What does a snow plow operator do?

Updated January 8, 2025

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Snow plow operator responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real snow plow operator resumes:

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.

Snow plow operator skills and personality traits

We calculated that 29% of Snow Plow Operators are proficient in CDL, Loaders, and End Loaders. They’re also known for soft skills such as Physical strength, Unafraid of heights, and Physical stamina.

We break down the percentage of Snow Plow Operators that have these skills listed on their resume here:

CDL, 29%
Have CDL would drive swab unit to job and rig up and swab well in then turn it over to production
Loaders, 18%
Performed duties related to: operating, maintaining, and repairing mobile equipment such as loaders, trucks, etc.
End Loaders, 11%
Operated and monitored equipment included in the waste-water treatment process including operating front end loaders.
Plow Truck, 6%
Operate Skid Steer as well as the Snow Plow Truck Operate Front end loader, and Combination John Deere.
Snow Blowers, 5%
Performed various landscaping duties with commercial and residential clientele Displayed exceptional courtesy and customer service Utilized various hand tools and snow blowers
Hazardous Materials, 4%
Transported hazardous materials and other products.

Common skills that a snow plow operator uses to do their job include "cdl," "loaders," and "end loaders." You can find details on the most important snow plow operator responsibilities below.

Physical strength. The most essential soft skill for a snow plow operator to carry out their responsibilities is physical strength. This skill is important for the role because "construction equipment operators may be required to lift more than 50 pounds as part of their duties." Additionally, a snow plow operator resume shows how their duties depend on physical strength: "test samples in lab for product quality and strength for pricing. "

Physical stamina. This is an important skill for snow plow operators to perform their duties. For an example of how snow plow operator responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "construction equipment operators may be required to frequently push, carry, or move heavy objects. ." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a snow plow operator: "preformed physical and computer quality checks to maintain a bottle that were within the specs provided by the customer. ".

Mechanical skills. A big part of what snow plow operators do relies on "mechanical skills." You can see how essential it is to snow plow operator responsibilities because "construction equipment operators often perform basic maintenance on the equipment they operate." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical snow plow operator tasks: "experienced in the safe operation of heavy construction and mechanical equipment operation. "

See the full list of snow plow operator skills

The three companies that hire the most snow plow operators are:

Dejana Industries
8 snow plow operators jobs
Area Temps1 snow plow operators jobs
Mammoth Mountain1 snow plow operators jobs

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Compare different snow plow operators

Snow plow operator vs. Highway maintainer

Highway maintenance workers are employees who are responsible for performing various tasks to provide safety and working order to all highways and roads. These workers must visit problematic areas to assess the situation of highways and then perform duties such as paving uneven or damaged highways or painting traffic lines and dividers. They must work during times of extreme weather by operating plows to clear the roads of fallen trees, rocks, or other debris that are blocking the highway. They must also possess the skills to perform repairs on heavy machinery such as salt trucks, blowers, and forklifts.

We looked at the average snow plow operator salary and compared it with the wages of a highway maintainer. Generally speaking, highway maintainers are paid $9,726 higher than snow plow operators per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between snow plow operators and highway maintainers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like loaders, end loaders, and hazardous materials.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a snow plow operator are more likely to require skills like "cdl," "de-icing," "plow truck," and "snow blowers." On the other hand, a job as a highway maintainer requires skills like "cdl class," "air brakes," "road surfaces," and "dump truck." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

On average, highway maintainers reach similar levels of education than snow plow operators. Highway maintainers are 0.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Snow plow operator vs. Highway maintenance technician

A career as a highway maintenance technician brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a snow plow operator. In fact, highway maintenance technicians salary is $1,971 lower than the salary of snow plow operators per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Snow plow operators and highway maintenance technicians both require similar skills like "cdl," "loaders," and "plow truck" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, snow plow operator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "de-icing," "end loaders," "snow blowers," and "hazardous materials." Meanwhile, a highway maintenance technician has duties that require skills in areas such as "highway maintenance," "safety equipment," "asphalt," and "minor maintenance." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Highway maintenance technicians may earn a lower salary than snow plow operators, but highway maintenance technicians earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $41,772. On the other hand, snow plow operators receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $39,366.In general, highway maintenance technicians achieve similar levels of education than snow plow operators. They're 0.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Snow plow operator vs. Highway maintenance worker

An average highway maintenance worker eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of snow plow operators. The difference in salaries amounts to highway maintenance workers earning a $1,646 higher average salary than snow plow operators.Using the responsibilities included on snow plow operators and highway maintenance workers resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "cdl," "loaders," and "de-icing.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, snow plow operators are more likely to have skills like "snow blowers," "snow removal equipment," "safety practices," and "bobcat." But a highway maintenance worker is more likely to have skills like "highway maintenance," "asphalt," "minor maintenance," and "hand tools."

Highway maintenance workers earn the best pay in the construction industry, where they command an average salary of $46,511. Snow plow operators earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $39,366.highway maintenance workers typically earn similar educational levels compared to snow plow operators. Specifically, they're 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Snow plow operator vs. Highway worker

Highway workers average a higher salary than the annual salary of snow plow operators. The difference is about $467 per year.According to resumes from snow plow operators and highway workers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "cdl," "loaders," and "end loaders. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "de-icing," "plow truck," "snow blowers," and "hazardous materials" are skills that commonly show up on snow plow operator resumes. On the other hand, highway workers use skills like dump truck, traffic control, snow removal, and public safety on their resumes.In general, highway workers hold similar degree levels compared to snow plow operators. Highway workers are 1.0% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of snow plow operator

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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