Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
Operate or tend machinery at surface mining site, equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets to excavate and load loose materials.
34,480 people do this job in the US. $57,430 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 10%
- 0%
- 90%
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, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 10%. Today's estimate: 10%.
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 . 16 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 19% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 18% | 1.7 h50 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Create or maintain inclines or ramps.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 50 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | 99%Half by now | |
| Handle slides, mud, or pit cleanings or maintenance.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 1.7 h38 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Perform manual labor to prepare or finish sites, such as shoveling materials by hand.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Adjust dig face angles for varying overburden depths and set lengths.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Drive machines to work sites.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 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
- Construction Laborers2% now, 2% by 2028
- Hoist and Winch Operators0% now, 0% by 2028
- Continuous Mining Machine Operators0% now, 0% by 2028
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines5% now, 5% by 2028
- Crane and Tower Operators8% now, 8% 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).