Logging Equipment Operators
Also called: Loader Operator, Logging Equipment Operator, Skidder Driver, Skidder OperatorDrive logging tractor or wheeled vehicle equipped with one or more accessories, such as bulldozer blade, frontal shear, grapple, logging arch, cable winches, hoisting rack, or crane boom, to fell tree; to skid, load, unload, or stack logs; or to pull stumps or clear brush. Includes operating stand-alone logging machines, such as log chippers.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 9 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 3.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 5.9% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Logging workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.7 hires for every 10 job openings in mining and logging, which employs about 84% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.8.7 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $47,810 | $37,390 to $59,420 | 1,860 |
| Arkansas | $48,280 | $39,770 to $57,790 | 1,280 |
| California | $61,940 | $60,890 to $73,470 | 950 |
| Colorado | $49,620 | $48,750 to $57,510 | 70 |
| Florida | $49,370 | $46,850 to $50,240 | 770 |
| Georgia | $45,080 | $37,280 to $60,540 | 1,620 |
| Idaho | $56,490 | $47,400 to $65,950 | 560 |
| Illinois | $71,100 | $42,260 to $78,170 | 40 |
| Indiana | $46,320 | $42,130 to $49,500 | 150 |
| Kentucky | $30,230 | $25,320 to $48,940 | 300 |
| Louisiana | $58,600 | $49,260 to $60,770 | 770 |
| Maine | $44,780 | $44,110 to $52,350 | 830 |
| Maryland | $47,530 | $41,000 to $63,400 | 60 |
| Massachusetts | $48,960 | $48,960 to $49,420 | not published |
| Michigan | $47,610 | $44,810 to $58,470 | 860 |
| Minnesota | $58,590 | $47,730 to $59,190 | 320 |
| Mississippi | $49,620 | $37,820 to $50,980 | 1,220 |
| Missouri | $41,770 | $39,100 to $55,970 | 140 |
| Montana | $56,530 | $48,620 to $59,860 | 190 |
| New Hampshire | $51,540 | $46,490 to $60,150 | 170 |
| New York | $47,540 | $39,810 to $58,340 | 290 |
| North Carolina | $48,420 | $44,720 to $58,410 | 990 |
| Ohio | $50,590 | $43,930 to $56,160 | 260 |
| Oklahoma | $37,270 | $37,220 to $49,560 | 130 |
| Oregon | $58,720 | $51,660 to $62,670 | 1,860 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,880 | $37,960 to $57,500 | 360 |
| South Carolina | $47,650 | $44,430 to $54,650 | 920 |
| South Dakota | $58,740 | $48,530 to $59,130 | 50 |
| Tennessee | $46,310 | $35,670 to $48,340 | 400 |
| Texas | $62,890 | $46,400 to $64,070 | 500 |
| Vermont | $52,910 | $52,300 to $56,430 | 60 |
| Virginia | $46,090 | $35,420 to $49,150 | 570 |
| Washington | $75,140 | $65,430 to $77,480 | 1,150 |
| West Virginia | $36,130 | $32,140 to $50,750 | 310 |
| Wisconsin | $46,360 | $43,360 to $52,000 | 480 |
| Wyoming | $49,650 | $32,970 to $60,890 | 40 |
Nationally: $49,740. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 9 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Inspect equipment for safety prior to use, and perform necessary basic maintenance tasks. | Not published |
| Not much | Drive straight or articulated tractors equipped with accessories such as bulldozer blades, grapples, logging arches, cable winches, and crane booms to skid, load, unload, or stack logs, pull stumps, or clear brush. | Not published |
| Not much | Control hydraulic tractors equipped with tree clamps and booms to lift, swing, and bunch sheared trees. | Not published |
| Not much | Drive crawler or wheeled tractors to drag or transport logs from felling sites to log landing areas for processing and loading. | Not published |
| Not much | Grade logs according to characteristics such as knot size and straightness, and according to established industry or company standards. | Not published |
| AI + software | Fill out required job or shift report forms. | Not published |
See all 9 tasks
| Not much | Drive tractors for building or repairing logging and skid roads. | Not published |
| Not much | Drive and maneuver tractors and tree harvesters to shear the tops off of trees, cut and limb the trees, and cut the logs into desired lengths. | Not published |
| Not much | Calculate total board feet, cordage, or other wood measurement units, using conversion tables. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 9 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 9 tasks fall under 7 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate agricultural or forestry equipment | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Evaluate production inputs or outputs | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Cut trees or other vegetation |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for logging equipment operators specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved in from
of 342 moves in
- 1 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Low +1.5% 52%
- 2 Construction Laborers Low +7.3% 5%
- 3 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 4 Light Truck Drivers Moderate +6.3% 3%
- 5 Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers Low +4.7% 2%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 55% less than high school
- 44% high school
- 1% postsecondary certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 18 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 22% less than high school
- 58% high school
- 13% some college
- 2% associate's
- 5% bachelor's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Logging workers” · 584 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Logging workers”
1 program: Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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