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

What is a heavy machine operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a heavy machine operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.38 an hour? That's $38,232 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 32,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreHeavy Machine OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,232

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 6.38%

male 93.62%

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 a heavy machine operator

Explore heavy machine operator education requirements

Most common heavy machine operator degrees

High School Diploma

57.2 %

Associate

13.2 %

Diploma

12.4 %

Start to develop specific heavy machine operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Cranes	13.19%
Preventative Maintenance	13.07%
CNC	12.30%
Grinders	12.03%
Troubleshoot	10.64%

Complete relevant heavy machine operator training and internships

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

Research heavy machine operator duties and responsibilities

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Dig trenches and level earth to grade specification, using pick, shovel and backhoe.
Operate heavy machinery, manual labor and assisting crew where need; CDL driving for certain jobs
Operate excavation and loading machines equip with scoops, shovels, or buckets that dig gravel and earth.

Prepare your heavy machine operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your heavy machine 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 heavy machine 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 heavy machine operator resume templates

Build a professional heavy machine 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 heavy machine operator resume.