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Job Description: An apprenticeship is a formal method of training in a skilled occupation or trade. For general information about apprenticeships, training, and partnerships with business, visit the United States Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor Services (OATELS) website. OATELS is the Federal program that administers the National Registered Apprenticeship System (NRAS). It is a consolidation of the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training and the new responsibilities of the employer and labor liaison dedicated to building a workforce for the 21st century.
Apprentice heavy equipment operators are paid trainees who are learning to operate and maintain construction machinery. Apprentices work under the supervision of experienced operators and attend formal classes to learn their job. They learn to operate several types of power-driven equipment such as compressors, pumps, hoists, cranes, tractors, and scrapers. This equipment is used to dig and grade earth, erect structural and reinforcing steel, and pour concrete.
Each year the military completes hundreds of construction projects. Tons of earth and building materials must be moved to build airfields, roads, dams, and buildings. This job is accomplished by military construction equipment operators.
Duties: Heavy equipment operators may perform some or all of the following tasks:
- Control equipment by moving levers, foot pedals, and operating switches
- Turn valves to control air and water output of compressors and pumps
- Adjust handwheels
- Press pedals to drive machines and control attachments such as blades, buckets, scrapers, and booms
- Conduct operational checks
- Clean, oil, and grease equipment
- Bulldozer operators clear and level land on construction sites
- Backhoe operators use a variety of attachments to dig trenches, break rock and/or concrete, back-fill excavations, and scoop and/or dump materials
- Grader operators spread and level earth, sand, gravel, and rock
- Paver operators lay, spread, or compact surface highway materials
- Power shovel operators scoop and move materials
Construction equipment operators in the military perform some or all of these duties:
- Drive bulldozers, roadgraders, and other heavy equipment to cut and level earth for runways and roadbeds
- Lift and move steel and other heavy building materials using winches, cranes, and hoists
- Dig holes and trenches using power shovels
- Remove ice and snow from runways, roads, and other areas using scrapers and snow blowers
- Operate mixing plants to make concrete and asphalt
- Spread asphalt and concrete with paving machines
- Drill wells using drilling rigs
- Place and detonate explosives
Working Conditions: Heavy equipment operators typically work outdoors in noisy, dusty, dirty environments in all types of weather. Some operators with modern equipment may work in air-conditioned, dust-controlled cabs. Workers who operate heavy equipment have to sit for long periods of time on vibrating machinery. Hearing protection, safety boots, gloves, goggles, and helmets are often required.
Educational Requirements: In order to qualify for an apprenticeship in the program, applicants must be a high school graduate or the equivalent (G.E.D.). The apprenticeship program will include on-the-job training and related classroom work on all phases of heavy equipment operation. Classes will often be in the evening. To become an apprentice you must be between the ages of 18 and 25, and must become a member of a labor union. For related information and recommended courses to prepare for this occupation, Tennessee high school students may visit the Trade and Industrial Education Standards, Competency Profiles, and Resource Links online.
Military job training consists of between 4 and 12 weeks of classroom instruction including practice operating construction equipment. Course content typically includes operation of different types of construction equipment; and the maintenance and repair of equipment. Further training occurs on the job and through advanced courses. The Army and Navy offer certified apprenticeship programs for one specialty in this occupation.
Outlook: The estimated number of heavy equipment operators in Tennessee is 5,620. It is projected there will be an increase of 18 percent in this occupation through the year 2012 with 250 job openings annually. For additional information on this occupation, visit the nationally recognized Occupational Outlook Handbook online.
The military services have about 10,000 construction equipment operators. On average, they need about 1,000 new construction equipment operators each year. For more information visit Today's Military online.
Military service: Military construction equipment operators are enlistees in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the Coast Guard.
| 10% | 25% | Median- 50% | 75% | 90% | |
| TN Annual | $21,620 | $25,220 | $29,210 | $34,830 | $42,140 |
| US Annual | $24,010 | $28,900 | $36,890 | $49,890 | $64,120 |
*Some salaries are listed at an hourly rate. Those that include a single dollar amount are considered hourly wage.
Wage and salary data provided by:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
- TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
- Bureau of Economic Analysis website
For an explanation of salary data please visit acinet.org
Last updated on: January 23, 2008