Heavy equipment operators

NOC

73400

use a variety of heavy mobile machines and attachments in construction, mining, and material handling. They excavate, grade and landscape earth and move heavy materials and equipment.

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Full NOC Description

Heavy equipment operators operate heavy equipment used in the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, airports, gas and oil pipelines, tunnels, buildings and other structures; in surface mining and quarrying activities; and in material handling work. They are employed by construction companies, heavy equipment contractors, public works departments and pipeline, logging, cargo-handling and other companies. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Main Duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

Operate heavy equipment such as backhoes, bulldozers, loaders and graders to excavate, move, load and grade earth, rock, gravel or other materials during construction and related activities

Operate bulldozers or other heavy equipment to clear brush and stumps prior to logging activities and to build roads at logging and surface mining sites

Operate heavy equipment with pile driver head to drive piling into earth to provide support for buildings, bridges or other structures

Operate heavy dredging equipment to deepen waterways or reclaim earth fill

Operate heavy paving and surfacing equipment to lay, spread or compact concrete, asphalt and other surface materials during highway and road construction

Operate power shovels to excavate rock, ore or other materials from open-pit mines, strip mines, quarries or construction pits

Operate heavy equipment to move, load and unload cargo

Conduct pre-operational checks on equipment and clean, lubricate and refill equipment.

Also Known As

backhoe operator
bulldozer operator
excavator operator
gradall operator
grader operator

heavy equipment operator

heavy equipment operator apprentice

loader operator - construction

side boom tractor operator

surface mining equipment operator

Requirements

Employment Requirements

Some secondary school education is required.

Completion of a one- to two-year apprenticeship program or Some high school, college or industry courses in heavy equipment operating combined with on-the-job training are required.

Trade certification for heavy equipment operator (dozer, excavator, tractor-loader-backhoe) is compulsory in Quebec and available, but voluntary, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Ontario.

Internal company certification may be required by some employers.

Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified heavy equipment operators upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.

Provincial Regulation

Provincially Regulated: Yes
Compulsory: No
Red Seal: Yes

Regulation Body

Skilled Trades NB

Employment by Sex

The following graph shows the percentage of men and women working in this occupation in New Brunswick.

Data legend

1.6%

Female

98.4%

Male

Employment by age

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by age group.

Data legend

5.8%

15-24

17.3%

25-34

14.7%

35-44

26.5%

45-54

29.7%

55-64

6.0%

65+

Employment by highest level of education

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by highest level of education achieved.

Data legend

24.9%

No Certificate, Diploma or Degree

44.6%

High School, Diploma or Equivalent

15.5%

Apprenticeship or Trades Certificate or Diploma

13.8%

College or University Below Bachelor Level

1.3%

University - Bachelor Level or Above

Employment by Industry

The following graph shows the industry groups in which the largest shares of persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick are employed. Small percentages for all top three industry groups may suggest employment for this occupation is widely distributed amongst many industry groups.

Data legend

52.8%

Construction

13.1%

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

12.6%

Manufacturing

21.5%

All Other Industries

Employment by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons employed in this occupation in New Brunswick by which economic region they reside in.

Data legend

28.80%

Northeast

19.40%

Southeast

21.70%

Southwest

19.40%

Central

10.70%

Northwest

Economic Regions

The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.

Annual Average Salary by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the average salary of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Data legend

$66,000

Northeast

$57,600

Southeast

$64,500

Southwest

$63,200

Central

$65,000

Northwest

Economic Regions

Hourly Median Wages by Economic Regions

The following represents the median hourly wage of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Salary

The following shows the average salary of everyone who worked full-time and year-round in this occupation across each of the Atlantic Provinces and nationally.

Employment Outlook

The following represents the number of job openings that are expected to occur in this occupation over the next three and ten years respectively, broken down by openings expected to result from growth (“new jobs”) and openings expected to result from attrition (death and retirements).

Occupational Profiles