Material Moving Machine Operators: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
- Education Required
- Although no formal educational credential is usually required, some companies prefer to hire material moving machine operators who have a high school diploma. For crane and tower operators, excavating machine operators, and dredge operators, however, a high school diploma or equivalent typically is required.
- Training Required
- Although most material moving machine operators are trained on the job in less than a month, the amount of time spent in training will vary with the type of machine. Some machines, such as cranes and towers, are more complex than others, such as industrial trucks and forklifts. Learning to operate a forklift or an industrial truck in warehouses, for example, may take only a few days; training to operate a crane for port operations may take several months. Most workers are trained by a supervisor or another experienced employee.
- Job Outlook
-
The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: 6% (As fast as average)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - Licenses/Certifications
- A number of states and several cities require crane operators to be licensed. To get a license, operators typically must complete a skills test in which they show that they can control a crane. They also must pass a written exam that tests their knowledge of safety rules and procedures. Some crane operators and industrial truck and tractor operators may obtain certification, which includes passing a written exam.
- Median pay: How much do Material Moving Machine Operators make?
- $33,890 Annual Salary
- $16.29 per hour
Material moving machine operators use machinery to transport various objects. Some operators move construction materials around building sites or excavate earth from a mine. Others move goods around a warehouse or onto container ships.
What do Material Moving Machine Operators do?
Material moving machine operators typically do the following:
- Set up and inspect material moving equipment
- Control equipment with levers, wheels, or foot pedals
- Move material according to a plan or schedule
- Signal and direct workers to load, unload, and position materials
- Keep a record of the material they move and where they move it to
- Make minor repairs to their equipment
In warehouses, most material moving machine operators use forklifts and conveyor belts. Wireless sensors and tags are increasingly being used to keep track of merchandise, allowing operators to locate them faster. Some operators also check goods for damage. These operators usually work closely with hand laborers and material movers.
Many operators work for underground and surface mining companies. They help to dig or expose the mine, remove the earth and rock, and extract coal, ore, and other mined materials.
In construction, material moving machine operators remove earth to clear space for buildings. Some work on a building site for the entire length of the construction project. For example, certain material moving machine operators help to construct highrise buildings by transporting materials to workers who are far above ground level.
All material moving machine operators are responsible for the safe operation of their equipment or vehicle.
The following are examples of types of material moving machine operators:
Careers for Material Moving Machine Operators
- Ash conveyor operators
- Assembly line tenders
- Backhoe operators
- Boom crane operators
- Bridge crane operators
- Cherry picker operators
- Chip bin conveyor tenders
- Coal tower operators
- Coke loaders
- Conveyor belt operators
- Conveyor operators and tenders
- Crane and tower operators
- Dragline oilers
- Dredge deckhands
- Dredge engineers
- Dredge mates
- Dredge operators
- Dredgers
- Earth loading equipment operators
- Earth moving equipment operators
- Electric crane operators
- End loader operators
- Erecting crane operators
- Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators
- Excavator backhoe operators
- Excavators
- Forklift drivers
- Forklift operators
- Front-end loader operators
- Grain elevator operators
- Hoist and winch operators
- Hoist operators
- Hydraulic lift drivers
- Industrial truck and tractor operators
- Industrial truck operators
- Joy loaders
- Load haul dump operators
- Monorail crane operators
- Overhead crane operators
- Packing line operators
- Payloader operators
- Port crane operators
- Radio control crane operators
- Reach-lift truck drivers
- Scrap crane operators
- Shovel operators
- Stacker operators
- Tower loader crane operators
- Tower loader operators
- Trenching machine operators
- Underground mining loading machine operators
- Winch derrick operators
- Winch operators
- Woodyard crane operators
- Yard loader operators