A skilled operator who controls bulldozers, excavators, cranes, and other large machines on construction and mining sites.
What heavy equipment operators do
Heavy equipment operators run dozers, scrapers, graders, excavators, loaders, backhoes, and rollers to move earth, cut grades, dig trenches, and build roads. They read site plans, follow hand signals from spotters, and maintain machines with daily inspections.
Training path
Most US operators complete a three- to four-year International Union of Operating Engineers apprenticeship or attend a private heavy equipment school. Commercial driver license and OSHA training are typical, and many operators learn multiple machines for career flexibility.
Settings
Operators work for general contractors, paving and utility companies, mines, quarries, oil and gas pipeline crews, demolition firms, and government public works departments.
Find more professions by letter
Heavy Equipment Operator starts with H and ends with R. Browse other professions along the same letter.
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