Operating Engineers
Architecture & Construction > ConstructionProjected Growth: Faster than average
Projected Job Openings
Some Preparation Needed
Job Description
Your job is to Operate one or several types of power construction equipment, such as motor graders, bulldozers, scrapers, compressors, pumps, derricks, shovels, tractors, or front-end loaders to excavate, move, and grade earth, erect structures, or pour concrete or other hard surface pavement. May repair and maintain equipment in addition to other duties.
Common job titles of Operating Engineers include:
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Experience and Education
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
66.64% said they needed a High School Diploma.
18.04% said they needed a Post-Secondary Certificate.
Tasks
Learn and follow safety regulations.
Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.
Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.
Check fuel supplies at sites to ensure adequate availability.
Monitor operations to ensure that health and safety standards are met.
Connect hydraulic hoses, belts, mechanical linkages, or power takeoff shafts to tractors.
Load and move dirt, rocks, equipment, or other materials, using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders, or related equipment.
Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.
Drive and maneuver equipment equipped with blades in successive passes over working areas to remove topsoil, vegetation, or rocks or to distribute and level earth or terrain.
Operate tractors or bulldozers to perform such tasks as clearing land, mixing sludge, trimming backfills, or building roadways or parking lots.
Adjust handwheels and depress pedals to control attachments, such as blades, buckets, scrapers, or swing booms.
Operate loaders to pull out stumps, rip asphalt or concrete, rough-grade properties, bury refuse, or perform general cleanup.
Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.
Keep records of material or equipment usage or problems encountered.
Align machines, cutterheads, or depth gauge makers with reference stakes and guidelines or ground or position equipment, following hand signals of other workers.
Signal operators to guide movement of tractor-drawn machines.
Operate compactors, scrapers, or rollers to level, compact, or cover refuse at disposal grounds.
Compile cost estimates for jobs.
Turn valves to control air or water output of compressors or pumps.
Drive tractor-trailer trucks to move equipment from site to site.
Perform specialized work, using equipment such as pile drivers, dredging rigs, drillers, or concrete pumpers.
Talk to clients and study instructions, plans, or diagrams to establish work requirements.
Repair and maintain equipment, making emergency adjustments or assisting with major repairs as necessary.
Operate equipment to demolish or remove debris or to remove snow from streets, roads, or parking lots.
Push other equipment when extra traction or assistance is required.
Test atmosphere for adequate oxygen or explosive conditions when working in confined spaces.
Select and fasten bulldozer blades or other attachments to tractors, using hitches.
Operate conveyors to remove grit and debris from digesters.
Operate road watering, oiling, or rolling equipment, or street sealing equipment, such as chip spreaders.
Tools
Winches
Wheel loaders
Weedeaters
Water pumps
Vibratory compactors
Verticutters
Vertical drills
All ToolsVacuum pumps
Utility locators
Two-man augers
Two way radios
Turn-a-pulls
Turf quakers
Tugger hoists
Truck-mounted generators
Truck trailers
Truck cranes
Trenchers
Treecutters
Travel lifts
Tractors
Tracked loaders
Tracked hydraulic excavators
Tilt graders
Telescopic forklifts
Tape measures
Tankers
Tandem axle dump trucks
Tampers
Sweepers
Snowplows
Snow blowers
Skip loaders
Skid steer machines
Skid steer loaders
Single axle dump trucks
Silent hoists
Shovels
Shot blasters
Shielded arc welding tools
Sewer rodding machines
Seeders
Screwdrivers
Scrapers
Scoopmobiles
Saws
Safety gloves
Safety glasses
Safety boots
Runway deicers
Rulers
Rubber-tired excavators
Roustabout cranes
Ross carriers
Rollers
Robotic machines
Robotic concrete busters
Road watering equipment
Road finishing machines
Respirators
Power saws
Power sanders
Power drills
Post hole diggers
Pipe threaders
Pickup trucks
Picks
Personal computers
Pavement breakers
Oiling equipment
Multipurpose vacuum catch basin cleaners
Mowers
Motor graders
Monorails
Mini excavators
Milling machines
Mechanical sweepers
Measuring wheels
Manlifts
Mainline paint stripers
Levels
Laydown machines
Land drilling rigs
Jackhammers
Industrial scrapers
Hydraulic telescoping boom utility trucks
Hydraulic jacks
Hydraulic cranes
Hydraulic boom trucks
Hoists
Heavy duty excavators
Heavy dump trucks
Harrows
Hammers
Gutter pavers
Groovers
Grinders
Graders
Gas welders
Front end loaders
Forklifts
Flatbed trucks
Extender conveyors
End loaders
Ear plugs
Drill presses
Dredges
Draglines
Ditchers
Desktop computers
Derricks
Dempster dumpers
Demolition machines
Cutting torches
Curb pavers
Cultipackers
Crawler dozers
Concrete saws
Circular saws
Churn drills
Chip spreaders
Cherry pickers
Chemical-resistant clothing
Chain saws
Cell phones
Bulldozers
Bucket attachments
Box scrapers
Blade attachments
Belt loaders
Belly dumpers
Basin machines
Barrier movers
Backhoes
Backhoe attachments
Axes
Asphalt spreader boxes
Asphalt pavers
Asphalt compactors
Aquatic weed harvesters
Angle dozers
Air compressors
Aeroil propane kettles
Adjustable wrenches
20-ton tractors
18-ton hydraulic cranes
15-ton truck cranes
Technologies
Maintenance record software
Work record software
Skills
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operation Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Equipment Maintenance
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Abilities
Quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Control Movement Abilities › Psychomotor Abilities › Control Precision
Coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Control Movement Abilities › Psychomotor Abilities › Multilimb Coordination
Judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Sensory Abilities › Visual Abilities › Depth Perception