Transmission Technician

Riggs Cat•Little Rock, AR

About The Position

Riggs Cat Power & Energy is hiring Transmission Technicians at levels ranging from Apprentice to Lead / Master. The role involves tearing down, inspecting, and rebuilding transmissions, torque converters, final drives, and other powertrain components in a shop. Candidates may come from on-highway, agricultural, heavy equipment, military, or automotive backgrounds, including those beginning their careers and those with more than ten years of powertrain rebuild experience. The work spans mechanical rebuilds, torque converters, and electronic/hydraulic controls. Technicians advance by taking ownership of more areas. Continuous improvement is central to the work: technicians investigate why transmissions fail so future repairs can improve reliability. Employees at every level are expected to follow the Riggs Way: Urgent, Selfless, Excellent. The position has four levels. Apprentices perform teardown, cleaning, inspection preparation, parts kitting, supervised measurements, and failed-part tagging. Technician II employees handle teardown and reassembly independently, perform clearance checks and shimming, inspect valve bodies, and service final drives. Senior technicians overhaul and test torque converters, diagnose controls, analyze failures, perform final quality checks, and train junior technicians. Lead / Master technicians own transmission quality and shop standards, make repair-versus-replace and warranty decisions, scope and quote jobs, mentor the team, coordinate with the Dyno or test stand on failures, and communicate with clients. The role requires precision-tool use, basic hydraulic knowledge, the ability to read exploded views and OEM manuals, and strict cleanliness and contamination control for hydraulic systems. Forklift and overhead crane certification must be obtained within 90 days of hire. Required training and qualifications vary by level, with advanced levels requiring progressively broader powertrain, transmission, converter, controls, diagnostic, and cost-and-scope knowledge. This is an hourly, non-exempt position. Employees must be able to meet work-related pre-employment physical demands, with reasonable accommodations where applicable. The job description may change as employer needs and job requirements change.

Requirements

Experience appropriate to the level: typically 0–2 years for Apprentice, 2–5 years for Technician II, 5–10 years for Senior, and 10+ years for Lead / Master.
Knowledge of precision tools and basic hydraulics.
Ability to read exploded views and OEM manuals.
Strict cleanliness and contamination control practices for hydraulic systems.
Knowledge of Cat SIS 2.0 or a comparable service information system, such as John Deere Service ADVISOR, CNH Service Plus, or Jaltest.
Obtain forklift and overhead crane certification within 90 days of hire.
For Level 2 and above: Powertrain Systems Level 1, Transmission and Torque Converter Overview coursework, Cat ET, scope-of-repair and parts-reuse guidelines, and AFA I.
For Level 3: Powertrain Systems Levels 1 and 2, Transmission Control Overview, AFA I and II, and a structured diagnostic approach to controls.
For Level 4: Senior-level training plus cost and scope judgment.
Replace wear parts rather than reusing them to save time.
Separate mechanical, hydraulic, and control causes methodically.
Make evidence-based decisions.
Pass work-related pre-employment physical demands; reasonable accommodations may be made where applicable.
Ability to meet the physical demands described, including frequently sitting; occasionally standing, walking, using hands to handle or feel, reaching, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling, and talking or hearing; and required visual abilities including close, distance, color, peripheral, and depth vision and focus adjustment.
Ability to drive for extended periods.

Nice To Haves

ASE A2 Automatic Transmission or T3 Drive Train certification.
Cat powertrain experience, particularly for Level 4.

Responsibilities

Tear down, clean, inspect, and rebuild transmissions, torque converters, final drives, and powertrain components.
Prepare parts and kits, measure clearances under supervision or independently as appropriate, and tag failed parts.
Perform clutch and plate clearance checks and shimming, valve body inspection, and final drive service.
Overhaul and test torque converters and diagnose electronic/hydraulic control systems.
Analyze returned units and component failures to identify causes and improve future rebuilds.
Perform final quality control on rebuilds and train less experienced technicians.
Own transmission quality and establish rebuild, test, and sign-off standards at the Lead / Master level.
Make repair-versus-replace decisions, document warranty dispositions, and scope and quote jobs.
Mentor team members and provide corrective feedback.
Coordinate with the Dyno or test stand on failures and feed findings back into rebuild practices.
Communicate clearly with clients.
Maintain strict cleanliness and contamination control when working on hydraulic systems.
Drive for extended periods when required.