Dredge Operators

What the job really is

Operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.

At a glance

• Sector: Transportation & Material Moving
• O*NET-SOC code: 53-7031
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 6
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Move levers to position dredges for excavation, to engage hydraulic pumps, to raise and lower suction booms, and to control rotation of cutterheads.
• Start and stop engines to operate equipment.
• Start power winches that draw in or let out cables to change positions of dredges, or pull in and let out cables manually.
• Pump water to clear machinery pipelines.
• Lower anchor poles to verify depths of excavations, using winches, or scan depth gauges to determine depths of excavations.
• Direct or assist workers placing shore anchors and cables, laying additional pipes from dredges to shore, and pumping water from pontoons.

Tools and technology

Anchor winches, Chainsaws, Clamshell buckets, Crawler dozers, Cutting torches, Davit cranes, Density meters, Dragline cranes, Fathometer sonar equipment, Firefighting hoses, Front end loaders, Global positioning system GPS software

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Hoist and Winch Operators
• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
• Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
• Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
• Helpers--Extraction Workers
• Continuous Mining Machine Operators
• Riggers
• Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Dredge Operators — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.