How To Become A Tower Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a tower operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average tower operator salary is $38,634. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an business major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a tower operator. Tower operators with a Commercial Driver License (CDL) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTower OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,634

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.49%

Asian 0.68%

Black or African American 9.06%

Hispanic or Latino 19.81%

Unknown 3.60%

White 65.36%

Gender

female 11.43%

male 88.57%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a tower operator

Explore tower operator education requirements

Most common tower operator degrees

High School Diploma

49.4 %

Bachelor's

17.0 %

Associate

14.4 %

Start to develop specific tower operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Motor Vehicle	32.79%
Tow Truck	12.95%
Tire Changes	6.35%
CIP	5.07%
DOT	5.06%

Complete relevant tower operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New tower operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a tower operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real tower operator resumes.

Research tower operator duties and responsibilities

Coordinate face to face with all outside agencies that are require to support the training for all logistics matters.
Direct inbound or outbound logistics operations, such as transportation or warehouse activities, safety performance, or logistics quality management.
Supervise the accountability of all MSOT equipment, totaling millions of dollars' worth of equipment.
Work closely with IAD ATCT and airlines to coordinate safe and efficient gate and non-movement area transitions.

Prepare your tower operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your tower operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a tower operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable tower operator resume templates

Build a professional tower operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your tower operator resume.