Inspect mechanical components of vehicles to identify problems
Little of this can be handed to software today.
This happens in the physical world, so software agents do not touch it. Automation here means robotics and machinery, which is a different market from the one mapped on this site, on a much slower clock.
| How automatable | Barely automatable |
|---|---|
| Kind of work | Physical, manual and inspection work |
| Jobs that do it | 12 occupations |
| Tool categories that apply | None |
| O*NET activity | Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (4.A.1.b.2) |
What this looks like on the job
Not our paraphrase. These are real task statements recorded against this activity, spread across the 12 occupations that perform it.
- Examine damaged vehicle to determine extent of structural, body, mechanical, electrical, or interior damage.
- Conduct routine and special inspections as required by regulations.
- Follow checklists to ensure all important parts are examined, including belts, hoses, steering systems, spark plugs, brake and fuel systems, wheel bearings, and other potentially troublesome areas.
- Inspect brake systems, steering mechanisms, wheel bearings, and other important parts to ensure that they are in proper operating condition.
- Examine parts for damage or excessive wear, using micrometers and gauges.
- Inspect components such as bearings, seals, gaskets, wheels, and coupler assemblies to determine if repairs are needed.
- Disassemble and inspect motors to locate defective parts, using mechanic's hand tools and gauges.
- Test and inspect engines to determine malfunctions, to locate missing and broken parts, and to verify repairs, using diagnostic instruments.
- Inspect, repair, or replace brake systems.
- Locate punctures in tubeless tires by visual inspection or by immersing inflated tires in water baths and observing air bubbles.
- Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
- Inspect aircraft components to locate cracks, breaks, leaks, or other problems.
- Examine and inspect aircraft components, including landing gear, hydraulic systems, and deicers to locate cracks, breaks, leaks, or other problems.
- Inspect, test, and listen to defective equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using test instruments such as handheld computers, motor analyzers, chassis charts, or pressure gauges.
- Inspect and repair or adjust propellers or propeller shafts.
- Dismantle engines, using hand tools, and examine parts for defects.
- Inspect tire casings for defects, such as holes or tears.
- Measure parts for wear, using precision instruments.
What we would actually use
Nothing in our landscape addresses this work. That is the honest answer rather than a padded list: this activity needs a person present, or a machine rather than a software agent.
Nothing on this site applies. Automation here is robotics and machinery, a different market on a much slower clock, and no software subscription moves it.
Chosen for the cheapest thing that does the job, not the best funded. Nothing on this site is sponsored, and the full landscape is there when you want to disagree with us.
How people actually do it
No workflow names this activity yet, but these automate the same kind of work, with the prompts to paste and what to keep for yourself.
Who does this work
12 occupations in the O*NET database perform this activity. Each one has a full breakdown of its other tasks.
- Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians
- Aircraft Service Attendants
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
- Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
- Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
- Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians
- Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics
- Rail Car Repairers
- Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians
- Tire Repairers and Changers
Work that goes with it
O*NET groups these under “Inspect vehicles”. In practice they tend to be done by the same person, in the same sitting.
Method. The activity, its taxonomy placement and the occupations that perform it come straight from the public-domain O*NET 30.3 database. The automatability band is ours: we map each of O*NET’s 41 generalized work activities to how much of its output current software can produce, assuming a person still reviews and owns the result. It is a coarse three-way judgment on purpose. A precise-looking percentage here would be invented.