technician (Tire Alignment Tech)
US median pay
$37,710
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+3.4%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
12,900
112,200 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 2/5 · Some preparation
What this job is
Repair and replace tires.
What they do day to day
- Unbolt and remove wheels from vehicles, using lug wrenches or other hand or power tools.
- Place wheels on balancing machines to determine counterweights required to balance wheels.
- Identify tire size and ply and inflate tires accordingly.
- Raise vehicles, using hydraulic jacks.
- Reassemble tires onto wheels.
- Glue tire patches over ruptures in tire casings, using rubber cement.
- Remount wheels onto vehicles.
- Seal punctures in tubeless tires by inserting adhesive material and expanding rubber plugs into punctures, using hand tools.
- Replace valve stems and remove puncturing objects.
- Apply rubber cement to buffed tire casings prior to vulcanization process.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Time Management3.0/5
- Service Orientation2.9/5
- Troubleshooting2.8/5
- Repairing2.8/5
- Operations Monitoring2.8/5
- Operation and Control2.8/5
- Quality Control Analysis2.6/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.6/5
Knowledge
- Mechanical4.0/5
- Customer and Personal Service4.0/5
- Administration and Management3.3/5
- Production and Processing3.2/5
- Education and Training3.2/5
- Public Safety and Security3.0/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 2 of 5 — Some preparation. Usually a high school diploma; some previous work experience or training helps.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.