The following shows 1996 median weekly earnings among the detailed occupation groups:
Crane and tower operators: $551.00
Operating engineers: 508.00
Grader, dozer and scraper operators: 490.00
Hoist and winch operators: 490.00
Excavation and loading machine operators: 485.00
Industrial truck and tractor operators: 415.00
All other material-moving equipment operators: 451.00
Pay scales generally are higher in large metropolitan areas. Annual earnings of some workers may be lower than weekly rates would indicate, because the amount of time they work may be limited by bad weather.
RELATED FIELDS
Other workers who operate mechanical equipment include truck and bus drivers, manufacturing equipment operators, and farmers.
INTERVIEW
Terry Goodwin
Overhead Crane Operator
Terry Goodwin is an overhead crane operator with Elkem Metals in Alloy, West Virginia. He has been with them for more than ten years.
How Terry Goodwin Got Started
"What attracted me to this job was operating equipment. I like the controls! After completing my high school education, I received certification for operation and maintenance of heavy equipment through a technical school. Then I had to go through six weeks of on-the-job training."
What the Jobs Really Like
My duties are to lift and pour 100-cubic-feet ladles of molten silicon metal into ingots (chills). Each chill weighs approximately one ton. After the silicon solidifies, I then lift and transfer it to cooling grids.
This job never gets boring to me. If anything, it is a challenge. The cab of the crane is about six stories high. I operate both from the cab and from a remote control box at ground level.
Crane operating at the plant is a good job. A good operator has to have very good hand and eye coordination. If the crane operator is slow or rough, then everyone has a bad shift. He must be steady and smooth in our operation, while handling molten metal.
I work a forty-hour week as a union hourly worker. My wage scale is $16 per hour, straight time. My yearly income at the plant is about $36,000. With overtime it can be $5,000 to $10,000 a year more. I have great medical coverage also.
What I like best about my job is operating such a powerful piece of equipment. The crane I operate has two lifting hoists. One has a big thirty-ton capacity and the other has a five-ton capacity. I must always keep them both under control at the same time; they are used simultaneously.
I also like being able to lift very heavy objects and transfer them with ease. This sometimes amazes me. When I am operating from the cab, I can see every little movement below me.
Just like in any job, things can go wrong. Sometimes cranes break down-usually when you are right in the middle of making a move. Then I must wait for repair people and hope they can fix it fast enough to keep me on schedule. Most times the cranes run great. Usually I have to operate from a wireless remote control box that I wear on a harness in front of me. The plant converted to these about two years ago. Some people like them and some don't. I am learning to like them.
Another thing is I have to operate for different people through the work week. It can be different for each person. So, I have to be flexible.
The only other downside to my job is that it can get pretty hot at work. Molten silicon is about 2,600 to 3,100 degrees Fahrenheit. So it's good to get out of the heat for a while.
Expert Advice
If you want to become a crane operator, you should not try to rush through your training. Training is usually provided at the job sites of plants where the equipment is used.
A crane operator should have acceptable vision; depth perception is a must. An operator should have very good hand and eye coordination and not be afraid of heights.
"Also, operators should have the ability to work safely around people and objects. I am sure that anyone starting a crane operating job will like it."
INTERVIEW
Andy Jones
Bulldozer Operator
Andy Jones is a loader operator for Brandywine Patio, a stone-yard in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He started working in the field during his last year of high school in 1992.
How Andy Jones Got Started
I always liked working outside. I grew up around backhoes and stuff so I knew how to do it. My dad started my training at first and then I took some classes at a local school.
"I got my job by responding to an ad in the paper."
What the Job's Really Like
Basically, I drive and load a truck, either with pallets of brick or gravel or stone. I am responsible for keeping the truck road-legal-lights, plates, inspection, tags, tires, etc.-and I also am responsible for one bulldozer and two backhoes, all Deere. If something goes wrong, I have to fix them.
I'm always busy. There is no end to all the things that need to be done, whether it's a delivery 100 miles away or a footer that needs to be dug.
I usually work sixty-five to seventy-five-hour weeks and make $12.50 an hour. The atmosphere is far from formal, which I can't say I dislike.
On the downside, you get dirty at this job and you're always sore at the end of the day. Also, you don't meet many people. When you're pulled into a restaurant and you're eating in the truck, you look up and see a couple walking by. You wonder, 'Shouldn't that be me?' but you realize that trucking stands in the way of your getting lots of chances to meet someone on a friend and girlfriend level.
But I like being by myself, just listening to the truck engine moaning out its one-note song, just being alone away from everything. It gives you time to think about stuff.
I also like running the loaders and doing nice work, some-thing I can take pride in. When I'm done, I say that looks good.
Expert Advice
You have to have lots of patience and never lose your cool and never get out of line with customers. You can't drink, either. If you come in hung-over or drunk, you could lose your license for a long time.
To be a good operator you need training. Many places offer full courses, but most importantly you need loads of experience.
