Career Finder

Dredge Operators

What do they do?

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

Education Required

These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

What Does This Job Pay?
Median Annual Salary: $50,440
Median Hourly Salary: $24
$37,870
$50,440
$72,570
One out of ten earn less than $37,870
The median salary is $50,440
One out of ten earn more than $72,570
Top Skills For This Job
  • Basic Skills
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • Talking to others
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions
  • Looking for ways to help people
  • Reading work related information
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it
  • Talking to others
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior
  • Understanding people's reactions
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
  • Problem Solving
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • Talking to others
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions
  • Looking for ways to help people
  • Reading work related information
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it
  • Talking to others
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior
  • Understanding people's reactions
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Will There Be Jobs?

New job opportunities are very likely in the future.

Typical Daily Tasks
  • 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.