Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · Holland code RC
Tire Repairers and Changers
Repair and replace tires.
Also called: Lube Technician (Lube Tech), Service Technician (Service Tech), Tire Installer, Tire Shop Mechanic, Alignment Technician (Alignment Tech), Tire Alignment Technician (Tire Alignment Tech), Tire Changer, Tire Repairer.
O*NET 49-3093.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $37,710
- Middle half earn $34,690 to $45,300. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- 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.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening2.9 / 5
- Speaking2.8 / 5
- Critical Thinking2.6 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.5 / 5
- Monitoring2.5 / 5
- Active Learning2.1 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical4.0 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service4.0 / 5
- Administration and Management3.3 / 5
- Production and Processing3.3 / 5
- Education and Training3.2 / 5
- Public Safety and Security3.0 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic100
- Investigative13
- Artistic0
- Social13
- Enterprising10
- Conventional40
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- tyre fitter · DE Mechaniker für Reifen- und Vulkanisationstechnik/Mechanikerin für Reifen- und Vulkanisationstechnik · FR monteur en pneumatique/monteuse en pneumatique
- tyre builder · DE Reifenmacher/Reifenmacherin · FR confectionneur de pneumatiques/confectionneuse de pneumatiques
- tyre vulcaniser · DE Reifenvulkaniseur/Reifenvulkaniseurin · FR réparateur de pneus/réparatrice de pneus
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians (5231)165,500 employed
- Tyre, exhaust and windscreen fitters (8145)12,600 employed
- Vehicle body builders and repairers (5232)22,700 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €40,086 |
| Germany | €38,638 |
| Austria | €38,194 |
| Sweden | €37,856 |
| Netherlands | €37,077 |
| Ireland | €36,098 |
| France | €27,145 |
| Italy | €26,488 |
| Spain | €22,817 |
| Portugal | €11,142 |
| Poland | €10,099 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.55. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (49-3093).
Related careers
Is it a fit for you?
Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.
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