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Bridge and Lock Tender

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What Do Bridge and Lock Tender Do?

Career Description Operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages. May supervise such operations. Includes drawbridge operators, lock operators, and slip bridge operators.

List of Bridge & Lock Tender Job Duties

  • Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges.
  • Prepare accident reports.
  • Perform maintenance duties such as sweeping, painting, and yard work to keep facilities clean and in order.
  • Attach ropes or cable lines to bitts on lock decks or wharfs to secure vessels.
  • Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges.
  • Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks.

Bridge & Lock Tender Needed Skills

Bridge and Lock Tenders state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

  • Bridge Operator, Slip
  • Crossing Tender
  • Chief Lock Tender Operator
  • Dam Tender Assistant
  • Lock Operator

Job Opportunities for Bridge and Lock Tenders

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 3,700 jobs in the United States for Bridge and Lock Tender. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 2.7% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 100 new jobs for Bridge and Lock Tender by 2026. The BLS estimates 400 yearly job openings in this field.

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The states with the most job growth for Bridge & Lock Tender are Oregon, Kentucky, and Florida. Watch out if you plan on working in West Virginia, Washington, or Texas. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Do Bridge and Lock Tenders Make A Lot Of Money?

The typical yearly salary for Bridge and Lock Tenders is somewhere between $24,490 and $63,620.

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Bridge and Lock Tenders who work in Minnesota, Illinois, or Iowa, make the highest salaries.

How much do Bridge and Lock Tenders make in different U.S. states?

State Annual Mean Salary
Arkansas $48,410
California $51,520
Florida $34,090
Illinois $62,830
Indiana $54,410
Iowa $55,230
Kentucky $51,470
Louisiana $34,420
Maryland $43,420
Massachusetts $53,430
Michigan $43,560
Minnesota $59,860
Mississippi $43,070
Missouri $55,960
New Jersey $49,880
New York $48,250
Ohio $50,890
Pennsylvania $54,010
South Carolina $46,580
Tennessee $52,410
Texas $35,330
West Virginia $54,680
Wisconsin $49,890

What Tools do Bridge and Lock Tenders Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Bridge and Lock Tenders may use on a daily basis:

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Email software
  • Word processing software
  • Oracle PeopleSoft
  • SAP software
  • Virtual private networking VPN software

Becoming a Bridge & Lock Tender

Education needed to be a Bridge and Lock Tender:

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How many years of work experience do I need?

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Who Employs Bridge and Lock Tenders?

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The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

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References:

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More about our data sources and methodologies.

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