How Does a Heavy Equipment Operator Spend a Workday?
- Heavy equipment operators typically work at construction sites, operating the various construction machines. They use these machines to lift and transport heavy construction materials and earth. These sites can be building construction sites, mines, road sites, sewer systems or even offshore oil rigs. Operators may have irregular hours, depending on the type of project. For example, operators on a road work site may have to work overnight instead of impeding traffic.
- There are six types of heavy equipment operators. Paving and surfacing operators, asphalt paving operators amd concrete paving operators operate machinery that spread and level different paving materials for roadbeds or other construction sites. Tamping equipment operators operate machines that pack down earth and other filler materials for roadbeds and construction sites. Piledriver operators drive piles of steel beams or wood into the ground for support of retaining walls, foundations or bridges. Operating engineers can use several different types of machines to excavate earth, dig trenches, grade roads or move materials.
- Heavy equipment operators are responsible for the machines they operate and keep constant track of the status of them. They have to know how to set them up, inspect them, make any necessary adjustments, perform maintenance and make minor repairs. If any machine has a major problem, they must report the issue to their supervisor.
