Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants

Service automobiles, buses, trucks, boats, and other automotive or marine vehicles with fuel, lubricants, and accessories. Collect payment for services and supplies. May lubricate vehicle, change motor oil, refill antifreeze, or replace lights or other accessories, such as windshield wiper blades or fan belts. May repair or replace tires.

The occupation "Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants" has an automation risk of 38.9%, which closely aligns with its base risk of 39.3%. This means that just under 40% of their job tasks are estimated to be susceptible to automation based on current and foreseeable technologies. The role involves a mix of routine manual and cognitive tasks that can be either easily replicated by machines or require a human touch. While much of their work revolves around physical maintenance and interacting with customers, advancements in robotics, payment technologies, and diagnostic equipment have made significant parts of their jobs automatable. The slightly lower risk compared to the base reflects the ongoing, but not total, feasibility of automating most key duties. The tasks most vulnerable to automation are primarily routine, repetitive, or transactional. For instance, collecting cash payments, making change, and processing credit card transactions can be managed easily by automated kiosks or mobile payment systems, already common in many service environments. Similarly, checking tire pressure and fluid levels involves mechanical measurements and topping up, a process that automated service stations and sensors can manage with minimal human oversight. Minor repairs, such as adjusting brakes, replacing spark plugs, or changing fluids, are increasingly being mechanized through specialized machines and diagnostic tools that streamline or fully automate these procedures. Automation in these areas reduces the need for manual labor, increasing efficiency but limiting the necessity for human attendants. Despite these automatable areas, several core tasks remain resistant due to their reliance on interpersonal skills and nuanced judgment. Providing customers with information about local roads or highways, for example, often requires a blend of current situational awareness and customized communication—a challenge for AI and automation. Maintaining customer records and conducting personalized follow-ups via phone, mail, or reminders demands organizational skills and the ability to tailor communication, which are currently not easily replicated by machines. Additionally, testing and charging batteries, while partly amenable to automation, still involves diagnostic interpretation and decision-making that necessitates human input. The principal bottleneck skills for full automation in this role are linked to originality, scored at 2.1% and 1.9%, indicating that tasks requiring creative problem-solving and innovative responses are least likely to be automated. These elements combine to moderate overall automation risk, ensuring that certain responsibilities within this occupation remain securely in human hands.