Also called: Winter Maintenance Operator
Drives big plow trucks to clear snow and spread salt during storms.
When a blizzard hits, you work 12-hour shifts plowing highways at night, watching for stuck cars and adjusting salt spread. Many are road maintenance workers the rest of the year.
Estimated; overtime during storms adds a lot.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 0 years after high school. CDL plus DOT plow training.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). Steady in cold-weather states, with shortages of drivers.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Self-driving plows are being tested at airports; road plowing stays human through 2031.
Age 18+. One way to start: Get a CDL learner's permit and apply for seasonal plow driver jobs with DOT or contractors First: CDL (Class B or A) plus DOT plow training
Classes: Driver's education, Auto tech CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 47-4051.
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.