Logging Equipment Operators

Median salary

$49,740

Average salary

$53,190

Employment

21,060

Projected growth

1.4% decline

Annual openings

4,200

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Logging Equipment Operators Do

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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 29.1%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job 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.

Mechanicalimportance 4.2/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.5/5
Production and Processingimportance 3.4/5
Transportationimportance 2.7/5
Administration and Managementimportance 2.3/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.1/5
Engineering and Technologyimportance 2.0/5
Mathematicsimportance 1.9/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls5.0/5
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment4.9/5
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.6/5
Frequency of Decision Making4.5/5
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment4.5/5
Health and Safety of Other Workers4.4/5

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.

Power Plant Operators97% skill match
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand96% skill match
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators96% skill match
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders96% skill match
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders96% skill match
Agricultural Equipment Operators96% skill match
Pile Driver Operators96% skill match
Gas Plant Operators96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Operation and Controlimportance 4.0/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.8/5
Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.1/5
Troubleshootingimportance 3.0/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.0/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
Repairingimportance 2.9/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

BCS Woodlands Systems The Logger Tracker
TradeTec TallyWorks Logs
TradeTec TallyWorks TimeTracker

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Cautiousness
Stress Tolerance
Attention to Detail
Perseverance
Integrity
Self-Control

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeLow
SocialLow
EnterprisingLow
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 logging equipment operators make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).