How to become an excavating or Trench digging machine operator
Official title: Excavating/Trench digging machine operator
Also called: Bulldozer driver, Bulldozer operator, Dragline bucket operator, Excavating machine operator, Grab-bucket operator, Mechanical shovel operator, Trench digging machine operator, Bulldozer operator, Dragline bucket operator, Grab-bucket operator
Excavating/Trench digging machine operator operates a power-driven machine, mounted on wheels or crawler tracks, equipped with a moveable shovel, grab-bucket or dragline bucket to excavate and move earth, rock, sand, gravel and similar material. He/she may operate a particular type of machine and be designated accordingly. He/she also conducts pre-operational checks on equipment to ensure proper functioning.
Main tasks
- Operating and monitoring excavating machinery equipped with a movable shovel, grab-bucket or dragline bucket to excavate and move earth, rock, sand, gravel or similar materials
- Operating and monitoring machinery for digging trenches for sewers, drainage, water, oil, gas or similar pipelines
- Operating and monitoring machinery equipped with a concave steel blade to move, distribute and level earth, sand and other similar materials
How to become one
Excavating/Trench digging machine operator typically possesses an excavator licence or its equivalent.
Ways in
- Licence or registration: Excavating/Trench digging machine operator typically possesses an excavator licence or its equivalent.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $37,176 a year. The middle half earn $24,000 to $59,976 a year.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
How do I become an excavating or Trench digging machine operator?
Excavating/Trench digging machine operator typically possesses an excavator licence or its equivalent.
How much does an excavating or Trench digging machine operator earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $37,176 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $24,000 to $59,976.
Will AI change the work of an excavating or Trench digging machine operator?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- Singapore Department of Statistics (SingStat): Singapore Standard Occupational Classification (SSOC) 2024 (SSOC 2024 (definitions and index updated 2026-06-24)), Singapore Open Data Licence, retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026