Find where the air escapes
Examine a tire that won't hold air, and try a water test so bubbles can mark the hole.
Career profile
Tire Technician
Tire repairers and changers find air leaks, fix punctured tires, and replace worn-out ones.
Hands-on work with wheels and rubber: each job starts with a tire problem and ends with a finished fix that can be checked afterward.
A day in the life
Swap the old tire out
Use the tire changer to pull the old tire off the wheel, then fit the new one.
Size up the tire first
Judge the tire's condition before you fix the hole, because a puncture does not guarantee a repair.
Balance the wheel
Spin the wheel and tire on the balancing machine, then add the counterweights it calls for.
Refit and torque the wheel
Put the wheel back on, then use a torque wrench to confirm the fasteners are tightened to spec.
Quick facts
Learn on the job
United States · 2025
$18.13/hour
United States · 2025
3.4% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Learn on the jobTypical preparation is a high school diploma or equivalent plus short-term workplace training.
Pay
$18.13/hourThe 2025 national median was $37,710 annually.
Outlook
3.4% projected growthEmployment is projected to grow 3.4% from 2025 to 2035.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy working with your hands.
- You can repeat a procedure without skipping checks.
- You like coordinating with coworkers to finish a customer's job.
Things to weigh
- Standing, bending and handling wheels can make the day physically tiring.
- Shop noise and hot or cold working conditions are part of many jobs.
- Some roadside positions require evening and weekend on-call shifts.
Where AI may help
Some tire changers automate parts of removing and mounting a tire, with screen prompts telling you when to intervene.
What people still lead
You still inspect tire damage, position the assembly and check the finished work.
What we can’t predict yet
How much of a future shift becomes machine monitoring rather than hands-on mounting will depend on the equipment shops adopt.
Pay in context
Earnings
Compare the guaranteed wage and expected hours before counting any bonuses.
The national midpoint
In 2025, median pay was $37,710 a year, or $18.13 an hour. This is the middle of the occupation's wage distribution, not a promised starting rate.
The pay spread
The lowest-paid 10% earned $30,010 or less annually; the highest-paid 10% earned $50,230 or more. These groups are not the same as beginners and experienced workers.
Pay by workplace
For an older national comparison, tire technicians averaged $17.27 an hour at automotive parts, accessories and tire retailers, $17.07 in automotive repair and maintenance, and $21.25 at general merchandise retailers in May 2023. These are industry averages for this occupation, not current offers or starting rates.
Openings over the next decade
About 12,900 openings per year are projected nationally for 2025–35, alongside 3.4% employment growth. Annual openings include replacement needs, not just newly created jobs.
Getting started
Start in a tire shop
- What the route involves
- Learn wheel removal, mounting and balancing with an experienced technician checking your work.
- What it can lead to
- Build the skills to handle routine tire-service jobs consistently.
Train for commercial roadside work
Paid
- What the route involves
- Enter a paid training position to learn truck-tire service and roadside work. Some employers accept applicants without tire experience.
- What it can lead to
- Prepare to respond to fleet tire failures and handle commercial tire jobs.
- What to check
- Mobile jobs require driving eligibility. Some require age 21 or older, a valid driver's license, commercial-driver qualifications and U.S. work authorization without sponsorship.
Workplace training is the usual way in. A high school diploma or equivalent is typical; hiring requirements differ.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Make vehicle lifting and wheel installation checks a reliable habit before concentrating on speed.
Handle harder problems
Develop your tire-condition judgment and learn to diagnose the sensors in a tire pressure monitoring system.
Add an alignment specialty
With further training, pursue alignment work: measuring and adjusting wheel angles to address uneven wear or a vehicle that does not track straight.
Where you can work
Retail tire and service shops
You work alongside other technicians on customer vehicles. Promised pickup times shape the pace, and coordinating the next job matters.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Commercial roadside service
You travel to disabled fleet vehicles, then return to shop work between calls. Some positions rotate after-hours coverage, so the workday can extend into evenings or weekends.
- Outdoors
- Field work
- Vehicle
- Travel
- On call
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Watch the tire-changing demonstration on Hunter's Revolution page. List what the technician does and what the machine does. Notice whether setting up, checking and repeating the work interests you.
Stay safe: Keep this exercise observational; do not lift a vehicle or operate tire equipment to try it.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 49-3093.00 — Tire Repairers and Changers. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- O*NET OnLine. Tire Repairers and Changers wages — United States rows in Texas wage view. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Tire Industry Association. Automotive Tire Service. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Mavis. Retail Store Openings — Automotive Technicians. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Goodyear. Roadside Technician Commercial Tires (Paid Training) — Salt Lake City, Utah. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Goodyear. Roadside Technician Commercial Tires (Paid Training) — Spokane Valley, Washington. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Hunter Engineering Company. Revolution WalkAway Tire Changer. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wages — Tire Repairers and Changers: Industry profile. Accessed 2026-10-02.