Heavy equipment operator vs blade operator

The differences between heavy equipment operators and blade operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a heavy equipment operator and a blade operator. Additionally, a blade operator has an average salary of $46,245, which is higher than the $39,822 average annual salary of a heavy equipment operator.

The top three skills for a heavy equipment operator include loaders, backhoe and CDL. The most important skills for a blade operator are asphalt, GPS, and trimble gps.

Heavy equipment operator vs blade operator overview

	Heavy Equipment Operator	Blade Operator
Yearly salary	$39,822	$46,245
Hourly rate	$19.15	$22.23
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	47,261	35,227
Job satisfaction	4.6	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 64%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

Heavy equipment operator vs blade operator salary

Heavy equipment operators and blade operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Heavy Equipment Operator	Blade Operator
Average salary	$39,822	$46,245
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $57,000	Between $35,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	Trenton, NJ	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	Moody's	-
Best paying industry	Energy	-

Differences between heavy equipment operator and blade operator education

There are a few differences between a heavy equipment operator and a blade operator in terms of educational background:

	Heavy Equipment Operator	Blade Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Heavy equipment operator vs blade operator demographics

Here are the differences between heavy equipment operators' and blade operators' demographics:

	Heavy Equipment Operator	Blade Operator
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 94.8% Female, 5.2%	Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 0.9% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9%	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 0.9% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.0%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between heavy equipment operator and blade operator duties and responsibilities

Heavy equipment operator example responsibilities.

Manage and cross-train subordinates in several job-relate tasks while promoting leadership.
Operate trucks and equipment such as backhoe, dump trucks, front-end loader, hydraulic excavator, skid steers and bulldozers.
Operate heavy equipment including, but limit to, backhoe, excavators, bobcats, forklifts, trucks and wheel loaders.
Operate equipment used for construction purposes such as tankers, cranes, bulldozers, loaders, compost mixers and excavators.
Put down mulch cut grass, plant and dig up.
Work with asphalt, cut down trees, and dig trenches.

Blade operator example responsibilities.

Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Execute daily operations of finish grading and various equipment operation.

Heavy equipment operator vs blade operator skills

Common heavy equipment operator skills

Loaders, 9%
Backhoe, 6%
CDL, 6%
Asphalt, 5%
Safety Regulations, 5%
Dump Truck, 5%

Common blade operator skills

Asphalt, 50%
GPS, 18%
Trimble Gps, 5%
Construction Equipment, 4%
Highway Construction, 4%
Grade Stakes, 3%

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Heavy Equipment Operator
Heavy Equipment Operator vs Blade Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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