Heavy Equipment Operator

A Heavy Equipment Operator drives big machines like bulldozers, excavators, cranes and dump trucks. They sit high up in a cab and move levers and pedals to make the machine dig, push, lift or carry. For example, an excavator has a long arm with a big metal bucket, and the operator can scoop up a pile of dirt and gently drop it into a truck. They work with builders and a team on the ground who wave signals, and they check the ground and the machine to choose the best way to do each job.

Before a house, a school or a road can be built, the land has to be flattened, dug out and made ready. The Heavy Equipment Operator does this careful work so the people who come next have a strong, steady place to build. When you walk on a smooth road, play in a park or go into a new building, a Heavy Equipment Operator probably helped get the ground ready first.