What You'll Do

  • Learn and follow safety regulations.
  • Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.
  • Adjust handwheels and depress pedals to control attachments, such as blades, buckets, scrapers, or swing booms.
  • Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.
  • Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.
  • Monitor operations to ensure that health and safety standards are met.
  • Align machines, cutterheads, or depth gauge makers with reference stakes and guidelines or ground or position equipment, following hand signals of other workers.
  • Load and move dirt, rocks, equipment, or other materials, using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders, or related equipment.
  • Drive and maneuver equipment equipped with blades in successive passes over working areas to remove topsoil, vegetation, or rocks or to distribute and level earth or terrain.
  • Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.

Essential Skills

Operation and Control 4.12/5
Operations Monitoring 3.25/5
Equipment Maintenance 3.25/5
Monitoring 3.12/5
Active Listening 3.0/5
Troubleshooting 3.0/5
Time Management 3.0/5
Reading Comprehension 2.88/5
Speaking 2.88/5
Critical Thinking 2.88/5
Active Learning 2.88/5
Coordination 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, Attention to Detail, Cooperation, Adaptability/Flexibility

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Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Control Precision 4.12/5
Depth Perception 4.0/5
Multilimb Coordination 3.88/5
Near Vision 3.88/5
Far Vision 3.62/5
Rate Control 3.5/5
Reaction Time 3.38/5
Problem Sensitivity 3.25/5

Technologies & Tools

Maintenance record software Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft Windows Work record software

Work Environment & Style

Common Styles for This Career

  • Dependability (High importance: 4.94/5)
  • Initiative (High importance: 4.49/5)
  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.36/5)
  • Cooperation (High importance: 4.36/5)
  • Adaptability/Flexibility (High importance: 4.34/5)

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How to Become One

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful but is usually not required. Training is often 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:

Angle Dozer Operator Asphalt Roller Operator Back Hoe Operator Backhoe Operator Blade Grader Operator Blade Operator Bulldozer Engineer Bulldozer Operator Bush Hog Operator Cable Engineer Car Runner Catshovel Driver Clamshell Engineer Construction Backhoe Operator Construction Bulldozer Operator Construction Engineer Construction Shovel Operator Crane Engineer Derrick Engineer Digging Machine Operator Ditcher Operator Ditching Machine Engineer Ditching Machine Operating Engineer Ditching Machine Operator Dragline Engineer Dump Attendant Elevating Grader Operator Engineering Equipment Operator Equipment Driver Equipment Operating Engineer Equipment Operator (EO) Excavator Forklift Operator Form Grader Operator Gang Mower Operator Gradall Operator Grader Grader Operator Grading Machine Operator Heater Planer Operator Heavy Construction Equipment Mechanic Heavy Construction Equipment Operator Heavy Equipment Operating Engineer Heavy Equipment Operator (HEO) Heavy Machinery Operator Heavy Road Construction Equipment Operator Hoe Runner Hoisting Engineer Hot Mix Asphalt Operator Hydraulic Hammer Operator Land Leveler Landfill Grader Landfill Heavy Equipment Operator (Landfill HEO) Lift Slab Operator Locomotive Crane Engineer Machine Operator Maintainer Operator Maintenance Operator Motor Grader Operator Muck Operator Mucker Operator Mucking Machine Operator Operating Engineer Power Grader Operator Power Shovel Engineer Road Equipment Operator Road Grader Road Grader Operator Road Hogger Operator Road Machine Operator Road Machine Runner Road Roller Engineer Rooter Operator Rotary Soil Stabilizer Sander Sanitary Landfill Operator Scarifier Operator Scrap Drop Engineer Scraper Operator Shovel Engineer Slab Lifting Engineer Stabilizer Operator Steam Shovel Engineer Steam Shovel Operating Engineer Steam Shovel Operator Steam Shovel Runner Street Roller Engineer Track Hoe Operator