Diesel mechanic training in South Dakota

5 diesel mechanic programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

3 schools offer these diesel mechanic programs, and South Dakota has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Diesel mechanics inspect and repair buses and trucks and maintain diesel engines of every kind. Community colleges and technical schools offer certificates and degrees in diesel repair, employers may require or prefer certification, and some jobs need a commercial driver's license to test-drive trucks and buses.¹ In South Dakota, every program asks for a diploma or other schooling first, and 1 is taught partly or fully online.

See the 5 programs

How much does diesel mechanic training cost in South Dakota?

Two-year degrees (4 programs): $16,073 to $18,876all 4 with a price
Other diesel mechanic programs (1 program): $8,887the one with a price

What you pay yourself for the whole program, as the schools report it.

In the typical program

Finished the program: Not enough data
Working 6 months later: Not reported
Earned a year, estimated: Not enough data
Length: 64 to 68 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in South Dakota may also offer diesel mechanic training. How these figures are made

Is there free diesel mechanic training in South Dakota?

Yes, if you qualify. WIOA (public workforce funding) can pay for any program on this page, in full or in part, depending on local limits.²³⁴For a degree, the job center first looks at grants such as a federal Pell Grant; WIOA pays toward what they don't cover.⁴
Ask an American Job Center whether you qualify, or call 1-877-872-5627.⁵ Before funding training, the center goes through an assessment and a career plan with you.⁴
Or pay yourself. Two-year degrees here cost $16,073 to $18,876.Other diesel mechanic programs here cost $8,887.

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

Diesel mechanic training in Watertown, Rapid City, Sioux Falls and other South Dakota cities

Choosing an area filters the list below.

All 5 diesel mechanic programs in South Dakota approved for WIOA funding

5 programs

Diesel technology (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Diesel Technology Ag/Industrial and Truck Options | AAS | Campus
Lake Area Technical College
Watertown
High school diploma or equivalent
Lake Area Technical College, Watertown · Diesel technology (associate degree) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$58,500
Price if you pay yourself$16,073
Program website, Diesel Technology Ag/Industrial and Truck Options | AAS | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
More details about Diesel Technology Ag/Industrial and Truck Options | AAS | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
Finished
86%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
$14,628
Length
68 weeks, 27 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,465
Students counted
393
a year, estimated
$58,500
price
$16,073
Diesel technology (associate degree)HybridAssociate's degree
Diesel Technology | AAS | Hybrid (66 credit hours)
Western Dakota Technical College
Rapid City
Associate's degree
Western Dakota Technical College, Rapid City · Diesel technology (associate degree) · Hybrid · Associate's degree
Earned a year, estimated$57,300
Price if you pay yourself$18,876
Program website, Diesel Technology | AAS | Hybrid (66 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
More details about Diesel Technology | AAS | Hybrid (66 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
Finished
68%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
$14,313
Length
64 weeks, 24 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$13,351
Students counted
78
a year, estimated
$57,300
price
$18,876
Medium and heavy truck technicianIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Diesel Technology: Trucking | Diploma | In-person
Southeast Technical College
Sioux Falls
High school diploma or equivalent
Southeast Technical College, Sioux Falls · Medium and heavy truck technician · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$39,500
Price if you pay yourself$8,887
Program website, Diesel Technology: Trucking | Diploma | In-person at Southeast Technical College
More details about Diesel Technology: Trucking | Diploma | In-person at Southeast Technical College
Finished
56%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
$9,881
Length
64 weeks, 18 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$683
Students counted
67
a year, estimated
$39,500
price
$8,887
Diesel technology (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Diesel Technology DCAT ThinkBig Caterpillar | AAS | Campus
Lake Area Technical College
Watertown
High school diploma or equivalent
Lake Area Technical College, Watertown · Diesel technology (associate degree) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$17,374
Program website, Diesel Technology DCAT ThinkBig Caterpillar | AAS | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
More details about Diesel Technology DCAT ThinkBig Caterpillar | AAS | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
Finished
82%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
76 weeks, 34 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$9,250
Students counted
47
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$17,374
Diesel technology (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Diesel Technology // Industrial Maintenance | AAS | Campus (64 credit hours)
Western Dakota Technical College
Rapid City
High school diploma or equivalent
Western Dakota Technical College, Rapid City · Diesel technology (associate degree) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$18,304
Program website, Diesel Technology // Industrial Maintenance | AAS | Campus (64 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
More details about Diesel Technology // Industrial Maintenance | AAS | Campus (64 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
64 weeks, 25 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$13,589
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$18,304

How to pay for diesel mechanic training in South Dakota

WIOA funding can pay for diesel mechanic training in South Dakota

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³Your state or local area may limit how much WIOA pays and for how long. If a program costs more, a Pell Grant, a scholarship or severance pay can cover the rest.⁴

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁵

Financial aid and grants for diesel mechanic training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.⁶⁷

GI Bill for diesel mechanic training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.⁸

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Quick facts: Diesel mechanic training in South Dakota

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 26th of 26
diesel mechanic programs here, against the typical state's 8: 5 vs 8

State comparisons use the same figures as the diesel mechanic training by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Where the South Dakota diesel mechanic program numbers come from

Which South Dakota diesel mechanic programs are on this list?

These are the diesel mechanic programs South Dakota approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).⁹ The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what South Dakota offers.

How South Dakota diesel mechanic program prices are reported

The price is tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported it. "Trained with WIOA funding" on a program counts the people whose training there WIOA paid toward through a training account in program year 2024; the file never gives counts under 3, so a program without the line may still take WIOA students. It does not say how much of the price WIOA covered. Prices under $100 are treated as not reported, because the file holds many blanks entered as $0. Check the current price with the school.

What the graduate results of these programs measure

The figures at the top of this page are the middle program among those that report results: half did better, half did worse. Results describe students who left each program in recent years: the share who finished, the share working in the second quarter after leaving, and the middle earnings of those working in that quarter. States report earnings for that one quarter because they take them from the wage reports employers file every three months. The yearly figure here is that quarter times four, rounded to the nearest $100: an estimate, and an early one, since it is measured about half a year after training. The quarter as reported is under "More details" on each program. Results are withheld for small programs, and they describe past students, so they are no guarantee.

Why do some diesel mechanic programs say "Not reported"?

Where a school or the state left a field empty, or the Department of Labor withheld it, the page says "Not reported". Nothing here is estimated to fill a gap.

Why the kind of school is left off each program

The file also records whether a school is public, private or nonprofit, but those entries are wrong too often to print next to a school's name, so this page leaves them out.

How reliable are the South Dakota figures?

We leave out the share working 6 months later for South Dakota: its rates sit far below every other state's.

Sources for the facts about diesel mechanic training in South Dakota

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources