How people get into Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

What it takes to do this work

We do not hold a licence requirement for this one. That usually means the route in is hiring and training rather than a classroom, but we would rather tell you we cannot see one than promise there is nothing to it.

The jobs people hold first

These are the jobs people hold before moving into this one. Doing one of them is not the only way in, and it is not a requirement. It is the route the data can actually see.

Work people come from	Typical pay	Step up	Evidence
Construction Laborers Employers often ask for: OSHA-10 / OSHA-30 (Construction or General Industry) I do this now →	$51,040	+$31,150	Named career step
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers No licence we can see I do this now →	$38,180	+$44,010	Related work
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Employers often ask for: Powered industrial truck (forklift) operator training, employer-certified I do this now →	$45,670	+$36,520	Related work
Highway Maintenance Workers No licence we can see I do this now →	$46,730	+$35,460	Related work
Tree Trimmers and Pruners No licence we can see I do this now →	$46,050	+$36,140	Related work
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors No licence we can see I do this now →	$59,710	+$22,480	Related work
Crane and Tower Operators No licence we can see I do this now →	$72,020	+$10,170	Related work
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining No licence we can see I do this now →	$61,330	+$20,860	Related work

Named career step Lightcast lists this as a career step from your kind of work, based on the skills the two jobs share and what local employers hire for. It is the strongest signal we have, though it is not a record of individual people moving.

Related work The federal O*NET occupation index lists this as related to your kind of work, because the two share skills and day-to-day activities. It is a match on the work itself, not a record of people moving between them.

We keep those labels apart because they are different strength claims, and none of them means we watched individual people make the move.

Routes that already pay more than operating engineers and other construction equipment operators are left out, because those are side moves rather than ways in. So are routes needing more schooling than you told us about.

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