Construction & Extraction
Highway Maintenance Workers
Also called: Equipment Operator (EO), Highway Maintainer, Highway Maintenance Crew Worker, Highway Maintenance Technician
US median pay
$50,260
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+3.4%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
11,800
161,800 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 2/5 · Some preparation
What this job is
Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement and repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road, or plow snow from roadway.
What they do day to day
- Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
- Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
- Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment.
- Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
- Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and power tools.
- Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures.
- Drive heavy equipment and vehicles with adjustable attachments to sweep debris from paved surfaces, mow grass and weeds, remove snow and ice, and spread salt and sand.
- Haul and spread sand, gravel, and clay to fill washouts and repair road shoulders.
- Inspect, clean, and repair drainage systems, bridges, tunnels, and other structures.
- Remove litter and debris from roadways, including debris from rock and mud slides.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Operation and Control3.6/5
- Operations Monitoring3.5/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.0/5
- Troubleshooting2.9/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.9/5
- Quality Control Analysis2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
Knowledge
- Public Safety and Security4.2/5
- English Language3.5/5
- Transportation3.3/5
- Building and Construction3.2/5
- Education and Training3.0/5
- Administration and Management3.0/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 2 of 5 — Some preparation. Usually a high school diploma; some previous work experience or training helps.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Highest education of people in this job:
- High school diploma88%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.