All About Conveyor Operators and Tenders
Conveyor Operator or Tender Job Description Control or tend conveyors or conveyor systems that move materials or products to and from stockpiles, processing stations, departments, or vehicles. May control speed and routing of materials or products.
What Do Conveyor Operators and Tenders Do On a Daily Basis?
- Move, assemble, and connect hoses or nozzles to material hoppers, storage tanks, conveyor sections or chutes, and pumps.
- Press console buttons to deflect packages to predetermined accumulators or reject lines.
- Repair or replace equipment components or parts such as blades, rolls, and pumps.
- Join sections of conveyor frames at temporary working areas, and connect power units.
- Stop equipment or machinery and clear jams, using poles, bars, and hand tools, or remove damaged materials from conveyors.
- Read production and delivery schedules, and confer with supervisors, to determine sorting and transfer procedures, arrangement of packages on pallets, and destinations of loaded pallets.
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Skills Needed to be a Conveyor Operator or Tender
When polled, Conveyor Operators and Tenders say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
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.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Types of Conveyor Operator or Tender
- Tip-Out Worker
- Sinter Feeder
- Grain Elevator Operator
- Line Operator
- Silo Tender
Job Demand for Conveyor Operators and Tenders
There were about 28,100 jobs for Conveyor Operator or Tender in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Conveyor Operator or Tender. There will be an estimated 3,700 positions for Conveyor Operator or Tender per year.

The states with the most job growth for Conveyor Operator or Tender are Idaho, Utah, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in New Mexico, Maine, or Iowa. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Average Conveyor Operators and Tenders Salary
The average yearly salary of a Conveyor Operator or Tender ranges between $23,960 and $49,890.

Conveyor Operators and Tenders who work in Wyoming, West Virginia, or Utah, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Conveyor Operators and Tenders in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $39,280 |
Arizona | $29,850 |
Arkansas | $29,060 |
California | $36,170 |
Colorado | $34,910 |
Delaware | $35,100 |
Florida | $30,330 |
Georgia | $35,050 |
Hawaii | $34,660 |
Idaho | $39,890 |
Illinois | $33,900 |
Indiana | $34,740 |
Iowa | $34,730 |
Kansas | $35,510 |
Kentucky | $38,190 |
Louisiana | $36,650 |
Maine | $37,470 |
Maryland | $34,080 |
Massachusetts | $38,350 |
Michigan | $37,460 |
Minnesota | $35,690 |
Mississippi | $31,750 |
Missouri | $32,500 |
Montana | $41,610 |
Nebraska | $32,080 |
Nevada | $40,560 |
New Hampshire | $36,000 |
New Jersey | $35,350 |
New Mexico | $33,190 |
New York | $36,560 |
North Carolina | $33,770 |
North Dakota | $39,030 |
Ohio | $33,590 |
Oklahoma | $34,330 |
Oregon | $39,660 |
Pennsylvania | $37,700 |
South Carolina | $35,080 |
South Dakota | $32,390 |
Tennessee | $36,910 |
Texas | $28,870 |
Utah | $44,900 |
Virginia | $34,180 |
Washington | $37,630 |
West Virginia | $53,390 |
Wisconsin | $40,190 |
Wyoming | $70,560 |
What Tools do Conveyor Operators and Tenders Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Conveyor Operators and Tenders may use on a daily basis:
- Data entry software
- Microsoft Windows
How to Become a Conveyor Operator or Tender
Learn what Conveyor Operator or Tender education requirements there are.

What work experience do I need to become a Conveyor Operator or Tender?

Who Employs Conveyor Operators and Tenders?

The table below shows the approximate number of Conveyor Operators and Tenders employed by various industries.

References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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