Occupation Profile

Industries Employing

Operating Engineers

(SOC Code : 47-2073)

in California

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. Exclude "Crane and Tower Operators" (53-7021) and equipment operators who work in extraction or other non-construction industries.

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Moderate-term on-the-job training (1-12 months) .

Occupational Wages

[Top]

Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2023	1st Qtr	$41.52	$30.45	$39.38	$52.67

View Wages for All Areas About Wages

Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

[Top]

Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Total Job Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2018 - 2028	29,600	31,100	1,500	5.1	36,510

View Projections for All Areas About Projections

Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

[Top]

Enter a Zip Code Find a Zip code in California

Within miles of Zip Code.

Possible Licenses Required and Issuing Authority

[Top]

License Title

License Authority

Trenching Limited Specialty Contractor

Department of Consumer Affairs
Contractors State License Board
License Information Center
http://www.cslb.ca.gov

Prefabricated Equipment Limited Specialty Contractor

Department of Consumer Affairs
Contractors State License Board
License Information Center
http://www.cslb.ca.gov

About Licenses

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

[Top]

Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Other Specialty Trade Contractor

11,063

30.4%

Utility System Construction

1,680

14.2%

Highway, Street, and Bridge Constr

1,581

14.1%

Other Heavy and Civil Engineering

1,544

5.1%

Waste Management and Remediation S

3,120

3.5%

Foundation, Structure, and Build

8,310

3.5%

Nonresidential Building Construction

12,068

2.9%

Mining (except Oil and Gas)

371

2.6%

Building Equipment Contractors

27,541

1.7%

Nonmetallic Mineral Product Mfg

988

1.5%

Residential Building Construction

25,960

1.2%

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

[Top]

Program Title

Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation

Mobil Crane Operation/Operator

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

[Top]

Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Learn and follow safety regulations.

Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.

Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.

Monitor operations to ensure that health and safety standards are met.

Adjust handwheels and depress pedals to control attachments, such as blades, buckets, scrapers, or swing booms.

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.

Load and move dirt, rocks, equipment, or other materials, using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders, or related equipment.

Check fuel supplies at sites to ensure adequate availability.

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.

More Tasks for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

Top Skills used in this Job

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.

Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

More Skills for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

Multilimb Coordination - The ability to 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.

Depth Perception - The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.

More Abilities for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

More WorkValues for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

More Interests for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

Alternate Titles

Backhoe Operators; Excavator Operators; Grader Operators; Heavy Equipment Operators; Loader Operators; Motor Grader Operators; and Track Hoe Operators