The Army is always completing hundreds of construction projects and Heavy Construction Equipment Operators are integral to that process. Airfields, roads, dams and buildings can't be created without moving tons of earth and building materials or producing concrete and asphalt. Construction equipment operators use bulldozers, cranes, graders and other heavy equipment to complete these kinds of projects.

Construction Equipment Operators are responsible for operating crawler and wheeled tractors with dozer attachments, scoop loader, backhoe loaders, hydraulic excavators, motorized grader and towed or self-propelled scraper. Some of your duties as a Construction Equipment Operator may include:

Interpret information on grade stakes, placing or replacing grade stakes

Drive bulldozers, roadgraders, and other heavy equipment to cut and level earth for runways and roadbeds

Clear, grub, strip, excavate, backfill, stockpile and push scraper with tractor crawler

Cut and spread fill material with scraper

Transport heavy construction equipment with tractor-trailer

Assist in performance of combat engineer missions

Lift and move steel and other heavy building materials using winches, cranes, and hoists

Dig holes and trenches using power shovels

Job training for a Construction Equipment Operator requires nine weeks of Basic Training, where you'll learn basic Soldiering skills, and eight weeks of Advanced Individual Training and on-the-job instruction. Part of this time is spent in the classroom and part in the field. Some of the skills you'll learn are:

Operation of different types of construction equipment

Operation of specific rough terrain equipment

Maintenance and repair of equipment

Identification of soil types

Identification and placement of grade stakes

Helpful attributes include:

An interest in operating heavy construction equipment

A preference for working outdoors

An interest in working with your hands

Advanced level Construction Equipment Operators provides guidance, supervises and trains other Soldiers within the same discipline. As an advanced level Construction Equipment Operator, you may be involved in:

Construct embankments

Excavate hills and slopes with crawler tractor

Finish slopes

Mix soil stabilization materials

Construct embankments

Perform surface and drainage maintenance