Occupation Summary

Dredge Operators

O*NET 53-7031.00

Description:

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

Annual Wages:
Unavailable
Employment Rate:
Employment is expected to increase by 13.16%.
Education Level:
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED). According to O*Net, the majority of people employed in this occupation have this level of education.
Endorsement:
Business and Industry

  1. Move levers to position dredges for excavation, to engage hydraulic pumps, to raise and lower suction booms, and to control rotation of cutterheads.
  2. Start and stop engines to operate equipment.
  3. Start power winches that draw in or let out cables to change positions of dredges, or pull in and let out cables manually.
  4. Pump water to clear machinery pipelines.
  5. Lower anchor poles to verify depths of excavations, using winches, or scan depth gauges to determine depths of excavations.
  6. Direct or assist workers placing shore anchors and cables, laying additional pipes from dredges to shore, and pumping water from pontoons.


National Industry Employment Patterns


Industry % of Dredge Operators employed Annual Growth Rate
Other heavy and civil engineering construction 34.3 0.00
Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying 28.6 0.00
Highway, street, and bridge construction 6.2 0.00


Labor Market Information


2022 National employment 1,000
2022 Texas employment 76
Texas projected employment by 2032 86
Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2032 9




TEXAS COUNTY MAP BY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA
* Due to confidentiality rules, not all regions may have the data displayed. The sum of all the regions may not be equal to the state total.


Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Mechanical
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
81.20%
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
68.60%
Public Safety and Security
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
63.60%
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
63.00%
Production and Processing
Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
58.80%
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
56.20%
Education and Training
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
52.40%
Physics
Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
49.00%
Engineering and Technology
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
44.80%
Building and Construction
Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
43.40%


Top 10 Relevant Skill Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
75.00%
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
70.00%
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
60.00%
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
60.00%
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
60.00%
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
57.60%
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.
57.60%
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
57.60%
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
57.60%
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
55.00%


Top 10 Relevant Abilities Relevant Importance Levels
Control Precision
The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
80.00%
Multilimb Coordination
The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
75.00%
Depth Perception
The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
70.00%
Arm-Hand Steadiness
The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
67.60%
Manual Dexterity
The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
67.60%
Reaction Time
The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
67.60%
Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
65.00%
Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
65.00%
Far Vision
The ability to see details at a distance.
65.00%
Hearing Sensitivity
The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
62.40%


  • Controlling Machines and Processes
    -- Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    -- Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Handling and Moving Objects
    -- Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
    -- Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    -- Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Other Activities


  • Relationships
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
  • Support
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

No certifications found.


Tools

Anchor rollers: Anchor winches;

Blow torch: Cutting torches;

Cargo trucks: Tractor-trailer trucks;

Chain saw: Chainsaws;

Conventional truck cranes: Davit cranes;

Density measurement instrument: Density meters;

Draglines: Dragline cranes;

Dredgers: Hydraulic suction dredges; Mechanical dredges; Self-propelled dredges;

Dump trucks: Heavy duty dump trucks;

Earthmoving buckets or its parts or accessories: Clamshell buckets;

Fire extinguishers: Multipurpose fire extinguishers;

Fire hoses or nozzles: Firefighting hoses;

Front end loaders: Front end loaders;

Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatus: Oxyacetylene welding equipment;

Grease guns: Grease dispensing guns;

Life rings: Rescue rings;

Life vests or preservers: Life jackets;

Light trucks or sport utility vehicles: Pickup trucks;

Particle size measuring apparatus: Soil particle size testers;

Pneumatic impact wrenches: Pneumatic impact wrenches;

Ratchets: Ratchet sets;

Rescue ships or boats: Rescue boats;

Socket sets: Socket wrench sets;

Sonars: Fathometer sonar equipment;

Speed sensors: Velocity meters;

Track bulldozers: Crawler dozers;

Two way radios: Mobile radios;

Vacuum gauges: Vacuum gauges;

Water samplers: Water quality samplers;

Weeders: Weed harvesters;

Winches: Power winches;


Technology

Data base user interface and query software: Teledyne Odom Hydrographic ODOM eChart;

Industrial control software: HYPACK DREDGEPACK; Programmable logic controller PLC software;

Internet browser software: Web browser software;

Map creation software: Trimble HYDROpro;

Mobile location based services software: Global positioning system GPS software;


Related O*NET occupational titles for Dredge Operators include:
  • 47-5041.00 Continuous Mining Machine Operators
  • 53-7021.00 Crane and Tower Operators
  • 47-5011.00 Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas
  • 47-5023.00 Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
  • 47-5022.00 Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
  • 47-5081.00 Helpers--Extraction Workers
  • 53-7041.00 Hoist and Winch Operators
  • 47-2073.00 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
  • 49-9096.00 Riggers
  • 47-5012.00 Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

Contact Texas Workforce Commission
Labor Market and Career Information  |  101 E. 15th Street, Annex Room 0252  |  Austin, Texas 78778
Official Website  |  1-800-822-PLAN (7526)  |  512.936.3200

** The information in this report may be derived from many sources like O*NET, BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook), and Career One Stop.