How To Become A Road Equipment Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a road equipment operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average road equipment operator salary is $45,053. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an mechanical engineering major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a road equipment operator. Road equipment operators with a Commercial Driver License (CDL) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 22,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreRoad Equipment OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $45,053

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.9

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.89%

Asian 0.95%

Black or African American 8.05%

Hispanic or Latino 17.19%

Unknown 4.33%

White 67.60%

Gender

female 7.32%

male 92.68%

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

6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a road equipment operator

Explore road equipment operator education requirements

Most common road equipment operator degrees

High School Diploma

34.8 %

Associate

30.4 %

Bachelor's

17.4 %

Start to develop specific road equipment operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Asphalt	27.16%
CDL	25.20%
Loaders	17.88%
Construction Sites	7.15%
Road Construction	6.98%

Complete relevant road equipment operator training and internships

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

Research road equipment operator duties and responsibilities

Operate cranes in various indoor and outdoor locations where maneuverability is restricted and accuracy is critical.
Operate cranes in various indoor and outdoor locations where maneuverability is restricted and accuracy is critical.

Prepare your road equipment operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your road equipment 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 road equipment 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 road equipment operator resume templates

Build a professional road equipment 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 road equipment operator resume.