Logging Equipment Operators
Drive logging tractor or wheeled vehicle equipped with one or more accessories, such as bulldozer blade, frontal shear, grapple, logging arch, cable winches, hoisting rack, or crane boom, to fell tree; to skid, load, unload, or stack logs; or to pull stumps or clear brush. Includes operating stand-alone logging machines, such as log chippers.
- Median annual earnings
- $45,712
- Projected change
- −3.8%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 32.31K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
99.1% of the workforce
Growing to 31.07K by 2035
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Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
The work
What logging equipment operators do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Inspect equipment for safety prior to use, and perform necessary basic maintenance tasks.
- Control hydraulic tractors equipped with tree clamps and booms to lift, swing, and bunch sheared trees.
- Grade logs according to characteristics such as knot size and straightness, and according to established industry or company standards.
- Drive straight or articulated tractors equipped with accessories such as bulldozer blades, grapples, logging arches, cable winches, and crane booms to skid, load, unload, or stack logs, pull stumps, or clear brush.
- Drive crawler or wheeled tractors to drag or transport logs from felling sites to log landing areas for processing and loading.
- Fill out required job or shift report forms.
- Drive tractors for building or repairing logging and skid roads.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $26,585
- 25th percentile
- $36,582
- 50th percentile
- $45,712
- 75th percentile
- $63,676
- 90th percentile
- $101,419
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $45,712 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
1,233 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 99.1%
- Certificate
- 0.9%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Crane Operators154 postings
- 02Loader Operators138 postings
- 03Loaders/Unloaders110 postings
- 04Loaders69 postings
- 05Scale Clerks41 postings
- 06Truck Operators35 postings
- 07Heavy Equipment Operators33 postings
- 08Catchers30 postings
- 09Yard Loaders30 postings
- 10Equipment Operators28 postings
- 11Subcontractors27 postings
- 12Material Handling Operators22 postings
- 13Operators21 postings
- 14Skidder Operators21 postings
- 15Lumber Stackers20 postings
- 16Certified Crane Operators19 postings
- 17Snow Crews19 postings
- 18Overhead Crane Operators18 postings
- 19Graders16 postings
- 20Lumber Inspectors15 postings
Top employers
- 01National Salvage & Service Corporation41 postings
- 02PeopleReady32 postings
- 03CRH Americas25 postings
- 04Lignetics25 postings
- 05Taco Bell20 postings
- 06Sundt Construction19 postings
- 07Exo[Genius]17 postings
- 08OmniSource Corporation17 postings
- 09Cajun Industries16 postings
- 10Staff Force16 postings
- 11Lithia Motors14 postings
- 12The Sundt Companies13 postings
- 13Georgia-Pacific12 postings
- 14Perfection Bakeries12 postings
- 15Trulite Glass & Aluminum Solutions12 postings
- 16SavATree11 postings
- 17Ardagh Group10 postings
- 18Express Employment Professionals10 postings
- 19Kodama Systems9 postings
- 20System One9 postings
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