Bridge and Lock Tenders
What Bridge and Lock Tenders Do
Operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages. May supervise such operations. Includes drawbridge operators, lock operators, and slip bridge operators.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.4/5
- English Languageimportance 3.3/5
- Telecommunicationsimportance 3.0/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.9/5
- Transportationimportance 2.8/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.7/5
- Administrativeimportance 2.6/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 2.5/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.5/5
- Telephone Conversations4.3/5
- Contact With Others4.2/5
- Consequence of Error4.2/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.2/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.0/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Bus Drivers, School96% skill match
- Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers95% skill match
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders95% skill match
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand95% skill match
- Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs95% skill match
- Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors94% skill match
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders94% skill match
- Slaughterers and Meat Packers93% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.0/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
- Service Orientationimportance 2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.9/5
- Instructingimportance 2.8/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Self-Control
- Cooperation
- Stress Tolerance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- EnterprisingLow
- InvestigativeLow
- SocialLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where bridge and lock tenders make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL12.74× national avg
- 2New Orleans-Metairie, LA9.99× national avg
- 3Pittsburgh, PA4.91× national avg
- 4Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI1.41× national avg
- 5Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN1.39× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive FirersLateral Move
- Highway Maintenance WorkersCareer Change
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and TendersCareer Change
- Bus Drivers, SchoolLateral Move