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Logging Equipment Operators Occupation Detailed Description

Logging Equipment Operators career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Logging Equipment Operators

The main tasks and work activities of Logging Equipment Operators are to maintain forestry, hunting, or agricultural equipment, inspect equipment or facilities to determine condition or maintenance needs, operate forestry equipment, evaluate log quality. In general, for the Logging Equipment Operators, operation and Control, operation Monitoring, equipment Maintenance, monitoring and other 4 skills are required.
Logging Equipment Operators Job Description
EducationSome of these occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate.
Related ExperienceLittle or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a waiter or waitress even if he/she has never worked before.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.
ExampleThese occupations involve following instructions and helping others. Examples include food preparation workers, dishwashers, sewing machine operators, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, logging equipment operators, and baristas.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Logging Equipment Operators jobs. 43.69% of Logging Equipment Operators have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 0.89% of Logging Equipment Operators have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
55.42%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
43.69%
Post-Secondary Certificate
0.89%
Some College Courses
0.00%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
0.00%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
0.00%

Tasks and Work Activities of Logging Equipment Operators

  • Inspect equipment for safety prior to use, and perform necessary basic maintenance tasks.
  • 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.
  • Drive crawler or wheeled tractors to drag or transport logs from felling sites to log landing areas for processing and loading.
  • Drive tractors for the purpose of building or repairing logging and skid roads.
  • Grade logs according to characteristics such as knot size and straightness, and according to established industry or company standards.
  • Control hydraulic tractors equipped with tree clamps and booms to lift, swing, and bunch sheared trees.
  • 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.
  • Fill out required job or shift report forms.
  • Calculate total board feet, cordage, or other wood measurement units, using conversion tables.
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or EquipmentRunning, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
  • Controlling Machines and ProcessesUsing either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical EquipmentServicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialInspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsUsing relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or InformationEstimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Maintain forestry, hunting, or agricultural equipment.
  • Inspect equipment or facilities to determine condition or maintenance needs.
  • Operate forestry equipment.
  • Evaluate log quality.
  • Cut trees or logs.
  • Maintain personnel records.
  • Measure physical characteristics of forestry or agricultural products.

Skills and Abilities for Logging Equipment Operators

  • Operation and ControlControlling operations of equipment or systems.
  • Operation MonitoringWatching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  • Equipment MaintenancePerforming routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Quality Control AnalysisConducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
  • TroubleshootingDetermining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
  • Control PrecisionThe ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Reaction TimeThe ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
  • Multilimb CoordinationThe ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Depth PerceptionThe ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
  • Response OrientationThe ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Far VisionThe ability to see details at a distance.
  • Rate ControlThe ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Manual DexterityThe ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Visual Color DiscriminationThe ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • VisualizationThe ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Perceptual SpeedThe ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Finger DexterityThe ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Trunk StrengthThe ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
  • Forestry skidderse.g. Cable skidders
  • Lumbering equipmente.g. Delimbers
  • Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
  • Tire pressure gaugee.g. Digital tire pressure gauges
  • Lumbering equipmente.g. Drive-to-tree feller bunchers
  • Flatbed trailerse.g. Equipment trailers
  • Lumbering equipmente.g. Felling heads
  • Treedozerse.g. Forestry crawler dozers
  • Hoese.g. Forestry hoes
  • Lumbering equipmente.g. Forestry swing machines
  • Lumbering equipmente.g. Forwarders
  • Forestry skidderse.g. Grapple skidders
  • Lumbering equipmente.g. Grapple yarders
  • Lumbering equipmente.g. Harvesting heads
  • Chain sawe.g. Heavy duty chainsaws
  • Lumbering equipmente.g. Knuckleboom loaders
  • Grapplese.g. Loading grapples
  • Lumbering equipmente.g. Log forks
  • Lumbering equipmente.g. Log loaders
  • Stackerse.g. Log stackers
  • MechanicalKnowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  • Public Safety and SecurityKnowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • Production and ProcessingKnowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.