Diesel Mechanic Helper Jobs in Park Ridge, IL (NOW HIRING)

First Student is now hiring a Diesel Technician for our shop serving Chicago Ridge!

Hours/Schedule: Monday-Friday, Full-time day shift 8:30am-5:00pm

If you take pride in keeping your community moving, this is your opportunity to make a real difference. Our team keeps students safe and on time every day-because behind every bus is a skilled mechanic who ensures reliability, safety, and peace of mind for families across our community.

While First Student is North America's leading school transportation provider-serving more than 1,250 districts and 5.4 million student journeys daily-our focus here is local. You'll join a close-knit team that values collaboration, safety, and community connection.

Why Join First as a Diesel Mechanic?

• Pay Details: Dependent on experience and qualifications.
• Hourly Rate: $25.00 - $27.00 per hour (NOT flat rate).
• Bonus rate increase available for each ASE School Bus Series test passed and maintained (up to $2/hour more).
• Monday-Friday day shift schedule with consistent, year-round work.
• Company-paid ASE testing and training materials.
• Company-paid CDL Class B training and licensing.
• Excellent benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) with company match.
• Career Advancement Opportunities: Advance into operational, maintenance, management, and leadership roles in over 540 locations across the U.S. & Canada!
• Paid holidays and vacation time.
• Annual allowances for boots and prescription safety glasses.
• Discounts on cell phone plans, vehicles, and more through the PerkSpot program.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Counseling and support services for personal and work-related issues.

About the Diesel Technician Position

As a Diesel Technician with First Student, you will help maintain and repair school buses to ensure safety and reliability.

Diesel Technician key responsibilities include:

• Ensure vehicles are maintained and safe for our passengers.
• Diagnose and perform all phases of vehicle maintenance including the repair of brakes and brake inspections, engine tune-ups, suspensions, drive trains, transmission clutches and other repairs.
• Perform preventive maintenance (PMs), safety inspections, and annual maintenance inspections.
• Complete work orders accurately.
• Assist with mobile emergency repair services when needed.

Diesel Technician Qualifications

• At least 1-5 years of diesel or automotive maintenance and repair experience, or equivalent technical school education and experience.
• Vehicle diagnostic and problem-solving skills.
• Valid driver's license required.
• CDL Class B or ability to obtain within 60 days of employment - Company paid training provided.
• Possession of a mechanic's tool set to complete all assigned duties.
• Willingness to participate in the ASE certification program (training, testing, and bonuses provided).
• Strong computer skills.
• Note: This position is subject to DOT drug testing as a safety-sensitive employee. DOT Regulation 49 CFR Part 40 does not authorize the use of Schedule I drugs, including marijuana, for any reason.

Take the wheel and drive your career forward with First Student! Make an impact in your community while enjoying day shift schedules, great pay, and unmatched support.

First for a reason:

At First Student, we are a family of 60,000+ employees who take pride in safely transporting more than 5 million students and passengers to and from their destinations each day! Our family of brands include Transco, Total Transportation, Maggies Paratransit, and GVC II. Our employees are at the forefront of safety and innovation; they create and implement the most advanced training and technology the transportation industry has to offer.

In the state of Washington, all technician and driving positions, including but not limited to van drivers and any other position requiring employees to drive a company-owned vehicle, are considered safety-sensitive and are therefore subject to drug and alcohol testing, including cannabis.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. First is also committed to providing a drug-free workplace. First will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance, and any other fair chance law. Philadelphia's Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards Ordinance Poster is at this link or upon request https://www.phila.gov/media/20210423160847/Fair-Chance-Hiring-law-poster.pdf.

About us
An industry leader famous for our yellow school buses and service and safety excellence, we’ve provided student transportation services to schools for over 100 years. Continually investing in the services of the future, we’re proud to be part of FirstGroup America – the largest provider of safe, reliable and sustainable surface passenger transportation services in North America.

Industry leader
We safely operate more than one third of all contracted school buses in North America.
Together our 50,000 school buses travel nearly 600 million miles per year — the equivalent of 1,200 round trips to the moon.
We operate in around 550 locations throughout 38 U.S. states and 8 Canadian provinces.

Innovation
We were the first school bus company to utilize global positioning systems (GPS), so at any one time we know where all of our buses are and how fast they’re travelling.
Passionate about safety, we’ve installed Safety Crossing Gates on the front of all of our school buses and use the Child Check-MateTM electronic reminder system to make sure no sleeping children remain inside a bus at the end of each route.

Awards & recognition
We won the Occupational Excellence Achievement Award from the National Safety Council two years in a row.
Dedicated to safety, FirstGroup received the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Green Cross for Safety Medal - the highest award for safety in North America.

Teamwork and trust
It takes a diverse team of skilled professionals to provide a safe, effective and efficient student transportation system. From our school bus drivers and location managers to routers, dispatchers and fleet technician mechanics, the work we do every day makes a big impact on the daily lives of students, parents, local communities and school district partners.

We’re very proud of our elite team of over 55,000 dedicated, caring and diverse professionals. And they are the #1 reason we’re trusted by over 1,400 school districts - more than any other provider. Everybody here plays their part in creating a positive school bus experience.

Our culture
We live and breathe our vision and values. They are embedded in our culture and drive our commitment to our customers and communities. Our culture fosters growth and promotes respect, reliability, responsibility and safety. And we recruit people who share these values and will work together to build strong and trusting partnerships in the communities we serve.

Safety – Although our safety record is twice as safe as the industry average, we continually seek out opportunities to enhance our operational and safety initiatives.
Learning – Through our learning culture that spans over 550 locations, we receive and share insight from our people to enhance our service now and in the future.
Making a difference - By doing our job well, we make a positive impact on many lives – including the millions of students who travel with us every school day.
Careers for all – We’re an Equal Opportunity Employer and an Employer of Choice.
By consistently encouraging and supporting an open dialogue with our people and partners, we’re able to share new ideas and develop new ways to meet the needs of our customers and passengers. At First Student, you’ll feel empowered to serve your community. So join the team and start to make a difference.