Snow plow operator vs highway maintenance technician

The differences between snow plow operators and highway maintenance technicians 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 maintenance technician. Additionally, a snow plow operator has an average salary of $38,842, which is higher than the $36,871 average annual salary of a highway maintenance technician.

The top three skills for a snow plow operator include CDL, loaders and end loaders. The most important skills for a highway maintenance technician are CDL, highway maintenance, and asphalt.

Snow plow operator vs highway maintenance technician overview

	Snow Plow Operator	Highway Maintenance Technician
Yearly salary	$38,842	$36,871
Hourly rate	$18.67	$17.73
Growth rate	5%	-
Number of jobs	35,630	83,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	12	12

Snow plow operator vs highway maintenance technician salary

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

	Snow Plow Operator	Highway Maintenance Technician
Average salary	$38,842	$36,871
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $52,000	Between $25,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	SeaTac, WA	Denver, CO
Highest paying state	Washington	New Jersey
Best paying company	Stearns County MN	International Paper
Best paying industry	Finance	Professional

Differences between snow plow operator and highway maintenance technician education

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

	Snow Plow Operator	Highway Maintenance Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Snow plow operator vs highway maintenance technician demographics

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

	Snow Plow Operator	Highway Maintenance Technician
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4%	Male, 97.5% Female, 2.5%
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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 0.5% White, 73.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between snow plow operator and highway maintenance technician 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 maintenance technician example responsibilities.

Manage proper storage of equipment, compliance with ANSI, NEC standard and assure OSHA safety regulations.
Mow or clear brush from a long road or plow snow from roadway
Repair cross/storm drains, cracks, pothole, and perform cold asphalt patch repair and pressure washing as needed.
Dump, spread, and tamp asphalt, using one pneumatic tampers, to repair joints and patch broken pavement.
Perform routine and emergency maintenance calls, paint, repair drywall safely repair minor electrical problems including HVAC.
Operate trucks equip with snowplows and sander attachments to maintain roads in winter weather.

Snow plow operator vs highway maintenance technician skills

Common snow plow operator skills

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

Common highway maintenance technician skills

CDL, 27%
Highway Maintenance, 19%
Asphalt, 9%
Hand Tools, 9%
Equipment Maintenance, 6%
CPR, 6%

Snow Plow Operator vs. similar jobs

Snow Plow Operator related careers

Snow Plow Operator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Construction and Extraction Industry
Snow Plow Operator
Snow Plow Operator vs Highway Maintenance Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse construction and extraction jobs