By Toya Turner, VP, LaTrae Consulting Group
What diesel, heavy equipment, and field service techs actually earn, by level and by market. Built from the roles we place, not scraped averages.
The Grid
Pay by role and level
Ranges reflect our core placement markets, the Northeast and the greater DMV. Softer markets adjust down from here, shown further below. Every figure is a working band for that level, not a single number.
| Role | C-Level | B-Level | A-Level | Lead / Foreman |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel Tech | $24–33 | $32–39 | $38–48 | $44–56 |
| Heavy Equipment Tech | $25–31 | $30–42 | $38–47 | $44–58 |
| Trailer Tech | $20–25 | $24–30 | $29–36 | n/a |
| Mobile Field Tech | $28–34 | $33–47 | $43–58 | n/a |
| Generator Tech | $28–36 | $32–43 | $42–55 | n/a |
| Crane & Rigging Tech | $28–35 | $34–47 | $44–58 | n/a |
Swipe the table sideways to see every tier.
Regional Read
What the market moves
The grid is our strong-market pricing. These are the adjustments for the other regions we place in.
| Market | vs the grid | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast — NY, NJ, MA, CT | At grid | Our top corridor. The grid is built here. Northern NJ adds data center pull. |
| Greater DMV & Baltimore — DC, MD, Northern VA | At grid | The world's largest data center market. That demand keeps techs bid up. |
| Energy & oilfield corridor — West Texas, North Dakota, Gulf Coast | +5 to 15% | The one market above the grid. Overtime and per diem run heavy. |
| Pacific Northwest — Portland, Seattle | At grid to −5% | Seattle holds the top; Hillsboro and Eastern Oregon data centers keep techs in demand. |
| Midwest & Great Lakes — Chicago, Columbus, Minneapolis | −5 to 10% | Chicago near the top; Chicago and Columbus are fast-growing data center markets. |
| Texas metro — Houston, Dallas | −5 to 10% | Dallas is a top-three data center market; field and oilfield sit in the corridor above. |
| Southeast — Atlanta, the Carolinas | −10 to 15% | Atlanta runs at the top, and it's the country's fastest-growing data center market. |
| Rural & lower cost of living | −10 to 20% | Off the top, scaled to the local market. |
The data center pull. The build-out is bidding up generator, electrical, and diesel techs across the markets above, and it draws from the same pools we recruit for heavy equipment and generator work. That pressure is part of why those markets run hot.
Certifications, shift, and overtime move a tech within these bands regardless of market.
How we built it
Methodology
These ranges come from the roles LaTrae Consulting Group actually places. We start from our own posted bands and accepted offers, then check them against current national market data so the numbers hold up outside our desk.
Figures are hourly base pay in US dollars, before overtime, shift premiums, sign on, and per diem. Pay climbs with certifications, the right shift, and the employer, so read each range as the working band for that level rather than a fixed rate. The grid reflects our core markets, and the softer markets adjust down as shown in the regional read.
We refresh this guide every quarter as our placement data moves.
Quarterly refresh
Get the new numbers when they move
One email a quarter, the day this guide updates. Nothing else.
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