How To Become A Carrier Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a carrier operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a carrier operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.38 an hour? That's $40,310 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 22,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCarrier OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $40,310

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.9

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.88%

Asian 0.93%

Black or African American 7.17%

Hispanic or Latino 18.32%

Unknown 4.33%

White 67.36%

Gender

female 27.54%

male 72.46%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a carrier operator

Explore carrier operator education requirements

Most common carrier operator degrees

Bachelor's

63.5 %

Associate

13.5 %

High School Diploma

10.6 %

Start to develop specific carrier operator skills

Skills	Percentages
DOT	52.29%
Delivery Appointments	28.56%
On-Time Performance	16.23%
Hazardous Materials	2.91%

Complete relevant carrier operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New carrier operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a carrier operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real carrier operator resumes.

Research carrier operator duties and responsibilities

Measure, mark or record openings or distances to layout areasFresno, California where construction work will be perform.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Cut over traffic from a DSC400 to a DMS250 for an IXC.
Operate mowers and equipment for industrial landscaping.

Prepare your carrier operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your carrier operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a carrier operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable carrier operator resume templates

Build a professional carrier operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your carrier operator resume.