Transportation and material moving
Conveyor operators and tenders
Control or tend conveyors or conveyor systems that move materials or products to and from stockpiles, processing stations, departments, or vehicles. May control speed and routing of materials or products.
Median pay
$42,420
Growth to 2035
−3%
declining
Openings a year
2,200
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Conveyor operators and tenders
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Conveyor operators and tenders: 97% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Stop equipment or machinery and clear jams, using poles, bars, and hand tools, or remove damaged materials from conveyors.
- Load, unload, or adjust materials or products on conveyors by hand, by using lifts, hoists, and scoops, or by opening gates, chutes, or hoppers.
- Observe conveyor operations and monitor lights, dials, and gauges to maintain specified operating levels and to detect equipment malfunctions.
- Observe packages moving along conveyors to identify packages, detect defective packaging, and perform quality control.
- Position deflector bars, gates, chutes, or spouts to divert flow of materials from one conveyor onto another conveyor.
- Clean, sterilize, and maintain equipment, machinery, and work stations, using hand tools, shovels, brooms, chemicals, hoses, and lubricants.
- Record production data such as weights, types, quantities, and storage locations of materials, as well as equipment performance problems and downtime.
- Inform supervisors of equipment malfunctions that need to be addressed.
Also called: Chipper Operator · Conveyor Operator · Conveyor Tender · Flumer · Machine Operator · Package Line Operator · Packaging Line Operator · Process Line Operator
Outlook and AI
Conveyor operators and tenders held 29,000 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 28,200 by 2035 (−3%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
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