Heavy equipment operators operate heavy equipment to excavate, grade and landscape earth or move materials and equipment. In the oil and natural gas industry, heavy equipment is used to build and maintain oilfield roads, wellpads and pipeline right-of-ways, as well as assist in oil sands mining and reclamation.
Some heavy equipment operators work with several types of equipment while others may choose to specialize. The typical roles in this occupation include:
- Bulldozer operators operate crawler-tractors equipped with large front blades to move obstacles and with back rippers to tear up terrain. They clear and level dirt, sand, rock and gravel on construction and mining sites, as well as push other equipment.
- Backhoe operators or excavators use rubber-tired or track equipment to dig holes, trenches and ditches. They load, scoop and dump heavy materials, vibrate and break rock, back-fill excavations and level slopes.
- Front-end loader or power shovel operators operate rubber-tired or tracked equipment with movable arms and tilting buckets. They pick up heavy loads of earth, rock, sand, gravel, ore or snow, and dump material into piles, excavations or truck.
- Grader operators control the height and angle of grader blades to spread and level earth, sand, gravel, rock and snow. They carve ditches and slopes.
- Heavy haul truckers operate electric and diesel trucks on oil sands mining sites in order to transport bitumen.
- Motor scraper or buggy operators operate the fastest shovel on wheels to scrape, load, dump and spread earth. They level work areas, haul soil for roads and right-of-ways and haul ore at surface mining sites.
Heavy equipment operators are also typically responsible for cleaning and lubricating equipment, refilling fluids and conducting pre-operational checks on equipment. They also perform minor repairs to equipment.
I'm interested in a career in
- Sub-sector Exploration and production, Oil and gas services, Oil sands, Pipelines
- Environment Primarily outdoor work
- Average Salary $48,000 to $81,000
- Education High school diploma
- Career Demand Growing
In this occupation activities may include:
- Learning and following safety regulations
- Operating machines such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders or backhoes
- Loading and moving dirt, rocks, equipment or other materials using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders or related equipment
- Driving and maneuvering equipment equipped with blades in successive passes over working areas to remove topsoil, vegetation and rocks or to distribute and level the terrain
Education
- A high school diploma (or equivalent) is typically required, in addition to the completion of a one- to two-year apprenticeship program or a combination of heavy equipment operating courses with on-the-job training.
Licensing
- Trade certification is compulsory in Quebec and available, but voluntary, in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
- Internal company certification may be required by some employers
Certifications
- Standard and emergency first aid
- Construction Safety Training System (CSTS)
- Pipeline Construction Safety Training (PCST)
- H2S Alive®
- Ground disturbance
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to oil and natural gas include:
- Travel likely required
- Shiftwork/variable work hours
- Primarily outdoor work
- Physical work
- Work away from home/in camps
- Safety-sensitive environment
- Low tolerance for risk
Not everyone has the ability to master these large pieces of machinery.
- Mechanics
- Maintaining equipment
- Selecting equipment
- Monitoring operations
- Attention to detail
- Building and construction
- Public safety and security
- Active listening
- Document use
- Controlling operations
- Sub-sector Well site decommissioning
- Environment Primarily outdoor work
- Average Salary Equal to oil and gas
- Education High school diploma
- Career Demand Growing
- Skills Upgrading None
-
Direct
Congratulations! The skills gained as a heavy equipment operator in oil and natural gas are directly transferable to the well site decommissioning sub-sector of cleantech.
In this occupation activities may include:
- Learning and following safety regulations
- Operating machines such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders or backhoes
- Loading and moving dirt, rocks, equipment or other materials using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders or related equipment
- Driving and maneuvering equipment equipped with blades in successive passes over working areas to remove topsoil, vegetation and rocks or to distribute and level the terrain
Education
- A high school diploma (or equivalent) is typically required, in addition to the completion of a one- to two-year apprenticeship program or a combination of heavy equipment operating courses with on-the-job training.
Licensing
- Trade certification is compulsory in Quebec and available, but voluntary, in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
- Internal company certification may be required by some employers
Certifications
- Standard and emergency first aid
- Construction Safety Training System (CSTS)
- Pipeline Construction Safety Training (PCST)
- H2S Alive®
- Ground disturbance
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to cleantech include:
- Shiftwork/variable work hours (well site decommissioning)
- Travel required (well site decommissioning)
- Work away from home/in camps (well site decommissioning)
- Primarily outdoor work (well site decommissioning)
- Physical work (well site decommissioning)
- Less formal organizational structure (well site decommissioning)
- Temporary/project-to-project work (well site decommissioning)
- Freelance/contract opportunities (well site decommissioning)
- Lower-risk tolerant culture (well site decommissioning)
- Safety-sensitive environment (well site decommissioning)
- Transition to a similar level (well site decommissioning)
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to oil and natural gas include:
- Travel likely required
- Shiftwork/variable work hours
- Primarily outdoor work
- Physical work
- Work away from home/in camps
- Safety-sensitive environment
- Low tolerance for risk
Not everyone has the ability to master these large pieces of machinery.
- Mechanics
- Maintaining equipment
- Selecting equipment
- Monitoring operations
- Attention to detail
- Building and construction
- Public safety and security
- Active listening
- Document use
- Controlling operations
- Sub-sector Construction, Turnaround and ongoing maintenance
- Environment Primarily outdoor work
- Average Salary Equal to oil and gas
- Education High school diploma
- Career Demand Growing
- Skills Upgrading None
-
Direct
Congratulations! The skills gained as a heavy equipment operator in oil and natural gas are directly transferable to the construction and turnaround and ongoing maintenance project life cycle phases of industrial construction and maintenance in energy.
In this occupation activities may include:
- Learning and following safety regulations
- Operating machines such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders or backhoes
- Loading and moving dirt, rocks, equipment or other materials using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders or related equipment
- Driving and maneuvering equipment equipped with blades in successive passes over working areas to remove topsoil, vegetation and rocks or to distribute and level the terrain
Education
- A high school diploma (or equivalent) is typically required, in addition to the completion of a one- to two-year apprenticeship program or a combination of heavy equipment operating courses with on-the-job training.
Licensing
- Trade certification is compulsory in Quebec and available, but voluntary, in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
- Internal company certification may be required by some employers
Certifications
- Standard and emergency first aid
- Construction Safety Training System (CSTS)
- Pipeline Construction Safety Training (PCST)
- H2S Alive®
- Ground disturbance
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to industrial construction and maintenance include:
- Shiftwork/variable work hours (construction)
- Travel required (construction)
- Work away from home/in camps (construction)
- Primarily outdoor work (construction)
- Physical work (construction)
- Less formal organizational structure (construction)
- Temporary/project-to-project work (construction)
- Freelance/contract opportunities (construction)
- Lower-risk tolerant culture (construction)
- Safety-sensitive environment (construction)
- Transition to a similar level (construction)
- Potentially unionized (construction)
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to oil and natural gas include:
- Travel likely required
- Shiftwork/variable work hours
- Primarily outdoor work
- Physical work
- Work away from home/in camps
- Safety-sensitive environment
- Low tolerance for risk
Not everyone has the ability to master these large pieces of machinery.
- Mechanics
- Maintaining equipment
- Selecting equipment
- Monitoring operations
- Attention to detail
- Building and construction
- Public safety and security
- Active listening
- Document use
- Controlling operations
- Sub-sector Geothermal, Solar, Wind
- Environment Primarily outdoor work
- Average Salary Equal to oil and gas
- Education High school diploma
- Career Demand Growing
- Skills Upgrading None
-
Direct
Good news! The skills gained as a heavy equipment operator in oil and natural gas are directly transferable to renewables.
In this occupation activities may include:
- Learning and following safety regulations
- Operating machines such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders or backhoes
- Loading and moving dirt, rocks, equipment or other materials using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders or related equipment
- Driving and maneuvering equipment equipped with blades in successive passes over working areas to remove topsoil, vegetation and rocks or to distribute and level the terrain
Education
- A high school diploma (or equivalent) is typically required, in addition to the completion of a one- to two-year apprenticeship program or a combination of heavy equipment operating courses with on-the-job training.
Licensing
- Trade certification is compulsory in Quebec and available, but voluntary, in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
- Internal company certification may be required by some employers
Certifications
- Standard and emergency first aid
- Construction Safety Training System (CSTS)
- Pipeline Construction Safety Training (PCST)
- H2S Alive®
- Ground disturbance
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to renewables include:
- Shiftwork/variable work hours (geothermal | solar | wind)
- Travel required (geothermal | solar | wind)
- Work away from home/in camps (geothermal | solar | wind)
- Primarily outdoor work (geothermal | solar | wind)
- Physical work (geothermal | solar | wind)
- Less formal organizational structure (geothermal | solar | wind)
- Temporary/project-to-project work (geothermal | solar | wind)
- Freelance/contract opportunities (geothermal | solar | wind)
- Lower-risk tolerant culture (geothermal | solar | wind)
- Safety-sensitive environment (geothermal | solar | wind)
- Transition to a similar level (geothermal | solar | wind)
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to oil and natural gas include:
- Travel likely required
- Shiftwork/variable work hours
- Primarily outdoor work
- Physical work
- Work away from home/in camps
- Safety-sensitive environment
- Low tolerance for risk
Not everyone has the ability to master these large pieces of machinery.
- Mechanics
- Maintaining equipment
- Selecting equipment
- Monitoring operations
- Attention to detail
- Building and construction
- Public safety and security
- Active listening
- Document use
- Controlling operations
