Occupation

Tire Repairers and Changers

Human Advantage 65%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Moderate Risk
3.6 / 10

Some tasks in this role may be augmented by AI, but human oversight and interpersonal skills remain important.

Repair and replace tires.

Also Known As: Alignment Technician, Automotive Tire Worker (Auto Tire Worker), Brake and Alignment Technician (Brake and Alignment Tech), Commercial Tire Service Tech (Commercial Tire Service Technician), Commercial Tire Tech (Commercial Tire Technician), Lube Technician, Maintenance Technician, Mobile Tire Tech (Mobile Tire Technician) +19 more

Video

Core Tasks

  1. Raise vehicles, using hydraulic jacks.
  2. Remount wheels onto vehicles.
  3. Unbolt and remove wheels from vehicles, using lug wrenches or other hand or power tools.
  4. Place wheels on balancing machines to determine counterweights required to balance wheels.
  5. Identify tire size and ply and inflate tires accordingly.
  6. Replace valve stems and remove puncturing objects.
  7. Hammer required counterweights onto rims of wheels.
  8. Reassemble tires onto wheels.
  9. Seal punctures in tubeless tires by inserting adhesive material and expanding rubber plugs into punctures, using hand tools.
  10. Inspect tire casings for defects, such as holes or tears.
  11. Locate punctures in tubeless tires by visual inspection or by immersing inflated tires in water baths and observing air bubbles.
  12. Glue tire patches over ruptures in tire casings, using rubber cement.
  13. Assist mechanics and perform various mechanical duties, such as changing oil or checking and replacing batteries.
  14. Rotate tires to different positions on vehicles, using hand tools.
  15. Clean and tidy up the shop.
  16. Buff defective areas of inner tubes, using scrapers.
  17. Order replacements for tires or tubes.
  18. Separate tubed tires from wheels, using rubber mallets and metal bars or mechanical tire changers.
  19. Inflate inner tubes and immerse them in water to locate leaks.
  20. Clean sides of whitewall tires.

Supplemental Tasks (4)

  1. Prepare rims and wheel drums for reassembly by scraping, grinding, or sandblasting.
  2. Apply rubber cement to buffed tire casings prior to vulcanization process.
  3. Patch tubes with adhesive rubber patches or seal rubber patches to tubes, using hot vulcanizing plates.
  4. Drive automobile or service trucks to industrial sites to provide services or respond to emergency calls.

Education & Training

Job Zone 2 Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Education: These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Experience: Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
On-the-Job Training: Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
41%
Less than a High School Diploma
27%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)
26%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.
2%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
2%
Some College Courses
1%

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft Word

Software (6)

  • Accounting software
  • Project estimation software
  • Recordkeeping software

Tools & Equipment (80)

  • 4-way tire valve tools
  • Air drills
  • Air spray guns
  • Air/steam bags
  • Airless spray guns
  • Awls
  • Bail cutting knives
  • Balancing machines
  • Bead breakers
  • Bead expanders
  • Bead seaters
  • Buffers
  • Computerized tire/wheel balancing equipment
  • Curved-point scalpel knives
  • Cutting blades
  • Deburring tools
  • Desktop computers
  • Duck-billed bead-breaking wedges
  • Electric knife heaters
  • Eye protection
  • Fast-trim vent knives
  • Hammers
  • Hand rasps
  • Hand rollers for adhesives
  • Handheld extruders
  • Hawk bill knives
  • Heavy duty T-handle reamers
  • Heavy duty T-handle spiral probe cement tools
  • Heavy duty awls
  • Holding clamps
  • Hot vulcanizing plates
  • Hub-cap pullers
  • Hydraulic jacks
  • Hydraulic pumps
  • Inner-liner scrapers
  • Insertion tools
  • Insulated heater knives
  • Jacks
  • Lug wrenches
  • Mallets
  • Mechanical tire changers
  • Mill knives
  • Mold presses
  • Notched-blade trim knives
  • Personal computers
  • Pneumatic wrenches
  • Power grinders
  • Power hoists
  • Power tire spreaders
  • Pricking awls
  • Razor knives
  • Regroovers
  • Respirators
  • Rim clamp tire changers
  • Rubber patch guns
  • Safety gloves
  • Safety shoes
  • Scissors
  • Scrapers
  • Shears
  • Square point knives
  • Stickleback rasps
  • Taper point knives
  • Thermocutters
  • Tire hammers
  • Tire irons
  • Tire knockers
  • Tire plug guns
  • Tire probing awls
  • Tire reamers
  • Tire stands
  • Tire tread depth gauges
  • Torque wrenches
  • Trimmer shears
  • Truck lock ring removers
  • Truck tire spoons
  • Utility knives
  • Vulcanizing machines
  • Wire brushes
  • Workshop cranes

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Maintenance & Repair Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 2
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