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

What is a laydown 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 laydown machine operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.18 an hour? That's $33,663 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 22,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreLaydown Machine OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,663

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.01%

Asian 0.90%

Black or African American 5.78%

Hispanic or Latino 12.74%

Unknown 4.35%

White 74.21%

Gender

female 5.26%

male 94.74%

Age - 46

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 - 46

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

0.1

Work life balance is

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a laydown machine operator

Explore laydown machine operator education requirements

Most common laydown machine operator degrees

High School Diploma

55.6 %

Associate

19.4 %

Diploma

8.3 %

Start to develop specific laydown machine operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Rig	57.76%
RAN	15.64%
Drill Pipe	10.63%
DOT Regulations	6.92%
JSA	5.36%

Complete relevant laydown machine operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New laydown 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 laydown machine operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real laydown machine operator resumes.

Research laydown machine operator duties and responsibilities

Operate jetco, ditchwitch, and vermer trenchers digging ditch and back filling ditch.
Work the rig floor operating break out tongs, v door, pulling slips and also roll pipe.
Demonstrate proficiency in operation of backhoe, trenchers, boom and dump truck.
Go to drilling rig, laid down drilling pipe and collars and pick up casing.

Prepare your laydown machine operator resume

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

Build a professional laydown 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 laydown machine operator resume.