Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
Operate or tend machinery at surface mining site, equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets to excavate and load loose materials.
Most important skills
- Operation and Control
- Operations Monitoring
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
Key knowledge
- Mechanical
- Building and Construction
- Public Safety and Security
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Design
- Administration and Management
- Transportation
What the work involves
- 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.
- Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications.
- Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application.
- Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads.
- Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth.
- Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse.
- Receive written or oral instructions regarding material movement or excavation.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (71.1% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (25.9%)
- On-the-job training
- Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (25.5%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Moderate | Higher on contact with others than 51% of occupations compared | 66% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Very low | Lower on dealing with the public than 89% of occupations compared | 49% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all” |
| Teamwork | High | Higher on teamwork than 68% of occupations compared | 63% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Moderate | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 57% of occupations compared | 39% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Low | Lower on time pressure than 71% of occupations compared | 41% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | Very low | Lower on conflict situations than 82% of occupations compared | 29% of surveyed respondents chose “Never” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 69% of occupations compared | 38% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Consequence of error | Very high | Higher on consequence of error than 82% of occupations compared | 53% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: low
- Conflict situations: very low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
- Consequence of error: very high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 8.43%
- Contact with others about half the time: 9.03%
- Contact with others most of the time: 16.73%
- Constant contact with others: 65.81%
n = 28, Incumbent 07/2013
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 48.55%
- Fairly important: 13.93%
- Important: 10.62%
- Very important: 22%
- Extremely important: 4.9%
n = 28, Incumbent 07/2013
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 0%
- Important: 16.34%
- Very important: 20.73%
- Extremely important: 62.93%
n = 28, Incumbent 07/2013
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 1.26%
- Limited freedom: 25.56%
- Some freedom: 39.35%
- A lot of freedom: 33.83%
n = 26, Incumbent 07/2013
Time pressure
- Never: 23.29%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 0%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 13.21%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 22.62%
- Every day: 40.87%
n = 28, Incumbent 07/2013
Conflict situations
- Never: 28.84%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 27.31%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 27.17%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 13.72%
- Every day: 2.96%
n = 27, Incumbent 07/2013
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 17.36%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 34.36%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 37.53%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 7.9%
- Every day: 2.85%
n = 28, Incumbent 07/2013
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 12.18%
- Fairly serious: 17.15%
- Serious: 5.13%
- Very serious: 12.91%
- Extremely serious: 52.63%
n = 26, Incumbent 07/2013
Is this career right for me? Find jobs with conditions you prefer
Where people with this background could move
- Analyze
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
Closeness 95/100
- Analyze
Logging Equipment Operators
Closeness 93/100
- Analyze
Pile Driver Operators
Closeness 93/100
- Analyze
Sailors and Marine Oilers
Closeness 93/100
- Analyze
Crane and Tower Operators
Closeness 93/100 · job zone +1
- Analyze
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders
Closeness 93/100
Find more alternativesCompare skills with another job
O*NET-SOC 47-5022.00 · SOC 47-5022 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8