By Guardian staff reporter
Publication Date: 2026-03-31 16:13:00
Gib and Michelle Mouser are proud of their son’s career – just not in the way they once imagined.
Cale Mouser is only 23 years old and already makes well over six figures, and he’ll end up making a lot more. He is a recognized expert in a highly specialized field who spends hours solving difficult problems. He’s using a computer, but he’s not stuck behind it.
Cale Mouser repairs diesel engines.
The Minnesota native started working with medium and heavy-duty trucks just five years ago. His aptitude quickly led to a degree in diesel technology at North Dakota State College of Science – and then a faculty position there.
His family background didn’t provide an obvious entry point into the field — his mother is a nurse and his father is a veterinarian — but now he’s teaching the next generation, still his own, how to diagnose and repair heavy equipment, from tractors to 53-foot semi-trucks.
“It’s very exciting. I get to do a little detective work, like Sherlock and Watson,” he chuckles…