What is a Heavy Machinery Operator?
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a heavy machinery operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.07 an hour? That's $31,351 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 Heavy Machinery Operator Do
There are certain skills that many heavy machinery 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 physical strength, unafraid of heights and mechanical skills.
How To Become a Heavy Machinery Operator
If you're interested in becoming a heavy machinery operator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 22.6% of heavy machinery operators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.1% of heavy machinery operators have master's degrees. Even though some heavy machinery operators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Heavy Machinery Operator Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of forklift operator you might progress to a role such as technician eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title service manager.
Average Salary for a Heavy Machinery Operator
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Heavy Machinery Operator
There are several types of heavy machinery operator, including:
Operator
Role:
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
Heavy Equipment Operator
Role:
These are essential instruments when it comes to building bridges, buildings, or roads, and their handlers are always on-site along with them, maneuvering the equipment to load, remove, and place material such as rocks, debris, and the like.
Heavy equipment operators prepare and maintain their equipment for work and always make sure to adhere to safety measures. They know best what their baby can do and when it is able to function most efficiently. As a consequence, heavy equipment operators are expected to monitor the workflow and make suggestions to boost performance if necessary.
- Average Salary: $39,822
- Degree: High School Diploma
Equipment Operator
Role:
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
States With The Most Heavy Machinery Operator Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active heavy machinery operator jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where heavy machinery operators earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Heavy Machinery Operator Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 1,225 | $46,233 |
| 2 | New Jersey | 877 | $42,221 |
| 3 | Texas | 415 | $25,271 |
| 4 | California | 361 | $37,513 |
| 5 | Florida | 296 | $26,976 |
| 6 | Georgia | 212 | $24,466 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 194 | $26,778 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 186 | $29,408 |
| 9 | Virginia | 168 | $29,771 |
| 10 | Colorado | 154 | $31,121 |
| 11 | South Carolina | 151 | $27,873 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 140 | $32,741 |
| 13 | Ohio | 135 | $38,402 |
| 14 | Alaska | 114 | $56,283 |
| 15 | Montana | 110 | $35,339 |
| 16 | Illinois | 108 | $36,552 |
| 17 | Iowa | 102 | $32,659 |
| 18 | Michigan | 102 | $32,846 |
| 19 | Alabama | 100 | $23,676 |
| 20 | New York | 94 | $42,954 |
| 21 | Indiana | 93 | $37,424 |
| 22 | Hawaii | 93 | $29,265 |
| 23 | Arizona | 93 | $28,757 |
| 24 | Tennessee | 91 | $25,548 |
| 25 | Washington | 86 | $39,351 |
| 26 | Maryland | 84 | $34,719 |
| 27 | Utah | 83 | $33,909 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | 78 | $38,665 |
| 29 | Louisiana | 78 | $26,177 |
| 30 | Minnesota | 75 | $42,173 |
| 31 | Missouri | 73 | $34,209 |
| 32 | Oregon | 63 | $36,577 |
| 33 | Kansas | 62 | $29,008 |
| 34 | Idaho | 60 | $31,642 |
| 35 | Arkansas | 58 | $24,956 |
| 36 | Kentucky | 56 | $28,772 |
| 37 | Nevada | 51 | $32,731 |
| 38 | Nebraska | 45 | $29,395 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | 43 | $27,481 |
| 40 | Mississippi | 43 | $23,320 |
| 41 | Maine | 37 | $34,001 |
| 42 | New Mexico | 37 | $28,991 |
| 43 | North Dakota | 34 | $35,831 |
| 44 | Delaware | 29 | $30,600 |
| 45 | New Hampshire | 18 | $49,610 |
| 46 | Wyoming | 18 | $34,197 |
| 47 | Connecticut | 13 | $48,418 |
| 48 | West Virginia | 13 | $27,161 |
| 49 | South Dakota | 8 | $32,853 |
| 50 | Vermont | 6 | $36,579 |
Top Skills For a Heavy Machinery 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, 15.3% of heavy machinery operators listed dump truck on their resume, but soft skills such as physical strength and unafraid of heights are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Heavy Machinery Operator Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Heavy Machinery Operator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Heavy Machinery Operator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Heavy Machinery Operator Demographics
Heavy Machinery Operator Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among heavy machinery operators, 8.6% of them are women, while 91.4% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among heavy machinery operators is White, which makes up 66.7% of all heavy machinery operators.
- The most common foreign language among heavy machinery operators is Spanish at 60.0%.
Online Courses For Heavy Machinery Operator That You May Like
1. Truck Dispatcher Training (STEP BY STEP, work independently)
FULL COURSE- How to Become a Truck Dispatcher, how to book loads for semi-trucks and start your own Dispatch Company...
See More on Udemy3. OSHA Safety Pro: Personal Protective Equipment
Impress management or get that job with you your ability to display life and dollar saving work place safety practices...
See More on UdemyBest States For a Heavy Machinery Operator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a heavy machinery operator. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Heavy machinery operators make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $56,283. Whereas in New Hampshire and Connecticut, they would average $49,610 and $48,418, respectively. While heavy machinery operators would only make an average of $46,233 in Massachusetts, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Alaska
$56,283
Avg. Salary
2. Massachusetts
$46,233
Avg. Salary
3. New Jersey
$42,221
Avg. Salary
How Do Heavy Machinery Operator Rate Their Jobs?
Top Heavy Machinery Operator Employers
Most Common Employers For Heavy Machinery Operator
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Mills | $40,321 | $19.39 | 2 |
| 2 | Nailor Industries | $37,656 | $18.10 | 2 |
| 3 | Tyson Foods | $36,923 | $17.75 | 2 |
| 4 | DuPont | $36,491 | $17.54 | 2 |
| 5 | Anheuser-Busch | $36,474 | $17.54 | 2 |
| 6 | International Paper | $35,649 | $17.14 | 3 |
| 7 | NAPCO | $35,628 | $17.13 | 2 |
| 8 | The Coca-Cola Company | $34,902 | $16.78 | 5 |
| 9 | Waste Management | $34,126 | $16.41 | 3 |
| 10 | Aerotek | $32,089 | $15.43 | 2 |