Hire a heavy truck mechanic in Greater Montreal
A heavy truck mechanic is hired on two points: the fleet they already know, and the certificate your maintenance program requires. A posting that just says “mechanic” draws automobile mechanics and construction equipment mechanics. This page gives a job description to copy, the SAAQ and CPA Montréal requirements, and eight interview questions.
Job description to copy
Replace what is in brackets, then post it as is.
Heavy truck mechanic
Location: [city], Greater Montreal · Schedule: [day / evening / night], [number] h per week
Pay: [to be set] (benchmark: median $28/h in Quebec (Job Bank))
Responsibilities
- Perform preventive maintenance on trucks, tractors and trailers according to the company program, and fill out the maintenance sheet
- Diagnose and repair diesel engines, fuel injection and engine brakes
- Repair, adjust and measure air brakes, and keep the brake measurement record
- Repair transmissions, suspension, steering and fifth wheels
- Diagnose electrical and electronic circuits with the manufacturer’s diagnostic tools
- Fix defects recorded on the pre-trip inspection report within the required time
- Prepare vehicles for their periodic mechanical inspection at an authorized centre
- Road-test vehicles and tell dispatch which ones cannot be driven
- Keep each vehicle’s maintenance sheets and file up to date, as the owner must retain them for the SAAQ
- Order the parts needed and check the parts received before installation
Requirements
- DEP in Mécanique de véhicules lourds routiers (5330) or equivalent truck mechanic experience
- SAAQ preventive maintenance certificate of competency, in your vehicle category, if your preventive maintenance program covers vehicles of 7,258 kg or more
- CPA competency card if your establishment is covered by the Montreal-region decree
- Knowledge of minor and major defects as the SAAQ defines them
- Valid driver’s licence for road tests
Assets
- TRUCK category preventive maintenance certificate, which also covers buses, trailers and straight trucks
- Red Seal endorsement
- Class 3 or class 1 licence to move vehicles
- Experience with the engine or truck makes in your fleet
- Experience with refrigerated trailers or truck-mounted hydraulic equipment
- Experience with an SAAQ-recognized preventive maintenance program, including maintenance sheets and compliance stickers
What we offer
[benefits, insurance, shift premiums, training]
Heavy truck mechanic pay benchmark
| Region | Median | Offered in postings |
|---|---|---|
| All of Quebec | $28/h | — |
| Montérégie | $28/h | $30 (89) |
| Montréal | Quebec figures | $34.64 (106) |
| Laval | Quebec figures | $31.25 (18) |
| Lanaudière | Quebec figures | $30.97 (46) |
| Laurentides | Quebec figures | $31 (34) |
Median published by Job Bank (NOC 72410) and median offered in job postings (6 months, February to August 2026); in brackets, the number of hourly postings.
Eight interview questions
- Which tractor and diesel engine makes have you repaired, and which ones can you work on alone?
- Do you hold the SAAQ preventive maintenance certificate? In which category, and since when?
- Explain how you measure air brake stroke and when you consider it out of adjustment.
- A driver records an air leak on the pre-trip report. What do you check, and can the truck go back out?
- Walk me through your preventive maintenance on a tractor: in what order, and what do you record on the sheet?
- Tell me about a hard electrical diagnosis. What tool did you use, and what put you on the right track?
- Dispatch needs a truck in one hour and the repair takes three. How do you tell them?
- Which shifts can you work, and do you take roadside breakdown calls?
Timelines and difficulties
The first trap is the title. NOC 72410 counts automobile mechanics and truck mechanics together, and the word “mechanic” also draws construction equipment mechanics. Name the fleet in the posting: tractors, straight trucks, trailers, buses, and the makes. The second is the certificate. If your SAAQ-recognized preventive maintenance program covers vehicles of 7,258 kg or more, the mechanic who performs the maintenance must hold the certificate of competency; without it, they cannot be assigned to that work. Ask for the category, not just the card. For a good candidate who does not hold it yet, plan for the Camo-Route process: a pre-test, 8 hours of theory training, then written and practical exams. The third is the decree: if your shop repairs customers’ vehicles within the CPA Montréal territory, the decree applies, with its qualification rules. Finally, Job Bank rates the outlook Limited in four Greater Montreal regions and Moderate in Montérégie: experienced mechanics are looking for work, but a mechanic already in a job compares your fleet and your shift with the ones they know. State the shift, weekend work and breakdown calls in the posting as well: a candidate they do not suit then withdraws before the interview, not after the offer.
We run this search for employers in Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, the North Shore and the South Shore. Our recruitment service: logistics and supply chain
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