Sanitary landfill operator vs heavy equipment operator

The differences between sanitary landfill 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 sanitary landfill operator and a heavy equipment operator. Additionally, a sanitary landfill operator has an average salary of $42,639, which is higher than the $39,822 average annual salary of a heavy equipment operator.

The top three skills for a sanitary landfill operator include equipment operation, CDL and landfill operations. The most important skills for a heavy equipment operator are loaders, backhoe, and CDL.

Sanitary landfill operator vs heavy equipment operator overview

	Sanitary Landfill Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Yearly salary	$42,639	$39,822
Hourly rate	$20.50	$19.15
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	29,480	47,261
Job satisfaction	-	4.6
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

Sanitary landfill operator vs heavy equipment operator salary

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

	Sanitary Landfill Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Average salary	$42,639	$39,822
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $55,000	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 sanitary landfill operator and heavy equipment operator education

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

	Sanitary Landfill Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Civil Engineering	Business
Most common college	-	-

Sanitary landfill operator vs heavy equipment operator demographics

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

	Sanitary Landfill Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8%	Male, 94.8% Female, 5.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 0.9% White, 67.1% 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 sanitary landfill operator and heavy equipment operator duties and responsibilities

Sanitary landfill operator example responsibilities.

Run heavy equipment including compactor and ATD.
Follow all power equipment rules and regulation including any regulatory agency policies to include OSHA.
Operate knuckle boom as necessary.
Perform preventive maintenance checks and services on designate equipment.
Operate heavy equipment and supply mechanical assistance when need.
Execute daily operations of finish grading and various equipment operation.

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.

Sanitary landfill operator vs heavy equipment operator skills

Common sanitary landfill operator skills

Equipment Operation, 25%
CDL, 24%
Landfill Operations, 17%
Loaders, 14%
Water Truck, 11%
Waste Materials, 6%

Common heavy equipment operator skills

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

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Sanitary Landfill Operator vs Heavy Equipment Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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