How To Become An Excavator Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is an excavator operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

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.

ScoreExcavator OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $46,102

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.27%

Asian 2.55%

Black or African American 9.24%

Hispanic or Latino 16.02%

Unknown 3.67%

White 67.25%

Gender

female 3.92%

male 96.08%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an excavator operator

Explore excavator operator education requirements

Most common excavator operator degrees

High School Diploma

55.7 %

Associate

13.1 %

Diploma

11.9 %

Start to develop specific excavator operator skills

Skills	Percentages
CDL	11.64%
OSHA	10.17%
Backhoe	8.84%
Manual Labor	8.15%
Asphalt	5.77%

Complete relevant excavator operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New excavator 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 an excavator operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real excavator operator resumes.

Research excavator operator duties and responsibilities

Experience in operating heavy equipment including excavators, front end loaders, skid loaders, tractors, etc.
Obtain CDL with Hazmat and tanker endorsements.
Create safe slopes and proper barricading during excavations.
Locate under grind utilitys via blue print GPS mapdata.

Prepare your excavator operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your excavator 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 an excavator 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 excavator operator resume templates

Build a professional excavator 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 excavator operator resume.