Skilled Trades

Dredge Operators

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

Median salary

$48,430

Typical range

$42k – $75k

Job outlook

+1% (about average)

AI exposure

Plan a path to Dredge Operators

Education

Typical entry: No degree required

•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.

Any field

Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.