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Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

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.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.
    • Talk to clients and study instructions, plans, or diagrams to establish work requirements.
    • Operate equipment to demolish or remove debris or to remove snow from streets, roads, or parking lots.
    • Check fuel supplies at sites to ensure adequate availability.
    • Adjust handwheels and depress pedals to control attachments, such as blades, buckets, scrapers, or swing booms.
    • Operate road watering, oiling, or rolling equipment, or street sealing equipment, such as chip spreaders.
    • Turn valves to control air or water output of compressors or pumps.
    • Select and fasten bulldozer blades or other attachments to tractors, using hitches.
    • Keep records of material or equipment usage or problems encountered.
    • Push other equipment when extra traction or assistance is required.
    • Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.
    • Connect hydraulic hoses, belts, mechanical linkages, or power takeoff shafts to tractors.
    • Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.
    • Align machines, cutterheads, or depth gauge makers with reference stakes and guidelines or ground or position equipment, following hand signals of other workers.
    • Operate tractors or bulldozers to perform such tasks as clearing land, mixing sludge, trimming backfills, or building roadways or parking lots.
    • Select and fasten bulldozer blades or other attachments to tractors, using hitches.
    • Repair and maintain equipment, making emergency adjustments or assisting with major repairs as necessary.
    • Drive tractor-trailer trucks to move equipment from site to site.
    • Signal operators to guide movement of tractor-drawn machines.
    • Operate loaders to pull out stumps, rip asphalt or concrete, rough-grade properties, bury refuse, or perform general cleanup.
    • Talk to clients and study instructions, plans, or diagrams to establish work requirements.
    • Learn and follow safety regulations.
    • Load and move dirt, rocks, equipment, or other materials, using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders, or related equipment.
    • Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.
    • Monitor operations to ensure that health and safety standards are met.
    • Test atmosphere for adequate oxygen or explosive conditions when working in confined spaces.
    • 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 compactors, scrapers, or rollers to level, compact, or cover refuse at disposal grounds.

    Skills

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    3
    Workplace Documents
    3
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    Knowledge

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    Career Video

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 60390/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 29.04/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 14,100
    • Yearly Projected Openings 1200

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Initiative
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cooperation
    • Independence

    Tools

    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Agricultural rollers
    • Agricultural tractors
    • Air compressors
    • Articulating boom lift
    • Asphalt finishers
    • Axes
    • Backhoe boom or boom sections
    • Backhoes
    • Bituminous material distributors
    • Blades or tooth or other cutting edges
    • Blow torch
    • Cargo trucks
    • Chip Spreaders
    • Compactors
    • Conventional truck cranes
    • Conveyor rails
    • Curbing machines
    • Demolition equipment kits
    • Derricks
    • Desktop computers
    • Ditchers
    • Draglines
    • Drain or pipe cleaning equipment
    • Dredgers
    • Drilling machines
    • Dump trucks
    • Ear plugs
    • Earthmoving buckets or its parts or accessories
    • Edgers
    • Elevating scrapers
    • Extendable conveyors
    • Flatbed trailers
    • Forestry saws
    • Forklifts
    • Front end loaders
    • Gas generators
    • Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatus
    • Graders
    • Hammers
    • Harrows
    • Hazardous material protective apparel
    • Hoists
    • Hydraulic truck cranes
    • Jacks
    • Joint cleaning or refacing machines
    • Kettle exchangers
    • Land drilling rigs
    • Levels
    • Lifts
    • Light trucks or sport utility vehicles
    • Loading equipment
    • Manlift or personnel lift
    • Measuring wheels for distance
    • Metal detectors
    • Milling machines
    • Mobile excavators
    • Mobile phones
    • Mowers
    • Paint sprayers
    • Paving breakers
    • Personal computers
    • Pick or place robots
    • Picks
    • Pneumatic hammer
    • Post hole digger
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Power sanders
    • Power saws
    • Protective gloves
    • Pulled scrapers
    • Respirators
    • Road pavers
    • Rollers
    • Rollers for lawn or sports grounds
    • Rulers
    • Safety boots
    • Safety glasses
    • Saws
    • Screwdrivers
    • Scrubbing machines
    • Seeder attachment
    • Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
    • Shovels
    • Skid steer loaders
    • Snow blowers
    • Snowplow attachments
    • Sprayers
    • Tampers
    • Tape measures
    • Telescoping boom lift
    • Threading die hand tool
    • Track bulldozers
    • Track cranes
    • Track excavators
    • Track loaders
    • Trenching machines
    • Two way radios
    • Vacuum pumps
    • Vibratory plates
    • Water pumps
    • Water trucks
    • Weeders
    • Wheel bulldozers
    • Wheel excavators
    • Wheel loaders
    • Winches

    Technology

    • Electronic mail software
    • Facilities management software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Time accounting software

    Tags

    • InDemand occupations are considered a priority by the state of Ohio.
    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.

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