Also called: Vacuum Excavation Operator, Hydro Excavation Operator
Uses high-pressure water and a powerful vacuum truck to dig safely around buried pipes and cables.
Before a crew digs near a gas line, you blast the soil with water and suck it into your truck's tank, exposing the pipe without touching it. You dig post holes, potholes and trenches all over town. It's a safer, cleaner way to dig.
Estimated.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school plus a commercial driver's license.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing faster than average. Growing with utility and fiber construction.
Low risk for 10 years. Hydrovac trucks dig safely around buried lines; running them on busy sites is hands-on driving and digging.
Classes: Auto or diesel CTE, Earth science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 47-4071.
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