Snow plow operator vs highway maintainer

The differences between snow plow operators and highway maintainers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a snow plow operator and a highway maintainer. Additionally, a highway maintainer has an average salary of $48,568, which is higher than the $38,842 average annual salary of a snow plow operator.

The top three skills for a snow plow operator include CDL, loaders and end loaders. The most important skills for a highway maintainer are loaders, cdl class, and road surfaces.

Snow plow operator vs highway maintainer overview

	Snow Plow Operator	Highway Maintainer
Yearly salary	$38,842	$48,568
Hourly rate	$18.67	$23.35
Growth rate	5%	-
Number of jobs	35,630	1,613
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	12	12

Snow plow operator vs highway maintainer salary

Snow plow operators and highway maintainers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Snow Plow Operator	Highway Maintainer
Average salary	$38,842	$48,568
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $52,000	Between $29,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	SeaTac, WA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Stearns County MN	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between snow plow operator and highway maintainer education

There are a few differences between a snow plow operator and a highway maintainer in terms of educational background:

	Snow Plow Operator	Highway Maintainer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Snow plow operator vs highway maintainer demographics

Here are the differences between snow plow operators' and highway maintainers' demographics:

	Snow Plow Operator	Highway Maintainer
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4%	Male, 92.1% Female, 7.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 0.5% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 0.4% White, 76.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between snow plow operator and highway maintainer duties and responsibilities

Snow plow operator example responsibilities.

Manage receipt, storage and issue of ammunition processes.
Provide maintenance, fertilization, aeration, seeding, mowing, planting, weeding, and trimming services.
Programme CNC machine for component placement and trigonometry assessment of circuitry board.
Mow multiple locations including residential and cemeteries.

Highway maintainer example responsibilities.

Cut brush, operate mowing equipment, and litter pick up.
Maintain and repair all trucks, tractors, mowers, etc.
Dump, spread and tamp asphalt, using pneumatic tamper to patch broken or erode pavement.
Operate machines to spread, smooth, level or steel-reinforce stone, concrete, or asphalt on road beds.
Ensure upkeep of state land and highways including; mowing, painting, road maintenance, trash and brush pick up.
Receive and implement combat orders and direct deployment of personnel in offensive, defensive and retrograde operations.

Snow plow operator vs highway maintainer skills

Common snow plow operator skills

CDL, 29%
Loaders, 18%
End Loaders, 11%
Plow Truck, 6%
Snow Blowers, 5%
Hazardous Materials, 4%

Common highway maintainer skills

Loaders, 18%
CDL Class, 14%
Road Surfaces, 9%
Dump Truck, 9%
Mowing, 8%
Snowplows, 7%

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Snow Plow Operator vs Highway Maintainer

Updated January 8, 2025

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