Tire Repairers and Changers

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.0), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.0). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient

The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.

Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.

Tasks

All 26 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Raise vehicles, using hydraulic jacks. Core · importance 4.6
• Remount wheels onto vehicles. Core · importance 4.6
• Unbolt and remove wheels from vehicles, using lug wrenches or other hand or power tools. Core · importance 4.5
• Identify tire size and ply and inflate tires accordingly. Core · importance 4.5
• Place wheels on balancing machines to determine counterweights required to balance wheels. Core · importance 4.5
• Replace valve stems and remove puncturing objects. Core · importance 4.4
• Hammer required counterweights onto rims of wheels. Core · importance 4.4
• Reassemble tires onto wheels. Core · importance 4.3
• Seal punctures in tubeless tires by inserting adhesive material and expanding rubber plugs into punctures, using hand tools. Core · importance 4.3
• Inspect tire casings for defects, such as holes or tears. Core · importance 4.3
• Locate punctures in tubeless tires by visual inspection or by immersing inflated tires in water baths and observing air bubbles. Core · importance 4.3
• Glue tire patches over ruptures in tire casings, using rubber cement. Core · importance 4.3
• Assist mechanics and perform various mechanical duties, such as changing oil or checking and replacing batteries. Core · importance 4.3
• Rotate tires to different positions on vehicles, using hand tools. Core · importance 4.2
• Clean and tidy up the shop. Core · importance 4.1
• Buff defective areas of inner tubes, using scrapers. Core · importance 4.0
• Order replacements for tires or tubes. Core · importance 4.0
• Prepare rims and wheel drums for reassembly by scraping, grinding, or sandblasting. Supplemental · importance 4.0
• Apply rubber cement to buffed tire casings prior to vulcanization process. Supplemental · importance 4.0
• Separate tubed tires from wheels, using rubber mallets and metal bars or mechanical tire changers. Core · importance 4.0
• Inflate inner tubes and immerse them in water to locate leaks. Core · importance 4.0
• Patch tubes with adhesive rubber patches or seal rubber patches to tubes, using hot vulcanizing plates. Supplemental · importance 3.9
• Drive automobile or service trucks to industrial sites to provide services or respond to emergency calls. Supplemental · importance 3.4
• Clean sides of whitewall tires. Core · importance 3.1
• Place tire casings and tread rubber assemblies in tire molds for the vulcanization process and exert pressure to ensure good adhesion. Supplemental
• Roll new rubber treads, known as camelbacks, over tire casings and mold the semi-raw rubber treads onto the buffed casings. Supplemental

Work activities

• Remove parts or components from vehicles.
• Service vehicles to maintain functionality.
• Clean work areas.
• Test mechanical equipment to ensure proper functioning.
• Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
• Install vehicle parts or accessories.
• Inspect mechanical components of vehicles to identify problems.
• Reassemble equipment after repair.
• Repair tires.
• Assemble mechanical components or machine parts.
• Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.
• Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order.
• Drive trucks or other vehicles to or at work sites.
• Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment.
• Order materials, supplies, or equipment.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Abilities

Essential skills

Transferable skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• Microsoft Outlook Common Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• English Language Common Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Depth Perception Common Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Mathematics Common Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Chemistry Specialized Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Biology Specialized Skill
• Project Management Software Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Education

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Typical entry-level education

High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Preparation level

SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Interest areas

Work styles

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Supply Chain & Transportation career cluster.

• Tire Builders · 51-9197.00 Compare →
• Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics · 49-3023.00 Compare →
• Motorcycle Mechanics · 49-3052.00 Compare →
• Rail Car Repairers · 49-3043.00 Compare →
• Bicycle Repairers · 49-3091.00 Compare →
• Automotive Body and Related Repairers · 49-3021.00 Compare →
• Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics · 49-3053.00 Compare →
• Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers · 49-2092.00 Compare →
• Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists · 49-3031.00 Compare →
• Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers · 49-3022.00 Compare →
• Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators · 53-7051.00 Compare →
• Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment · 53-7061.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Tire Repairers and Changers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
• AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
• ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
• IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
• Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
• Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-role-49-3093-00,
  title  = {Tire Repairers and Changers},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-49-3093-00}
}