Continuous Mining Machine Operators
Operate self-propelled mining machines that rip coal, metal and nonmetal ores, rock, stone, or sand from the mine face and load it onto conveyors, shuttle cars, or trucks in a continuous operation.
14,000 people do this job in the US. $61,810 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 0%
- 0%
- 100%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 0%. Today's estimate: 0%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 15 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operate mining machines to gather coal and convey it to floors or shuttle cars.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 27% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Hang ventilation tubing and ventilation curtains to ensure that the mining face area is kept properly ventilated.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 14% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Observe and listen to equipment operation to detect binding or stoppage of tools or other equipment malfunctions.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 14% | 50 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Repair, oil, and adjust machines, and change cutting teeth, using wrenches.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 10% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Apply new technologies developed to minimize the environmental impact of coal mining.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Drive machines into position at working faces.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Check the stability of roof and rib support systems before mining face areas.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Determine locations, boundaries, and depths of holes or channels to be cut.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Reposition machines to make additional holes or cuts.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Move controls to start and regulate movement of conveyors and to start and position drill cutters or torches.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Conduct methane gas checks to ensure breathing quality of air.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 2% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Scrape or wash conveyors, using belt scrapers or belt washers, to minimize dust production.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 2% | 25 min13 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators9% now, 9% by 2028
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining10% now, 10% by 2028
- Helpers--Extraction Workers0% now, 0% by 2028
- Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas11% now, 14% by 2028
- Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining5% now, 5% by 2028
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas5% now, 5% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).