Construction Equipment Operators

Summary

Construction equipment operators use backhoes to dig up a basement.

Quick Facts: Construction Equipment Operators
2010 Median Pay	$39,460 per year $18.97 per hour
Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Moderate-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	404,900
Job Outlook, 2010-20	23% (Faster than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	94,800

What Construction Equipment Operators Do

Construction equipment operators drive, maneuver, or control the heavy machinery used to construct roads, bridges, buildings, and other structures.

Work Environment

Construction equipment operators work in nearly every type of climate and weather condition. Workers often get dirty, greasy, muddy, or dusty. Most work full time, and some operators may have irregular hours. Some construction projects, especially road building, are done at night.

How to Become a Construction Equipment Operator

Many workers learn equipment operation informally on the job, while others learn through a formal apprenticeship or by attending private trade schools.

Pay

The median annual wage of construction equipment operators was $39,460 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Overall employment of construction equipment operators is expected to grow 23 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. Spending on infrastructure should generate many jobs for construction equipment operators. Workers with the ability to operate multiple types of equipment should have the best job opportunities.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of construction equipment operators with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about construction equipment operators by contacting these additional resources.

What Construction Equipment Operators Do About this section

Pile drivers commonly drive piles for a variety of purposes.

Construction equipment operators drive, maneuver, or control the heavy machinery used to construct roads, bridges, buildings, and other structures.

Duties

Construction equipment operators typically do the following:

• Check to make sure that equipment functions properly
• Clean, maintain, and make basic repairs to equipment
• Report malfunctions to supervisors
• Move levers, push pedals, or turn valves to activate power equipment
• Drive and maneuver equipment
• Coordinate machine actions with crew members in response to hand or audio signals
• Ensure that safety standards are met

Construction equipment operators use machinery to move construction materials, earth, and other heavy materials at construction sites and mines. They operate equipment that clears and grades land to prepare it for construction of roads, bridges, and buildings, as well as airport runways, power generation facilities, dams, levees, and other structures.

The following are types of construction equipment operators:

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators work with one or several types of power construction equipment. They may operate excavation and loading machines equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets that dig sand, gravel, earth, or similar materials. In addition to operating the familiar bulldozer, they operate trench excavators, road graders, and similar equipment. Sometimes, they may drive and control industrial trucks or tractors equipped with forklifts or booms for lifting materials. They also may operate and maintain air compressors, pumps, and other power equipment at construction sites.

Paving and surfacing equipment operators control the machines that spread and level asphalt or spread and smooth concrete for roadways or other structures. Paving and surfacing equipment operators may specialize further:

• Asphalt spreader operators turn valves to regulate the temperature of asphalt and the flow of asphalt onto the roadbed. They must ensure that the machine distributes the paving material evenly, and they also must ensure that there is a constant flow of asphalt into the hopper.
• Concrete paving machine operators control levers and turn handwheels to move attachments that spread, vibrate, and level wet concrete. They must watch the surface of the concrete carefully to identify low spots into which workers must add concrete.
• Tamping equipment operators use machines that compact earth and other fill materials for roadbeds or other construction sites. They also may operate machines with interchangeable hammers to cut or break up old pavement and drive guardrail posts into the ground.

Piledriver operators use large machines mounted on skids, barges, or cranes to hammer piles into the ground. Piles are long, heavy beams of wood or steel driven into the ground to support retaining walls, bridges, piers, or building foundations. Some piledriver operators work on offshore oil rigs.

Some workers operate cranes to move construction materials. For more information on these workers, see the profile on material moving machine operators.

Work Environment About this section

Many types of heavy machinery are used in road paving.

Construction equipment operators held about 404,900 jobs in 2010. About 4 percent were self-employed. The following industries employed the most workers: 

Construction equipment operators work in nearly every type of climate and weather condition. Workers often get dirty, greasy, muddy, or dusty. Some operators work in remote locations on large construction projects, such as highways and dams, or in factories or mines.

Injuries

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators have a higher rate of injuries and illnesses than other occupations. However, accidents generally can be avoided by observing proper operating procedures and safety practices, but some repetitive stress injuries do occur. In addition, bulldozers, scrapers, and especially piledrivers, are noisy and shake or jolt the operator.

Work Schedules

Operators may have irregular hours because work on some construction projects continues around the clock or must be done late at night. Cold or rain can stop some types of construction. Nearly all operators work full time.

How to Become a Construction Equipment Operator About this section

Hand-eye coordination is needed to operate equipment.

Many workers learn equipment operation informally on the job, while others learn through a formal apprenticeship or by attending private trade schools.

Training

Many workers learn their jobs by operating light equipment under the guidance of an experienced operator. Later, they may operate heavier equipment, such as bulldozers. Technologically advanced construction equipment with computerized controls and improved hydraulics and electronics requires greater skill to operate. Operators of such equipment may need more training and some understanding of electronics.

Others learn their trade through a 3- or 4-year apprenticeship. For each year of the program, apprentices must have at least 144 hours of technical instruction and 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training. On the job, apprentices learn to maintain equipment, operate machinery, and use special technology, such as global positioning system (GPS) units. In the classroom, apprentices are taught map reading, operating procedures for special equipment, safety practices, and first aid. Because apprentices learn to operate a wider variety of machines than do other beginners, they usually have better job opportunities.

After completing an apprenticeship program, apprentices are considered journey workers, doing tasks with less guidance.

A few groups, including unions and contractor associations, sponsor apprenticeship programs. The basic qualifications for entering an apprenticeship program are as follows:

• Minimum age of 18
• High school education or equivalent
• Physically able to do the work

Education

Private vocational schools offer programs in certain types of construction equipment operation. Finishing one of these programs may help someone get a job. However, people considering this kind of training should check the school’s reputation among employers in the area and find out if the school offers the opportunity to work on actual machines in realistic situations.

A lot of information can be learned through instruction; to become a skilled construction equipment operator, however, a worker needs to physically do the various tasks. Many training facilities incorporate sophisticated simulators into their training, allowing beginners to familiarize themselves with the equipment in a controlled environment.

A high school diploma or equivalent is usually required. High school courses in English, math, and shop are useful. A course in auto mechanics is helpful because these workers may do maintenance on their machines. 

Licenses

Construction equipment operators often need a commercial driver’s license to haul their equipment to various jobsites. State rules about commercial driver's licenses vary.

A few states have special operator’s licenses for operators of backhoes, loaders, and bulldozers.

Piledriver operators may need to have a crane operator certification or license. Because some states classify piledrivers as cranes, 18 states currently require piledriver operators to have a crane license. In addition, the cities of Chicago, New Orleans, New York, Omaha, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, require special crane licensure.

Advancement

Some construction equipment operators choose to teach in training facilities. Other operators start their own contracting businesses, although doing so may be difficult because of high equipment startup costs.

Important Qualities

Eye–hand–foot coordination. Workers should have steady hands and feet to guide and control heavy machinery precisely, sometimes in tight spaces.

Mechanical skills. Because workers must often do basic maintenance on the equipment they operate, they should have good mechanical skills.

Unafraid of heights. A few equipment operators must work at great heights. For example, piledriver operators may need to service the pulleys that are located on the roof of a building.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of construction equipment operators was $39,460 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. 

The median wages for construction equipment operators in May 2010 were as follows:

• $34,150 for paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
• $47,860 for pile-driver operators
• $40,400 for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

Operators may have irregular hours because work on some construction projects continues around the clock or must be done late at night. Cold and rain may stop construction work. Nearly all construction equipment operators work full time.

The starting pay for apprentices is usually between 40 percent and 60 percent of what fully trained operators make. They get pay increases as they become more skilled.

Construction equipment operators have a high rate of union membership. Although no single union covers all operators, the largest organizer of these workers is the International Union of Operating Engineers.

Job Outlook About this section

Overall employment of construction equipment operators is expected to grow 23 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. The likelihood of increased spending on infrastructure to improve roads, bridges, water and sewer systems, and the electric power grid, all of which are in great need of repair across the country, is expected to result in numerous jobs. In addition, population growth increases the need for construction projects such as new roads and sewer lines, which also is expected to generate some jobs. However, without the extra spending on infrastructure by the federal government, employment may be flat as states and localities struggle with reduced taxes and budget shortfalls to pay for road and other improvements.

Job Prospects

Workers with the ability to operate multiple types of equipment should have the best job opportunities.

As with many other construction workers, employment of construction equipment operators is sensitive to fluctuations of the economy. Workers may experience periods of unemployment when the overall level of construction falls. However, shortages of workers may occur in some areas during peak periods of building activity.

Employment opportunities should be best in metropolitan areas, where most large commercial and multifamily buildings are constructed, and in states that are undertaking large transportation-related projects.

In addition, the need to replace workers who leave the occupation should result in some job opportunities.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For information about apprenticeships or job opportunities as a construction equipment operator, contact local cement or highway construction contractors, a local joint union–management apprenticeship committee, or the nearest office of your state employment service or apprenticeship agency. Information on apprenticeships is available from the U.S. Department of Labor's toll-free help line, 1 (877) 872-5627, or Employment and Training Administration.

For more information on construction equipment operators, visit

Associated General Contractors of America

National Center for Construction Education and Research

Pile Driving Contractors Association

For information on training of construction equipment operators, visit

International Union of Operating Engineers

For information about crane and derrick operator certification and licensure, visit

National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators