Transportation and Material Moving · Holland code RC

Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers

Tend, control, or operate power-driven, stationary, or portable pumps and manifold systems to transfer gases, oil, other liquids, slurries, or powdered materials to and from various vessels and processes.

Also called: Outside Operator, Pipeline Operator, Pumper, Tank Farm Operator, Boom Pump Operator, Chemical Pumper, Day Light Relief Operator, Pipeline Dispatch Operator.

O*NET 53-7072.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $61,770; Middle half earn $47,560 to $77,210. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 61% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary.
Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and operating times.
Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of interconnections and capacities of pipelines, valve manifolds, pumps, and tankage.
Turn valves and start pumps to start or regulate flows of substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials.
Communicate with other workers, using signals, radios, or telephones, to start and stop flows of materials or substances.
Connect hoses and pipelines to pumps and vessels prior to material transfer, using hand tools.
Tend vessels that store substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials, checking levels of substances by using calibrated rods or by reading mercury gauges and tank charts.
Clean, lubricate, and repair pumps and vessels, using hand tools and equipment.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Monitoring3.5 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
Active Listening3.1 / 5
Speaking3.1 / 5
Critical Thinking3.1 / 5
Writing2.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

Production and Processing3.4 / 5
Mechanical3.3 / 5
English Language3.3 / 5
Mathematics3.0 / 5
Administration and Management3.0 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.0 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic95
Investigative21
Artistic0
Social5
Enterprising8
Conventional58

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

gas station operator · DE Steuerer von Gasanlagen/Steuererin von Gasanlagen · FR opérateur/opératrice de station de gaz
petroleum pump system operator · DE Steuerer Ölpumpsysteme/Steuerin Ölpumpsysteme · FR conducteur de systèmes de pompage de pétrole/conductrice de systèmes de pompage de pétrole
dewatering technician · DE Entwässerungstechniker/Entwässerungstechnikerin · FR opérateur de pompe à boues/opératrice de pompe à boues
pipeline pump operator · DE Pipelinebediener/Pipelinebedienerin · FR opérateur d’installations de pompage et de pipelines/opératrice d’installations de pompage et de pipelines
gauger · DE Erdölchemiker/Erdölchemikerin · FR technicien pétrolier/technicienne pétrolière

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Chemical and related process operatives (8113)34,100 employed
Mining and quarry workers and related operatives (8132)9,200 employed
Process operatives n.e.c. (8119)26,300 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Plant and machine operators and assemblers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€39,630
Netherlands	€37,567
Austria	€37,304
Sweden	€36,005
Germany	€34,433
Ireland	€32,617
France	€28,550
Italy	€28,330
Spain	€24,409
Portugal	€11,309
Poland	€10,259

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.84. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (53-7072).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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