How to become a Highway Maintenance Worker

Official title: Highway Maintenance Workers

Also called: Equipment Operator (EO), Highway Maintainer, Highway Maintenance Crew Worker, Highway Maintenance Technician, Highway Maintenance Worker, Maintenance Technician, Maintenance Worker, Transportation Maintenance Operator, Transportation Maintenance Specialist (TMS), Transportation Worker

Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement and repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road, or plow snow from roadway.

Main tasks

• Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
• Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
• Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment.
• Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
• Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and power tools.
• Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures.
• Drive heavy equipment and vehicles with adjustable attachments to sweep debris from paved surfaces, mow grass and weeds, remove snow and ice, and spread salt and sand.
• Haul and spread sand, gravel, and clay to fill washouts and repair road shoulders.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $50,260 a year The middle half earn $43,500 to $61,040.
• About 161,800 people work in this job now, and about 167,300 are projected by 2035. (+3.4%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Construction and Building Inspectors
• Energy Auditors
• Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
• Fence Erectors
• Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
• Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

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Questions people ask

How much does a Highway Maintenance Worker earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $50,260 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $43,500 to $61,040.

Is a Highway Maintenance Worker a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 3% by 2035, from about 161,800 to about 167,300 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Highway Maintenance Worker?

Usually not. Only 4% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Highway Maintenance Worker?

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.