# Logging Equipment Operators

> Drive logging tractor or wheeled vehicle equipped with one or more accessories, such as bulldozer blade, frontal shear, grapple, logging arch, cable winches, hoisting rack, or crane boom, to fell tree; to skid, load, unload, or stack logs; or to pull stumps or clear brush. Includes operating stand-alone logging machines, such as log chippers.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/logging-equipment-operators
- SOC code: 45-4022.00
- Career family: Farming, fishing and forestry
- Median annual pay: $49,740 (10th percentile $35,170, 90th percentile $74,300)
- Projected growth: Decline, -3.8%
- Openings a year: 3,700
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 97 |
| Investigative (I) | 14 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 2 |
| Enterprising (E) | 2 |
| Conventional (C) | 57 |

## What you'd do

- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 92/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 91/100)
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment (importance 84/100)
- Getting Information (importance 81/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 76/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 75/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 73/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 72/100)
- Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information (importance 70/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 70/100)

## Skills

Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance, Active Listening, Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Troubleshooting, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making

## Knowledge

Mechanical, Public Safety and Security, Production and Processing, Transportation, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Education and Training

## Also called

Buncher Operator, Chain Hooker, Cutter Operator, Delimber, Delimber Operator, Equipment Operator, Feller Buncher Operator, Feller Operator, Forder Operator, Grapple Operator

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Ground Transportation](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4902) (CIP 4902, 213 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Pennsylvania College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pennsylvania-college-of-technology-2096) | Ground Transportation | $54,938 | $62,389 | $12,000 |

## Related careers

- [Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/operating-engineers-and-other-construction-equipment-operators): $59,850 median pay
- [Continuous Mining Machine Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/continuous-mining-machine-operators): $61,810 median pay
- [Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/loading-and-moving-machine-operators-underground-mining): $74,500 median pay
- [Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/excavating-and-loading-machine-and-dragline-operators-surface-mining): $57,430 median pay
- [Hoist and Winch Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/hoist-and-winch-operators): $56,450 median pay
- [Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/industrial-truck-and-tractor-operators): $46,420 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.