Career Overview
Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement and repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road, or plow snow from roadway.
Also Known As
- Equipment Operator (EO)
- Highway Maintainer
- Highway Maintenance Worker
- Transportation Maintenance Specialist (TMS)
Alternate Job Titles
- Asphalt Raker
- Caltrans Equipment Operator
- Certified Flagger
- Construction Flagger
- Equipment Operator (EO)
- Flagger
- Highway Maintainer
- Highway Maintenance Crew Worker
- Highway Maintenance Technician
- Highway Maintenance Worker
- Highway Technician (Highway Tech)
- Highway Technician Associate
- Highway Worker
- Hot Oiler
- Lane Marker Installer
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
- Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
- Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment.
- Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
- Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and power tools.
- Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures.
- Drive heavy equipment and vehicles with adjustable attachments to sweep debris from paved surfaces, mow grass and weeds, remove snow and ice, and spread salt and sand.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Public Safety and Security
- English Language
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Operation and Control
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Multilimb Coordination
- Control Precision
- Oral Comprehension
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Problem Sensitivity
- Static Strength
- Auditory Attention
- Near Vision
- Manual Dexterity
- Finger Dexterity
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Attention to Detail
- Perseverance
- Stress Tolerance
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Relationships
- Working Conditions
- Independence
- Achievement
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
On-the-Job Training: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- 10-ton crawlers
- 10-ton tandem-axle dump trucks
- 13000-23000 pound graders
- 30-ton clam buckets
- 4-6 ton roller patchers
- 8-ton dump trucks
- Adjustable widemouth pliers
- Adjustable wrenches
- Aggregate spreaders
- Air compressors
- Asphalt reclaimers
- Athey loaders
- Belly dump tractor trailers
- Berm drag tractors
- Bituminous pavers
Work Environment
- Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Exposed to Contaminants
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $35,030 |
| Median | $49,070 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $69,210 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 151,750
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $58,710
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
Education: Less than a High School Diploma
Median Salary: $51,650
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $67,370
Pile Driver Operators
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $70,510
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $49,140
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.