Drives giant mining trucks as big as a house or runs electric shovels in open-pit mines.
You climb a ladder into a 400-ton haul truck, drive it down a spiral road into a copper pit, and get loaded by a shovel in three scoops.
Remote mines pay premiums.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. On-the-job training plus MSHA safety training.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing slowly. No separate BLS projection for this specialty; rating is an estimate based on industry trends.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Self-driving haul trucks already run at many big mines, and autonomy is spreading fast, cutting operator jobs.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to mines for haul truck trainee jobs; the mine gives you the MSHA safety training
Classes: Auto or diesel CTE, Earth science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 53-7032.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.