What Does it Take to Be a Logging Equipment Operator?
Career Description 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.
Life As a Logging Equipment Operator
- Inspect equipment for safety prior to use, and perform necessary basic maintenance tasks.
- Fill out required job or shift report forms.
- Drive crawler or wheeled tractors to drag or transport logs from felling sites to log landing areas for processing and loading.
- Drive tractors for the purpose of building or repairing logging and skid roads.
- 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.
- Grade logs according to characteristics such as knot size and straightness, and according to established industry or company standards.
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What a Logging Equipment Operator Should Know
Logging Equipment Operators state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operation 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.
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.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Types of Logging Equipment Operator Jobs
- Timber Harvester Operator
- Shift Stacker
- Buncher Operator
- Tree-Shear Operator
- Log Handling Equipment Operator
Job Outlook for Logging Equipment Operators
In the United States, there were 39,100 jobs for Logging Equipment Operator in 2016. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Logging Equipment Operator. There will be an estimated 4,200 positions for Logging Equipment Operator per year.

The states with the most job growth for Logging Equipment Operator are Oregon, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Watch out if you plan on working in Alaska, Georgia, or Vermont. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Average Logging Equipment Operators Salary
Logging Equipment Operators make between $25,750 and $60,320 a year.

Logging Equipment Operators who work in Idaho, Washington, or California, make the highest salaries.
How much do Logging Equipment Operators make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $38,520 |
Arizona | $47,230 |
Arkansas | $41,870 |
California | $51,520 |
Colorado | $39,480 |
Florida | $38,560 |
Georgia | $38,020 |
Idaho | $55,520 |
Indiana | $34,650 |
Kentucky | $31,090 |
Louisiana | $43,010 |
Maine | $36,840 |
Maryland | $42,500 |
Michigan | $35,880 |
Minnesota | $42,740 |
Mississippi | $38,430 |
Missouri | $34,080 |
Montana | $43,260 |
New Hampshire | $40,910 |
New York | $40,470 |
North Carolina | $45,090 |
Ohio | $33,460 |
Oklahoma | $46,560 |
Oregon | $46,910 |
Pennsylvania | $38,730 |
South Carolina | $40,600 |
South Dakota | $40,530 |
Tennessee | $35,200 |
Texas | $42,190 |
Vermont | $41,250 |
Virginia | $43,150 |
Washington | $51,060 |
West Virginia | $33,720 |
Wisconsin | $37,880 |
Wyoming | $43,730 |
What Tools & Technology do Logging Equipment Operators Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Logging Equipment Operators may use on a daily basis:
How do I Become a Logging Equipment Operator?
What kind of Logging Equipment Operator requirements are there?

What work experience do I need to become a Logging Equipment Operator?

Where Logging Equipment Operators Work

Below are examples of industries where Logging Equipment Operators work:

You May Also Be Interested In…
Are you already one of the many Logging Equipment Operator in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
References:
Image Credit: Hic85 via Public Domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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