Skilled Trades
Pile Driver Operators
Operate pile drivers mounted on skids, barges, crawler treads, or locomotive cranes to drive pilings for retaining walls, bulkheads, and foundations of structures such as buildings, bridges, and piers.
Median salary
$70,510
Typical range
$47k – $122k
Job outlook
+4% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Pile Driver Operators
Education
Typical entry: No degree required
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Pile Driver Operators
Entry / Junior
$46,690
~2 yrs to advance
Pile Driver Operators
Established
$70,510
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Pile Driver Operators
Senior
$96,250
Key skills
A typical day
- •Move hand and foot levers of hoisting equipment to position piling leads, hoist piling into leads, and position hammers over pilings.
- •Move levers and turn valves to activate power hammers, or to raise and lower drophammers that drive piles to required depths.
- •Drive pilings to provide support for buildings or other structures, using heavy equipment with a pile driver head.
- •Conduct pre-operational checks on equipment to ensure proper functioning.
- •Clean, lubricate, and refill equipment.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.