Road grader operator vs heavy equipment operator

The differences between road grader operators and heavy equipment operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a road grader operator and a heavy equipment operator. Additionally, a road grader operator has an average salary of $44,968, which is higher than the $39,822 average annual salary of a heavy equipment operator.

The top three skills for a road grader operator include CDL, dot regulations and road construction. The most important skills for a heavy equipment operator are loaders, backhoe, and CDL.

Road grader operator vs heavy equipment operator overview

	Road Grader Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Yearly salary	$44,968	$39,822
Hourly rate	$21.62	$19.15
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	43,824	47,261
Job satisfaction	-	4.6
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

Road grader operator vs heavy equipment operator salary

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

	Road Grader Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Average salary	$44,968	$39,822
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $56,000	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 road grader operator and heavy equipment operator education

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

	Road Grader Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	-	-

Road grader operator vs heavy equipment operator demographics

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

	Road Grader Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 94.4% Female, 5.6%	Male, 94.8% Female, 5.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 0.9% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9%	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	2%	2%

Differences between road grader operator and heavy equipment operator duties and responsibilities

Road grader operator example responsibilities.

Follow all power equipment rules and regulation including any regulatory agency policies to include OSHA.
Prepare, grade assignments and code solutions for multithreading, mutual exclusion, memory management, etc.

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.

Road grader operator vs heavy equipment operator skills

Common road grader operator skills

CDL, 90%
DOT Regulations, 5%
Road Construction, 3%
Trip Inspections, 3%

Common heavy equipment operator skills

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

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Road Grader Operator vs Heavy Equipment Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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