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Life As a Pile-Driver Operator

Occupation Description 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.

What Do Pile-Driver Operators Do On a Daily Basis?

Drive pilings to provide support for buildings or other structures, using heavy equipment with a pile driver head.
Move levers and turn valves to activate power hammers, or to raise and lower drophammers that drive piles to required depths.
Clean, lubricate, and refill equipment.
Conduct pre-operational checks on equipment to ensure proper functioning.
Move hand and foot levers of hoisting equipment to position piling leads, hoist piling into leads, and position hammers over pilings.

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Skills Needed to be a Pile-Driver Operator

Below is a list of the skills most Pile-Driver Operators say are important on the job.

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Pile Driver Foreman
Hydraulic Pile Hammer Operator
Pile Driving Leadsman
Vibratory Pile Driver
Pile Driving Operator

Is There Job Demand for Pile-Driver Operators?

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 3,700 jobs in the United States for Pile-Driver Operator. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 13.5% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 500 new jobs for Pile-Driver Operator by 2026. The BLS estimates 500 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Pile-Driver Operator are Oregon, Florida, and Maryland. Watch out if you plan on working in Washington, Pennsylvania, or Mississippi. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Average Pile-Driver Operators Salary

The typical yearly salary for Pile-Driver Operators is somewhere between $33,810 and $100,350.

Pile-Driver Operators who work in Illinois, Massachusetts, or California, make the highest salaries.

How much do Pile-Driver Operators make in each U.S. state?

State	Annual Mean Salary
California	$80,030
Florida	$48,110
Georgia	$45,900
Illinois	$86,060
Louisiana	$51,020
Maryland	$56,230
Massachusetts	$80,110
Michigan	$72,440
Minnesota	$74,250
North Carolina	$40,540
Oregon	$72,290
Pennsylvania	$72,370
Rhode Island	$61,520
South Carolina	$43,340
Texas	$59,440
Virginia	$52,170
Washington	$74,570

What Tools do Pile-Driver Operators Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Pile-Driver Operators may use on a daily basis:

Microsoft Excel
Data entry software
Email software
Global positioning system GPS software

How do I Become a Pile-Driver Operator?

What education is needed to be a Pile-Driver Operator?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Pile-Driver Operators Work

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Those thinking about becoming a Pile-Driver Operator might also be interested in the following careers:

Dredge Operators

Are you already one of the many Pile-Driver Operator in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:

Hoist and Winch Operators

References:

Image Credit: Hic85 via Public Domain

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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