How to become a Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator 2024

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator 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.

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator is Also Know as

In different settings, Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator is titled as

Back Hoe Operator
Engineering Equipment Operator
Equipment Operator (EO)
Forklift Operator
Heavy Equipment Operator (HEO)
Hot Mix Asphalt Operator
Machine Operator
Motor Grader Operator
Operating Engineer
Track Hoe Operator

Education and Training of Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator is categorized in Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Education Required for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator

These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Degrees Related to Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator

Training Required for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator

Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator in different industries are

What Do Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator do?

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

Qualities of Good Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator

Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
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.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
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.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

Tools Used by Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator

15-ton truck cranes
18-ton hydraulic cranes
20-ton tractors
Adjustable wrenches
Aeroil propane kettles
Air compressors
Angle dozers
Aquatic weed harvesters
Asphalt compactors
Asphalt pavers
Asphalt spreader boxes
Axes
Backhoe attachments
Backhoes
Barrier movers
Basin machines
Belly dumpers
Belt loaders
Blade attachments
Box scrapers
Bucket attachments
Bulldozers
Cell phones
Chain saws
Chemical-resistant clothing
Cherry pickers
Chip spreaders
Churn drills
Circular saws
Concrete saws
Crawler dozers
Cultipackers
Curb pavers
Cutting torches
Demolition machines
Dempster dumpers
Derricks
Desktop computers
Ditchers
Draglines
Dredges
Drill presses
Ear plugs
End loaders
Extender conveyors
Flatbed trucks
Forklifts
Front end loaders
Gas welders
Graders
Grinders
Groovers
Gutter pavers
Hammers
Harrows
Heavy dump trucks
Heavy duty excavators
Hoists
Hydraulic boom trucks
Hydraulic cranes
Hydraulic jacks
Hydraulic telescoping boom utility trucks
Industrial scrapers
Jackhammers
Land drilling rigs
Laydown machines
Levels
Mainline paint stripers
Manlifts
Measuring wheels
Mechanical sweepers
Milling machines
Mini excavators
Monorails
Motor graders
Mowers
Multipurpose vacuum catch basin cleaners
Oiling equipment
Pavement breakers
Personal computers
Picks
Pickup trucks
Pipe threaders
Post hole diggers
Power drills
Power sanders
Power saws
Respirators
Road finishing machines
Road watering equipment
Robotic concrete busters
Robotic machines
Rollers
Ross carriers
Roustabout cranes
Rubber-tired excavators
Rulers
Runway deicers
Safety boots
Safety glasses
Safety gloves
Saws
Scoopmobiles
Scrapers
Screwdrivers
Seeders
Sewer rodding machines
Shielded arc welding tools
Shot blasters
Shovels
Silent hoists
Single axle dump trucks
Skid steer loaders
Skid steer machines
Skip loaders
Snow blowers
Snowplows
Sweepers
Tampers
Tandem axle dump trucks
Tankers
Tape measures
Telescopic forklifts
Tilt graders
Tracked hydraulic excavators
Tracked loaders
Tractors
Travel lifts
Treecutters
Trenchers
Truck cranes
Truck trailers
Truck-mounted generators
Tugger hoists
Turf quakers
Turn-a-pulls
Two way radios
Two-man augers
Utility locators
Vacuum pumps
Vertical drills
Verticutters
Vibratory compactors
Water pumps
Weedeaters
Wheel loaders
Winches

Technology Skills required for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator

Maintenance record software
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Windows
Work record software

US Universities

How to become Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operator in 2024