AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 47-5022.00
Will AI replace Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining?
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining: AI can already handle 1 of 16 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 16 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measure and verify levels of rock or gravel, bases, or other excavated material. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Create or maintain inclines or ramps. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Receive written or oral instructions regarding material movement or excavation. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Direct ground workers engaged in activities such as moving stakes or markers, or changing positions of towers. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Adjust dig face angles for varying overburden depths and set lengths. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Handle slides, mud, or pit cleanings or maintenance. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Perform manual labor to prepare or finish sites, such as shoveling materials by hand. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Direct workers engaged in placing blocks or outriggers to prevent capsizing of machines when lifting heavy loads. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Drive machines to work sites. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 16 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 16 of 16. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 32% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 32% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 68% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 34,480
- Median annual wage
- $57,430
- Middle half of earners
- $47,890 to $65,730
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -0.4%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining 79% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure17
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators 75% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure18
- Continuous Mining Machine Operators 73% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure17
- Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure28
- Dredge Operators 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure28
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining and AI
Will AI replace Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining?
AI already handles 1 of the 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 22 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by -0.4% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining?
22 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 16 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 16 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Measure and verify levels of rock or gravel, bases, or other excavated material. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 32% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 68% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining, and what do they earn?
34,480 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $57,430 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -0.4% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/excavating-and-loading-machine-and-dragline-operators-surface-mining
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