What Does an Automotive Shop Supervisor Do?
Whether the shop serves a dealership, a city fleet or a university motor pool, automotive shop supervisors need to be able to get repairs done right and on schedule, such as a brake job promised for noon. Most still work hands-on as members of the crew, handing out repair orders to technicians and checking finished jobs in a busy shop.
Also known as: Automotive Foreman, Automotive Supervisor
Automotive Shop Supervisor Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of an automotive shop supervisor include:
- Assign repair orders to technicians by skill, workload and promised completion time.
- Road-test and inspect finished repairs before vehicles return to customers or fleet users.
- Diagnose difficult electrical and drivability problems alongside technicians.
- Schedule preventive maintenance for fleet vehicles and track due dates by mileage or hours.
- Order parts and approve outside repairs, keeping spending within the shop budget.
- Train new technicians on equipment, procedures and manufacturer service updates.
- Enforce lift, hazardous waste and protective equipment rules on the shop floor.
- Review technician time and billed labor hours on each job; approve overtime.
- Keep service records current in shop software such as Mitchell 1 or a fleet management system.
- Handle warranty claims and customer complaints about repeat repairs.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as an automotive shop supervisor, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- ASE certification, Master Technician preferred
- Diagnosis with scan tools and wiring diagrams
- Shop software such as Mitchell 1 or ALLDATA
- Scheduling and workload planning
- Budgeting and parts cost control
- Coaching and leading technicians
- OSHA safety and EPA waste rules for repair shops
- Calm, straight talk with customers
Education and Training
In addition to several years of repair work after high school or a vocational program, many employers require supervisors to be ASE certified. Some start out running a lube bay. Experience as a lead technician could lead to a foreman's post.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $62,690 - $101,360 per year, with a median of $79,860.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers.
BLS projects employment of first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers and repairers, a wide group that runs from auto shops to telecom crews, to grow about 4 percent from 2025 to 2035. Across the whole group, BLS expects about 48,900 openings a year, many of them as supervisors retire. Skilled technicians who can lead are well placed.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers.