There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a coal equipment operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.85 an hour? That's $43,372 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 44,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does a Coal Equipment Operator Do

There are certain skills that many coal equipment operators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed unafraid of heights, physical strength and mechanical skills.

How To Become a Coal Equipment Operator

If you're interested in becoming a coal equipment operator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 8.7% of coal equipment operators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 0.0% of coal equipment operators have master's degrees. Even though some coal equipment operators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Average Salary for a Coal Equipment Operator

Coal Equipment Operators in America make an average salary of $43,372 per year or $21 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $56,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $33,000 per year.
Average Coal Equipment Operator Salary
$43,372 Yearly
$20.85 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of Coal Equipment Operator

There are several types of coal equipment operator, including:

Operator

Role:

As an operator, it's your job to know how specific equipment or machines work. You should know how to install and repair certain machinery as well as knowing how to use tools to help with the manufacturing process.

Operators often spend their time checking in on equipment and making sure it's properly working. Every problem that is detected, you'll often call upon an operators to come and save the day. They're essentially the superhero in an office setting.

In most cases, operators work full-time, normal hours. But when a client needs help, you'll need to be available. which means that sometimes duty calls at night or on the weekends.
  • Average Salary: $37,928
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Equipment Operator

Role:

As more baby boomers retire, more equipment operator jobs are opening up. In fact, 25% of the industry will be opened up with the boomers' retirement. That means lots of job openings and plenty of job opportunities for you to take advantage of. If there was ever a right time for you to become an equipment operator, now is that time.

Another bonus of being an equipment operator is that you don't need extra education or experience to get in the drivers seat. In fact, most employers only require you to take a three-week training course before setting you loose on the job. That means in three weeks, you'll be sitting behind the wheel of that heavy-duty equipment. And with today's technology, it's basically as easy as driving a car.

Sounds like an easy enough job, right? But it's not too easy that it's boring. Every day is going to present a new challenge to you. You'll come into work each day not knowing exactly what to expect. And that's because of the variety of heavy equipment that you'll be operating and the different jobs each equipment performs. This is one job that'll make your kids proud.
  • Average Salary: $31,739
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Excavator Operator

Role:

Excavator operators are responsible for using the plant to excavate and move earth, rock, vegetation, and debris. They also need to smooth and compact surfaces on construction sites and development projects.

They may need to acquire multiple tickets and licenses to operate different machines if needed, such as graders, bulldozers, loaders, rollers, etc. It would be beneficial to have three to five years' experience within the construction industry. They may also need a full driver license, heavy rigid license, and an excavator ticket.

They may expect to earn $57,091/yr or $37/hr, which will rise significantly with the more licenses acquired and more experience gained.
  • Average Salary: $46,102
  • Degree: High School Diploma

States With The Most Coal Equipment Operator Jobs

Number Of Coal Equipment Operator Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1Massachusetts1,376$40,277
2New Jersey969$40,214
3California758$47,441
4Texas637$35,329
5Florida437$35,080
6Pennsylvania371$52,221
7North Carolina348$41,143
8Georgia314$32,151
9South Carolina290$32,453
10Tennessee255$39,819
11Ohio248$49,041
12New York238$40,414
13Colorado236$47,189
14Virginia236$44,234
15Illinois213$46,612
16Indiana206$46,166
17Iowa202$39,277
18Washington190$49,039
19Michigan190$45,665
20Utah182$46,588
21Maryland181$38,303
22Arizona176$45,590
23Wisconsin168$47,689
24Rhode Island166$40,449
25Montana164$39,822
26Missouri154$44,126
27Minnesota153$52,784
28Alabama152$44,345
29Oregon147$47,030
30Hawaii137$38,305
31Kentucky134$45,983
32Alaska130$50,769
33Louisiana129$33,717
34Oklahoma128$40,957
35Mississippi125$40,847
36Idaho120$47,738
37Kansas111$43,780
38Arkansas106$40,542
39New Mexico93$42,960
40Nebraska90$46,247
41Nevada88$38,904
42West Virginia78$47,702
43Maine72$46,635
44Connecticut54$40,414
45New Hampshire47$39,913
46Vermont36$39,274
47Delaware35$38,744
48North Dakota34$48,220
49South Dakota34$39,260
50Wyoming21$46,806

Coal Equipment Operator Education

Coal Equipment Operator Majors

Coal Equipment Operator Degrees

High School Diploma

60.9 %

Associate

17.4 %

Bachelors

8.7 %

Top Skills For a Coal Equipment Operator

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 46.5% of coal equipment operators listed loaders on their resume, but soft skills such as unafraid of heights and physical strength are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Coal Equipment Operator Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Coal Equipment Operator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Coal Equipment Operator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Coal Equipment Operator Resume
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Coal Equipment Operator Resume

Coal Equipment Operator Demographics

Coal Equipment Operator Gender Distribution

Male
Male
97%
Female
Female
3%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among coal equipment operators, 2.7% of them are women, while 97.3% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among coal equipment operators is White, which makes up 74.2% of all coal equipment operators.

Online Courses For Coal Equipment Operator That You May Like

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This specialization is intended for people with some programming experience who seek an approachable introduction to how operating systems work on a fundamental level. This course will equip learners with foundational knowledge of operating systems suitable for any developer roles. In these four courses, you will cover everything from the basics of a C program to distributed systems. These topics will help prepare you to optimize the performance of the programs you write...

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2. Introduction to Hardware and Operating Systems

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If you're ready to enter the world of Information Technology (IT), you need job-ready skills. This course enables you to develop the skills to work with computer hardware and operating systems, and is your first step to prepare for all types of tech related careers that require IT Fundamental skills. First, learn about the essential software brain of a computer—its operating system software when you explore Microsoft Windows. Next, discover internal key hardware computer components, including...

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3. Scaling Operations: Linking Strategy and Execution

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Over the past several decades, operations strategy has played an increasingly important role in business’ success. In this course, we will equip you with concepts and tools to build operations in a way that not only supports your competitive strategy, but also allows you to create new opportunities in the market place. Scaling operations: Linking strategy and execution is a five-week course dedicated to making strategic decisions that are grounded in operational reality. Together, we will study...

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Top Coal Equipment Operator Employers

Most Common Employers For Coal Equipment Operator

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Reliant Energy$51,181$24.611
2Jefferies$49,406$23.751
3Massey Energy Co$48,472$23.301
4Gainesville Regional Utilities$48,392$23.271
5CONSOL Energy$47,094$22.641
6Georgia Power$46,309$22.261
7Hoosier Energy$44,631$21.461
8Talen Energy$44,571$21.432
9American Electric Power$43,740$21.036
10Southern$42,417$20.391