What You'll Do

  • Inspect equipment for safety prior to use, and perform necessary basic maintenance tasks.
  • Drive straight or articulated tractors equipped with accessories such as bulldozer blades, grapples, logging arches, cable winches, and crane booms to skid, load, unload, or stack logs, pull stumps, or clear brush.
  • Drive crawler or wheeled tractors to drag or transport logs from felling sites to log landing areas for processing and loading.
  • Drive tractors for building or repairing logging and skid roads.
  • Grade logs according to characteristics such as knot size and straightness, and according to established industry or company standards.
  • Control hydraulic tractors equipped with tree clamps and booms to lift, swing, and bunch sheared trees.
  • Drive and maneuver tractors and tree harvesters to shear the tops off of trees, cut and limb the trees, and cut the logs into desired lengths.
  • Fill out required job or shift report forms.
  • Calculate total board feet, cordage, or other wood measurement units, using conversion tables.

Essential Skills

Operation and Control 4.0/5
Operations Monitoring 3.75/5
Equipment Maintenance 3.12/5
Active Listening 3.0/5
Monitoring 3.0/5
Troubleshooting 3.0/5
Quality Control Analysis 3.0/5
Critical Thinking 2.88/5
Complex Problem Solving 2.88/5
Repairing 2.88/5
Judgment and Decision Making 2.88/5
Time Management 2.88/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.

Common styles

Dependability, Initiative, Self-Control, Adaptability/Flexibility, Cooperation

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Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Control Precision 4.0/5
Reaction Time 3.88/5
Arm-Hand Steadiness 3.75/5
Multilimb Coordination 3.75/5
Depth Perception 3.62/5
Problem Sensitivity 3.5/5
Response Orientation 3.5/5
Rate Control 3.5/5

Technologies & Tools

BCS Woodlands Systems The Logger Tracker Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft Word SAP software TradeTec TallyWorks Logs TradeTec TallyWorks TimeTracker

Work Environment & Style

Common Styles for This Career

  • Dependability (High importance: 4.45/5)
  • Initiative (High importance: 4.04/5)
  • Self-Control (High importance: 3.95/5)
  • Adaptability/Flexibility (High importance: 3.89/5)
  • Cooperation (High importance: 3.85/5)

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How to Become One

Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for this career. Training is provided on the job.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Buncher Operator Chain Hooker Cutter Operator Delimber Delimber Operator Equipment Operator Feller Buncher Operator Feller Operator Forder Operator Grapple Operator Grapple Skidder Operator Groundsperson Harvester Operator Hook Tender Loader Loader Operator Log Carrier Operator Log Chipper Operator Log Handling Equipment Operator Log Hauler Log Loader Log Loader Operator Log Processor Log Processor Operator Log Stacker Operator Log Truck Driver Logging Cable Skidder Operator Logging Clam-Bunk Operator Logging Crane Operator Logging Equipment Operator Logging Excavator Operator Logging Forwarder Operator Logging Loader Logging Operating Engineer Logging Operator Logging Service Operator Logging Shovel Operator Logging Slasher Operator Logging Specialist Logging Tractor Operator Lumber Carrier Operator Lumber Stacker Driver Lumber Stacker Operator Mobile Equipment Operator Mobile Heavy Equipment Operator Processor Operator Shift Stacker Shovel Logger Skidder Driver Skidder Operator Slasher Operator Stacker Timber Harvester Operator Tree Crusher Operator Tree Shear Operator Tree-Shear Operator Unloader Yarder Operator