Pile-Driver Operators: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Job description

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.

• 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.

Salary

Pile-Driver Operators with little to no experience tend to make between $33810 and $43440 while the more experienced ones can earn over $85520 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Pile-Driver Operator is to move to a higher paying state like IL. Right now, the highest paying states for Pile-Driver Operators are IL, MA, CA, WA and MN.

However, a higher pay at IL doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at IL might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Pile-Driver Operator is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Pile-Driver Operators what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a High School Diploma followed by a Post-Secondary Certificate.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Pile-Driver Operator.

What is the job like

63% of Pile-Driver Operators said they were satisfied with their job and 56% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

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