How to become a Surface Mining Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operator

Official title: Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining

Also called: Backhoe Operator, Dragline Oiler, Dragline Operator, Equipment Operator, Excavator Operator, Heavy Equipment Operator, Loader Operator, Pit Operator, Track Hoe Operator

Operate or tend machinery at surface mining site, equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets to excavate and load loose materials.

Main tasks

• Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes.
• Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation.
• Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application.
• Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications.
• Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads.
• Receive written or oral instructions regarding material movement or excavation.
• Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse.
• Create or maintain inclines or ramps.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Dragline Operator.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $57,430 a year The middle half earn $47,890 to $65,730.
• About 34,700 people work in this job now, and about 35,000 are projected by 2035. (+1%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
• Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas
• Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
• Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas
• Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters
• Continuous Mining Machine Operators

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Surface Mining Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operator?

Ways in include: Dragline Operator.

How much does a Surface Mining Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operator earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $57,430 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $47,890 to $65,730.

Is a Surface Mining Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operator a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 34,700 people now and 35,000 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Surface Mining Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operator?

Usually not. Only 5% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Dragline Operator.

Will AI change the work of a Surface Mining Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operator?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.