Careers · Logging Equipment Operators · South Dakota
Logging Equipment Operators in South Dakota
Logging equipment operators drive specialized tractors and wheeled vehicles equipped with attachments like grapples, winches, and crane booms to fell trees, move logs, and clear land. They work in forests and logging sites, operating machinery to skid, load, stack, and transport logs or remove stumps and brush from timber operations. In South Dakota the median pay is $58,740 a year, 18% above the national median of $49,740.
$58,740median pay in South Dakota, per year
$48,530–$59,130middle half earn
50employed in South Dakota
$49,740U.S. median, for comparison
Are you suited for this?
Four short assessments and your background, scored against logging equipment operators and 13,000 other careers — with the reasons. Free.
Four short assessments and your background, scored against logging equipment operators and 13,000 other careers — with the reasons. Free.
What it takes
Preparation: Some preparation (usually high school; some on-the-job training). Most hold no formal education requirement.
Skills that matter most
Operation and ControlOperations MonitoringEquipment MaintenanceActive ListeningMonitoringTroubleshootingQuality Control AnalysisCritical Thinking
Knowledge areas
MechanicalPublic Safety and SecurityProduction and ProcessingTransportation
Full profile, interests that fit, certifications and training: Logging Equipment Operators.
Licenses and training in South Dakota
Logging Equipment Operators pay in other states
Washington · $75,140Illinois · $71,100Texas · $62,890California · $61,940Oregon · $58,720Louisiana · $58,600Minnesota · $58,590Montana · $56,530Idaho · $56,490Vermont · $52,910
Related occupations
FallersLog Graders and ScalersLogging Workers, All OtherForest and Conservation WorkersFirst-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry WorkersAgricultural InspectorsAnimal BreedersGraders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
Are you suited for this?
Four short assessments and your background, scored against logging equipment operators and 13,000 other careers — with the reasons. Free.
Four short assessments and your background, scored against logging equipment operators and 13,000 other careers — with the reasons. Free.
O*NET-SOC 45-4022.00. Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, South Dakota, annual.