Go Big or Go Home

Heavy vehicle techs make great money working on the largest, most crucial machines in the world

NOTE: This story was originally published April 12, 2011, and was republished today, May 1, 2026, with some updates.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: “Overall employment of heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians is projected to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.

“About 21,700 openings for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.”

The BLS OOH also reports: “The median annual wage for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians was $62,740 in May 2024. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $43,630, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $89,920.”

More about Heavy Construction Equipment Technology at DCTC…

The Heavy Construction Equipment Technology (HCET) program at Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) prepares you to succeed as a well-trained, mechanically minded, hard-working technician employed by heavy equipment dealers and contractors. Instruction involves classroom theory, live-shop demonstrations, and hands-on repair of heavy equipment currently used in the industry. Making repairs on actual equipment is vital to skill development.

The HCET program is accredited by the Associated Equipment Distributors Foundation (AED).

Your life experience may equal college credits

The HCET program offers Credit for Prior Learning (CPL). Seek credit for life experience to accelerate your progress toward a degree, diploma, or certificate. Visit Credit for Prior Learning to learn more.

HCET program degree, diploma, and certificate options

Heavy Construction Equipment Technology A.A.S. degree
72 credits

Program Outcomes

Perform heavy equipment repairs in accordance with industry standards.
Collaborate and use proper communication to successfully complete tasks.
Demonstrate safe operation of heavy equipment.
Perform hydraulic repairs on heavy equipment in accordance with industry standards.

Heavy Construction Equipment Mechanic diploma
64 credits

Program Outcomes

Perform heavy equipment repairs in accordance with industry standards.
Collaborate and use proper communication to successfully complete tasks.
Demonstrate safe operation of heavy equipment.
Perform hydraulic repairs on heavy equipment in accordance with industry standards.

Heavy Construction Equipment Maintenance certificate
29 credits

Program Outcomes

Perform heavy equipment repairs in accordance with industry standards.
Collaborate and use proper communication to successfully complete tasks.
Demonstrate safe operation of heavy equipment.

Delivery: Daytime Classes (HCEM 1271 and HCEM 2271 are online courses; all other HCEM courses are in person on campus.)
Start: Fall semester full-time

SkillsUSA

As a student in the college’s Heavy Construction Equipment Technology program, you can advance your professional development by networking with industry leaders and fellow technicians as well as through involvement in student organizations on campus.

SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization for students at community and technical colleges across the U.S. The organization focuses on students in academic programs that lead to careers in the trade, industrial, technical and health care fields. Nearly 100 SkillsUSA competitions at the state and national levels relate to leadership skills or programs of study at DCTC.

Learn more about SkillsUSA…

Largest Heavy Equipment by Category¹

Bucket-Wheel Excavator: Bagger 293 is 315 feet tall and 738 feet long, making it the planet’s most cumbersome (and perhaps frightening) land vehicle.

Bagger 293 (Author: Stefan Fussan)

Dump Truck: BelAZ 75710 is the world’s most prodigious mining truck with a 496-ton (992,000-pound) payload capacity.

BelAZ 75710 (Author: Hasan Hüseyin Kulak)

Dozer: Komatsu D575A-3 SD Superdozer is the most mightiest of bulldozers, weighing in at 153 tons and standing 16 feet tall.

Komatsu D575A-3 (Author: Michael Thomson)

Wheel Loader: Komatsu P&H L-2350 hoists 72.5 tons in a single scoop, making it one of the strongest rubber-tired loaders on Earth.

Komatsu P&H L-2350 (Author: Komatsu)

Dragline: Bucyrus-Erie 2570WS ranks as one of the most colossal heavy-duty excavators in modern global operation.

Bucyrus-Erie 2570WS (Author: Freedom Mine, Coteau Properties Co.)

Crane: Mammoet SK6000 is a high-capacity electric ring crane capable of hefting and transferring 3,300 tons, which is precisely the weight 1,100 6,000-pound mature bull hippos.

Mammoet SK6000 (Author: Ksenia Kuleshova)

Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM): Qin Liangyu, aka Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok, aka Mixshield S-880, which boasts a power output of 5,600 kW and a torque of 27,000 kNm, can gnaw out 100 feet of tunnel a day through dense, saturated crud and stone.

Qin Liangyu (Author: Herrenknecht AG)

Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul mobile mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment, such as cranes, bulldozers, graders, and conveyors, used in construction, logging, and mining.

Reported job titles

Construction Equipment Mechanic
Equipment Mechanic
Equipment Technician
Field Mechanic
Field Service Technician
Field Technician
Heavy Equipment Mechanic
Heavy Equipment Technician
Mechanic
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic

WAGES

Minnesota

Workers on average earn $75,750.
10% of workers earn $49,770 or less.
10% of workers earn $94,080 or more.

United States

Workers on average earn $63,980.
10% of workers earn $45,450 or less.
10% of workers earn $92,360 or more.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 wage data.

EMPLOYMENT TRENDS

Minnesota

Employment (2022): 2,510 employees
Projected employment (2032): 2,870 employees
Projected growth(2022–2032): 14%
Projected annual job openings (2022–2032): 260

United States

Employment (2024): 188,700 employees
Projected employment (2034): 199,600 employees
Projected growth (2024–2034): 6% = faster than average
Projected annual job openings (2024–2034): 16,500

Minnesota source: Projections Central 2022–2032 long-term projections.
United States source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 employment projections.
“Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period.
“Projected annual job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Visit O*NET OnLine for comprehensive information about the occupation: Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines

SOURCE: O*NET OnLine: Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines

Learn more about the Heavy Construction Equipment Technology (HCET) program at DCTC by contacting:

Admissions
admissions@dctc.edu
651-423-8266
Room 2-110

¹ SOURCE: AI Overview

Godspeed and cheerio…

Chris Hayes

Chris Hayes, 71, senior writer and photographer in the Marketing and Communications department at Dakota County Technical College and Inver Hills Community College, is retiring after 18+ years. Monday, May 4, 2026, is his last day. This is his last post on DCTC News.

Dr. Ron Thomas

Chris started working at DCTC in November 2007. He was one of the first shared employees when he arrived at Inver Hills in 2012 (or thereabouts). He published about 2,000 posts on DCTC News and more than 1,100 on Inver Hills News.

As a photographer, he covered a lot of events for both colleges, publishing about 350 DCTC Flickr and 350 Inver Hills Flickr albums. Covering events, especially sports, theatre, and graduations, was one of the favorite parts of his job.

Chris expresses his gratitude to his bosses over the years, Marlo Teal, MS, current, Lisé Freking, JD, third, Angela Burns Finney, MA, MBA, second, and Erin Edlund, PhD, first. All were kind, insightful, knowledgable, and brilliant at their jobs.

“A special shoutout to Ron Thomas, PhD, former DCTC president, who made sure I found a home at the college,” Chris added.

Annie, Rachel, Emily, Maranda, Lisé

Chris says so long to his coworkers and friends, Rachel Marzahn, interactive media coordinator, Annie Nguyen, web developer and content manager, Scott Glime, web developer, Megan Vave, content/graphic design coordinator, Maranda Weibel, graphic arts specialist/marketing coordinator, and Emily Zimmer, marketing coordinator.

Also, Chris sends a big thank you to all the students, staff, faculty, and alumni who completed interviews for DCTC News and Inver Hills News spotlight stories. Writing spotlights was another best part of his job.

Last DCTC Flickr album

DCTC Phi Theta Kappa Induction Ceremony Spring 2026

Last Inver Hills Flickr album

Inver Hills PTK and Psi Beta Induction Ceremony Spring 2026

Chris family and life gallery one

The Legends: Xochi, Bleuzenn, Zulie, Skeggox

Ginny with Csilla, Gunny, Skookum, and Haisley

Ginny with Skooks, Gunny, Haisley, and Csilla

More about the retiree…

Mom, Mike, Chris, Dad

Chris was born in Washington, D.C., in 1955, the same year Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, and Albert Einstein died. He was adopted along with his twin brother, Mike, by his parents, Captain Richard Hayes, a 29-year U.S. Navy veteran, and Doloris Hayes, a U.S. Navy nurse and later in civilian life an RN and Northwest Airlines flight attendant. His mom and dad met serving in the Pacific Theater during WWII (1941–1945). They are both buried in Arlington Cemetery.

Photoshop generative expand/AI denoise+sharpen experiment rescued young Chris…sort of

Mike retired as a commander from the U.S. Navy after 29 years of service. As a naval aviator, he flew an A-6 Intruder on 45 sorties during the first Gulf War. He resides with his wife, Jackie, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Mike and Jackie have two adult children, Katie and Steve, aka “Slade,” and four granddaughters.

“My brother-in-law, Del Stedman, was a U.S. Marine who saw extensive combat during the Vietnam War,” Chris said. “His wife and my beloved sister, Patty, died at the age of 22. Del was exposed to Agent Orange and died from cancer in 1983 at the age of 36.”

Chris graduated from Red Wing High School in 1973, the same year Bruce Lee died and the U.S. launched Skylab, NASA’s first space station. He promptly went to Bemidji State College, where he majored in reading dozens and dozens of novels and visiting the headwaters of the Mississippi River.

Nowadays, Chris resides in primordial Minnesota in a six-acre arboretum with Ginny, his wife of 42 years, three pumik (singular pumi) named MACH 7 Szimfónia Amerikai Csilla, Skookum, aka Little Skooks, and Haisley, a preternatural wunderkind, and one 95-pound, mind-bending giant schnauzer named Gungnir, aka Gunny and/or Gun-Bob.

Del and Patty

The Hayes family has been blessed with legendary dogs, including CH MACH2 Wildwoods Bleuzenn, the only giant schnauzer in the history of the breed to achieve championships in both conformation and agility. Bleuzzie went missing on July 4, 2008. You can read her story in the Pioneer Press, “Champion dog disappears without a trace.”

Chris reported that the family also lost Ukko, a once-in-a-lifetime pumi and agility phenom, to a sudden illness in 2023. Ginny and Ukko are soulmates. Skeggox, aka Meatball and/or Meatus, was another remarkable giant. His name is Old Norse and means “bearded axe.” Chris regarded Skeggs as a natural-born friend and mentor.

“Ginny and I met sleeving poinsettias together in December 1979 at the Bachman’s growing range in Lakeville, Minnesota,” Chris said. “Between us, we worked for Bachman’s for sixty years. Gin talked me into going back to college in 2004.

“We have a blended family that includes a son, Travis, and his wife Sarah, and their two young children, Finn and Isabella. We have one daughter, Brenda, who’s married to Tim Olson and has three grown children, Dale, Katie, and Ben. Our other daughter, Barb, has two grown children, Holden, a DCTC business management and Inver Hills EMS alumna, and Joey, who resides with his fiancée, Destiny, in Colorado. Holden is getting married to Michael Kelly this October.”

Skeggox and Bleuzenn with leery friends

Chris and Ginny’s blended family also includes five great-grandchildren, Jordan, Aubrie, RJ, Colt, and Ryatt.

Chris has traveled to India twice, once on a month-long trek from Badrinath in the Himalayas to Kanyakumari on the country’s southernmost coast on the Indian Ocean, and once on a month-long adventure to the Prayag Kumbh Mela in Allahabad in 2001, the latter event drawing 70 million people to the convergence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. He practices two types of meditation, mantra and gazing, both twice a day.

Equipped with a black belt in taekwondo, a B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and a decades-long interest in jnana yoga, Chris understandably likes photographing insects and other bugs, resulting in Escape to the Bughouse on Flickr. He loves to write novels, novellas, novelettes, and short stories. You can check out his work by visiting his website, Chris Lux Hayes, Author.

“Best of luck to everyone at both Inver and DCTC as you unite as one institution—Minnesota Valley College*,” Chris said. “Happy trails and smooth sailing.”

* Pending approval from the Higher Learning Commission and the Minnesota State Board of Trustees.

Second inukshuk

“The inukshuk (or inuksuk) is a traditional Inuit stone landmark symbolizing safety, hope, friendship, and navigation, embodying the spirit of ‘acting in the capacity of a human.’ Spiritually, they represent guardianship, connection to ancestors, and reassurance that one is on the right path.”

— AI Overview