Heavy Duty Equipment Technician

Heavy-Duty Equipment Technicians work on industrial and construction vehicles, such as mining trucks and bulldozers; on heavy equipment used in construction, forestry, materials handling, landscaping, and land clearing; as well as on buses and large trucks.

Heavy-Duty Equipment Technicians overhaul, repair and service equipment such as graders, loaders, shovels, tractors, trucks, forklifts, drills, and wheeled and tracked vehicles. Working from manufacturers' specifications, they identify and repair problems in structural, mechanical, or hydraulic systems.

The following trades begin with common Level 1 training, and may share other Levels as well: Heavy Duty Equipment Technician (HDET), Diesel Engine Mechanic (DEM), Truck and Transport Mechanic (TTM), and Transport Trailer Technician (TTT). Refer to this trade’s ‘Program Profile’ via SkilledTradesBC for specific details.

Heavy-Duty Equipment Technician is a nationally designated trade under the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program.

Recommendations

The following education is recommended: Grade 10 equivalent (Grade 12 preferred), including English 10, Math 10, Science 10.

 

The Apprenticeship Program comprises Levels 1-to-4 of progressive technical training, with Level 1 taking ten weeks (300 hours) to complete. Levels 2 through 4 take eight weeks (240 hours), six weeks (180 hours), and five weeks (150 hours), respectively. In addition, apprentices are required to accumulate 6,330 hours of work-based training.

 

A Heavy Mechanical Foundation program can jump-start your career without employer sponsorship by supplying the knowledge and skills to enter directly at Apprenticeship Level 2, after 36 weeks of training.

PROGRAM TYPES

Institution

Campus

Date

Program

Contact

Thompson Rivers University

Kamloops

Feb 03 2025Sep 12 2025

Heavy Mechanical Foundation

Institution

Campus

Date

Program

Contact

Thompson Rivers University

Kamloops

Jul 28 2025Mar 20 2026

Heavy Mechanical Foundation

Institution

Campus

Date

Program

Contact

Thompson Rivers University

Williams Lake

Sep 02 2025Apr 24 2026

Heavy Mechanical Foundation

Institution

Campus

Date

Program

Contact

Thompson Rivers University

Kamloops

Oct 20 2025Jun 12 2026

Heavy Mechanical Foundation

Institution

Campus

Date

Program

Contact

Thompson Rivers University

Kamloops

Feb 02 2026Sep 11 2026

Heavy Mechanical Foundation