Operate pile drivers mounted on skids, barges, crawler treads, or locomotive cranes to drive pilings for retaining walls, bulkheads, and foundations of structures, such as buildings, bridges, and piers.
U.S. Workers
3,040
Median Salary
$70,510
10-Year Growth
+4.3%
Annual Openings
300
Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
5 of 5 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Move hand and foot levers of hoisting equipment to position piling leads, hoist piling into leads, and position hammers over pilings.
AI: Partial - Actuation and teleoperation can move levers and pedals, yet the precise positioning and on-the-fly judgement required for hoisting and aligning leads in unstructured pile-driving sites limit full autonomy.
Move levers and turn valves to activate power hammers, or to raise and lower drophammers that drive piles to required depths.
AI: Partial - Levers and valves can be mechanized or remotely operated, but safely activating and controlling power hammers across diverse field conditions still typically needs human supervision and intervention.
Drive pilings to provide support for buildings or other structures, using heavy equipment with a pile driver head.
AI: Partial - Automated control of hammering and sensor-based depth monitoring exists, but the complex judgment, alignment, and site-specific adjustments involved in driving pilings prevent full automation in most real-world contexts by 2025.
Conduct pre-operational checks on equipment to ensure proper functioning.
AI: Partial - AI can run diagnostics, checklists, and visual inspections to automate many pre-op checks, but some tactile or nuanced assessments still require human judgment and intervention.
Clean, lubricate, and refill equipment.
AI: Partial - Routine cleaning, lubrication, and refilling can be partially automated or aided by sensors and tools, but variable field maintenance tasks remain largely manual and context-dependent.