Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers
Transportation and Material Moving
Stationary or portable pumps and manifold systems move gases, oil, slurries, or powders between vessels and processes. You watch gauges and flowmeters for tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures, report anything abnormal, and record what was pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and run times. Transfers are planned through pipelines, valve manifolds, pumps, and tankage: hoses get connected, valves turned, pumps started, and other workers signaled by radio or phone. Vessels are checked with calibrated rods or mercury gauges and tank charts; pumps and vessels are cleaned, lubricated, and repaired with hand tools. Suits people who like routing flows through a known pipe network and doing hose-and-valve work.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$61'770
Median Wage Market Position
$61'770
What you might do
- Read gauges and flowmeters against set levels
- Open valves and run pumps to move product
- Plan product routes through pipes and tanks
- Connect hoses and pipelines before a transfer
- Record quantities pumped and hours run
- Clean, oil, and repair pumps and vessels
Skills that matter
- Tank-level and flowmeter checks
- Pipeline planning between tanks and units
- Pump starts for liquids, slurries, and powders
- Radio calls to start or stop transfers
- Hose and pipeline hookups to vessels
- Hand-tool repair of pumps and vessels
AI & the future of this role
Automated controls may take over more of the routine transfer monitoring between vessels and processes. Hands-on pump setup, troubleshooting sticky material flows, and liability around spills still keep operators in the loop, with modest pressure from smarter plants.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details