Rail equipment operator vs heavy equipment operator

The differences between rail equipment operators and heavy equipment operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a rail equipment operator has an average salary of $53,402, which is higher than the $39,822 average annual salary of a heavy equipment operator.

The top three skills for a rail equipment operator include OSHA, rail yard and . The most important skills for a heavy equipment operator are loaders, backhoe, and CDL.

Rail equipment operator vs heavy equipment operator overview

	Rail Equipment Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Yearly salary	$53,402	$39,822
Hourly rate	$25.67	$19.15
Growth rate	4%	5%
Number of jobs	41,857	47,261
Job satisfaction	-	4.6
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 67%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	47	45
Years of experience	-	4

Rail equipment operator vs heavy equipment operator salary

Rail equipment operators and heavy equipment operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Rail Equipment Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Average salary	$53,402	$39,822
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $91,000	Between $27,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	-	Trenton, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Moody's
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between rail equipment operator and heavy equipment operator education

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

	Rail Equipment Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 67%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Rail equipment operator vs heavy equipment operator demographics

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

	Rail Equipment Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Average age	47	45
Gender ratio	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%	Male, 94.8% Female, 5.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 1.9% White, 74.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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%
LGBT Percentage	12%	2%

Differences between rail equipment operator and heavy equipment operator duties and responsibilities

Rail equipment operator example responsibilities.

Need method to proactively manage the business improving cross-functional collaboration & KPI visibility.
Lead compression shift of twenty-one operators and supporting staff in daily operations of manufacturing generic prescription medications in a GMP setting.
Create comprehensive written reports and PowerPoint presentations that show information in an interactive form during monthly staff meetings.

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.

Rail equipment operator vs heavy equipment operator skills

Common rail equipment operator skills

OSHA, 83%
Rail Yard, 17%

Common heavy equipment operator skills

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

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Rail Equipment Operator
Rail Equipment Operator vs Heavy Equipment Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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