Special equipment operator vs track maintainer

The differences between special equipment operators and track maintainers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a track maintainer has an average salary of $60,113, which is higher than the $44,694 average annual salary of a special equipment operator.

The top three skills for a special equipment operator include loaders, CDL and production lines. The most important skills for a track maintainer are CDL, switches, and track maintenance.

Special equipment operator vs track maintainer overview

	Special Equipment Operator	Track Maintainer
Yearly salary	$44,694	$60,113
Hourly rate	$21.49	$28.90
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	54,350	1,388
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 35%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Special equipment operator vs track maintainer salary

Special equipment operators and track maintainers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Special Equipment Operator	Track Maintainer
Average salary	$44,694	$60,113
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $58,000	Between $40,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	Goodyear, AZ	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Arkansas Electric Cooperative	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between special equipment operator and track maintainer education

There are a few differences between a special equipment operator and a track maintainer in terms of educational background:

	Special Equipment Operator	Track Maintainer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 35%
Most common major	Business	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	-	-

Special equipment operator vs track maintainer demographics

Here are the differences between special equipment operators' and track maintainers' demographics:

	Special Equipment Operator	Track Maintainer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8%	Male, 96.6% Female, 3.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 17.4% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 25.5% Asian, 1.0% White, 50.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%	Black or African American, 17.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 26.9% Asian, 1.0% White, 49.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between special equipment operator and track maintainer duties and responsibilities

Special equipment operator example responsibilities.

Obtain CDL to drive large trucks.
Use a RF computer attach on fork truck.
Return any leftover material to previous location and relocate in system with RF scanner.
Follow all power equipment rules and regulation including any regulatory agency policies to include OSHA.
Analyze past occurrences to apply preventative maintenance.

Track maintainer example responsibilities.

Job duties are to fix wrecks, maintain the karts, and manage the batting cages.
Track inspection including but not limit too, inspection of frogs, switches, road bed etc.
Inspect tracks for broken rail, defective switches, defective signals, track obstructions and track washouts.
Receive and implement combat orders and direct deployment of personnel in offensive, defensive and retrograde operations.
Inspect and troubleshot track vehicle automotive systems and wheel vehicles.

Special equipment operator vs track maintainer skills

Common special equipment operator skills

Loaders, 51%
CDL, 25%
Production Lines, 9%
RF, 8%
DOT, 4%
Clamp Truck, 2%

Common track maintainer skills

CDL, 32%
Switches, 20%
Track Maintenance, 12%
Track Materials, 9%
Repair Street, 8%
FRA, 7%

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Special Equipment Operator vs Track Maintainer

Updated January 8, 2025

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