Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining
Operate underground loading or moving machine to load or move coal, ore, or rock using shuttle or mine car or conveyors. Equipment may include power shovels, hoisting engines equipped with cable-drawn scraper or scoop, or machines equipped with gathering arms and conveyor.
Also called: Coal Hauler Operator · Equipment Operator · Load Haul Dump Operator (LHD Operator) · Loader Operator · Loading Machine Operator · Miner Operator
Median pay (national)
$68,860
$48,310–$82,900 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
6,130
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-22.3%
~500 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for loading and moving machine operators, underground mining shows a relatively narrow range: the top 10% earn $82,900 versus $48,310 at the bottom 10% — 1.7x. The median of $68,860 leaves roughly 20% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -22.3% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 500 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 19 states with released data, Wyoming pays the most for this role (median $104,010, +51% vs the national median), while Louisiana sits lowest at $38,460 — a 170% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Move trailing electrical cables clear of obstructions, using rubber safety gloves.
- Clean hoppers, and clean spillage from tracks, walks, driveways, and conveyor decking.
- Pry off loose material from roofs and move it into the paths of machines, using crowbars.
- Drive machines into piles of material blasted from working faces.
- Oil, lubricate, and adjust conveyors, crushers, and other equipment, using hand tools and lubricating equipment.
- Replace hydraulic hoses, headlight bulbs, and gathering-arm teeth.
- Operate levers to move conveyor booms or shovels so that mine contents such as coal, rock, and ore can be placed into cars or onto conveyors.
- Drive loaded shuttle cars to ramps and move controls to discharge loads into mine cars or onto conveyors.
- Monitor loading processes to ensure that materials are loaded according to specifications.
- Handle high voltage sources and hang electrical cables.
Tools & technology
- Microsoft Windows
- Automated systems software
- Inventory management systems
- Maintenance management software
- Mine maintenance software
- Work time accounting software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical
- Education and Training
- Law and Government
- English Language
- Production and Processing
- Public Safety and Security
- Transportation
- Administration and Management