Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators vs Dredge Operators: Salary, Job Outlook & Education | Career Matchup
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Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators vs Dredge Operators

Compare the evidence side by side. Career Matchup shows the source data without declaring an overall winner.

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01 · Compensation

Pay and employment

Median annual wage

2025

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$46,420
94% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge Operators$49,640
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7031

Mean annual wage

2025

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$48,370
86% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge Operators$56,120
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7031

Hourly median wage

2025

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$22.32
94% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge Operators$23.86
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7031

Hourly mean wage

2025

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$23.25
86% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge Operators$26.98
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7031

10th percentile annual wage

2025

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$36,840
90% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge Operators$41,080
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7031

25th percentile annual wage

2025

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$40,030
86% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge Operators$46,430
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7031

75th percentile annual wage

2025

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$54,770
88% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge Operators$62,070
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7031

90th percentile annual wage

2025

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$62,520
84% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge Operators$74,140
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7031

National employment

2025

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators774,420
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge Operators1,040
6% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 53-7031

02 · Outlook

Employment outlook

Bars compare the same metric across the two careers. They are not an overall score.

Projected employment change

2025-2035

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators1.5%
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge Operators0.7%
47% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 53-7031

Average annual openings

2025-2035

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators64.7k
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge Operators0.1k
6% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 53-7031

03 · Preparation

Education and training

Typical entry-level education

2025-2035

Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsNo formal educational credential

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 53-7031

Related work experience

2025-2035

Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsNot available

Value missing or suppressed in source.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge OperatorsNot available

Value missing or suppressed in source.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 53-7031

On-the-job training

2025-2035

Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsShort-term on-the-job training

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 53-7051

Dredge OperatorsModerate-term on-the-job training

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 53-7031

04 · Context and fit

Work context

Only compatible O*NET scales are compared together. Relative bars preserve the source scale interpretation.

Contact with others

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators4.1 raw · CX scale
77% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators4.3 raw · CX scale
82% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Time pressure

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators4.5 raw · CX scale
87% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators3 raw · CX scale
50% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Spend time standing

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators3.7 raw · CX scale
67% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators2.9 raw · CX scale
48% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Exposed to contaminants

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators3.9 raw · CX scale
74% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators2.7 raw · CX scale
41% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Exposed to disease or infections

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators1.1 raw · CX scale
2% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators1.1 raw · CX scale
1% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Exposed to hazardous equipment

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators3.3 raw · CX scale
57% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators3.9 raw · CX scale
73% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

04 · Context and fit

Skills

Only compatible O*NET scales are compared together. Relative bars preserve the source scale interpretation.

Monitoring

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators2.6 raw · LV scale
37% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators2.9 raw · LV scale
41% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Active listening

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators2.5 raw · LV scale
36% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators2.4 raw · LV scale
34% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Reading comprehension

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators2.5 raw · LV scale
36% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators2.4 raw · LV scale
34% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Critical thinking

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators2.3 raw · LV scale
32% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators2.8 raw · LV scale
39% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Writing

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators2.1 raw · LV scale
30% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators2 raw · LV scale
29% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Speaking

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators2 raw · LV scale
29% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators2.3 raw · LV scale
32% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Active learning

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators1.9 raw · LV scale
27% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators2.1 raw · LV scale
30% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Mathematics

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators1.9 raw · LV scale
27% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge OperatorsNot available

Source metadata unavailable

Learning strategies

Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsNot available

Source metadata unavailable

Dredge Operators2.5 raw · LV scale
36% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

04 · Context and fit

Work styles

Only compatible O*NET scales are compared together. Relative bars preserve the source scale interpretation.

Dependability

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators2.3 raw · WI scale
88% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators2.2 raw · WI scale
86% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Attention to detail

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators1.7 raw · WI scale
78% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators1.6 raw · WI scale
76% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Stress tolerance

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators1 raw · WI scale
67% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators1.3 raw · WI scale
72% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Cooperation

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators0.6 raw · WI scale
60% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7051.00

Dredge Operators0.5 raw · WI scale
59% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 53-7031.00

Explore your next step

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators

Read the full profile, preparation, skills and source details.

Dredge Operators

Read the full profile, preparation, skills and source details.

  • Use the career comparison checklist

Sources

Each side retains the source release, reference period, occupation code, and file hash used for the comparison.

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release May 2025 · Reference 2025

Occupation code 53-7051 · SHA-256 b5855a37f3e03e779f6fbf173d3bbc94aeeff33426aef32fa95ce6d025bab1af

Employment Projections

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release 2025-2035 · Reference 2025-2035

Occupation code 53-7051 · SHA-256 a7d060f0576f7d4f5b829b9a0bb4a6c11a12766d159ebb0e07aab5bd2e7583c5

O*NET Database

Source-backed

O*NET Resource Center

Release 31.0 · Reference August 2026

Occupation code 53-7051.00 · SHA-256 c63ad00a8e45f3d3ef8e1529fcf8864d2279f2dfcb98737436818f5664781b04

Dredge Operators

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release May 2025 · Reference 2025

Occupation code 53-7031 · SHA-256 b5855a37f3e03e779f6fbf173d3bbc94aeeff33426aef32fa95ce6d025bab1af

Employment Projections

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release 2025-2035 · Reference 2025-2035

Occupation code 53-7031 · SHA-256 a7d060f0576f7d4f5b829b9a0bb4a6c11a12766d159ebb0e07aab5bd2e7583c5

O*NET Database

Source-backed

O*NET Resource Center

Release 31.0 · Reference August 2026

Occupation code 53-7031.00 · SHA-256 c63ad00a8e45f3d3ef8e1529fcf8864d2279f2dfcb98737436818f5664781b04

Read the data in context

Career Matchup does not declare an overall winner. National estimates can hide local variation, and O*NET relative values describe the named construct rather than whether a career is better.

Career Matchup is an independent comparison tool.

Data sourcesData availabilityAboutFree guideContactPrivacyTermsData: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET® Database.