Handbook of Occupational Groups and Families, FWS-5700 Definitions


Handbook of Occupational Groups and Families		Classification Programs Division
Release Date: August 2001		Section Fifty-two of Sixty-six

5700 - TRANSPORTATION/MOBILE EQUIPMENT OPERATION FAMILY

This job family includes occupations involved in the operation and operational maintenance of self-propelled transportation and other mobile equipment (except aircraft) used to move materials or passengers, including motor vehicles, engineering and construction equipment, tractors, etc., some of which may be equipped with power takeoff and controls to operate special purpose equipment; ocean-going and inland waterway vessels, harbor craft, and floating plants; and trains, locomotives, and train cars. Vessel jobs that are excluded from the Federal Wage System by 5 U.S.C. 5342 are listed in the Appendix.

Throughout the following information, an asterisk (*) stands for series with a published standard and a double asterisk (**) stands for series with a published flysheet.

Occupations in this family are:

5703 Motor Vehicle Operating*

This occupation includes jobs involved in the operation of gasoline, diesel, or electric powered vehicles, some of which may be equipped with special-purpose powered equipment. The vehicles are used within or between Government installations, commercial and industrial facilities, or over public roads. They may be used to haul cargo or passengers or to tow equipment.

5704 Fork Lift Operating*

This occupation includes jobs that involve the operation of electric, diesel, or gasoline powered fork lift trucks to move, stack and unstack, and load and unload materials in and about warehouses, storage areas, loading docks, and on and off vehicles, etc.

5705 Tractor Operating*

This occupation includes jobs that require skill in operating tractors and attached or towed equipment and knowledge of their purpose and operating characteristics. The work performed typically includes transporting materials and equipment, digging, towing aircraft, loading, planting, harvesting, clearing, mowing, and dispensing liquid and solid materials. The tractors operated are wheel mounted and powered by gasoline, propane, diesel, and electric motors and typically have single axle drive. Examples of the attached and towed equipment include trailers, carts, towbars, plows, harrows, planters, mowers, post hole diggers, combines, balers, spreaders, backhoes, front-end loaders, sprayers, and sweepers.

5706 Road Sweeper Operating

This occupation includes jobs involved in the operation of a roadsweeping vehicles on which is mounted heavy brushes for sweeping roads.

5716 Engineering Equipment Operating*

This occupation includes jobs that involve the operation of gasoline or diesel-powered engineering and construction equipment with wheeled or crawler-type traction, such as graders, tractors with bulldozer or angle-dozer blades, front-end loaders, backhoes, trench diggers, and large industrial tractors with pan or scraper attachments. This equipment is used to perform such functions as cutting, moving, digging, grading, and rolling earth, sand, stone, and other materials, and to maintain ditches, road shoulders and beds, and firelines.

5725 Crane Operating*

This occupation includes jobs involved in the operation of cranes to lift, transport, and position materials; to dig and move earth or other materials; to drive pilings; or to destroy obsolete structures. Cranes use attachments such as hooks, clamshell buckets, orange peel buckets, dragline buckets, magnets, piledrivers, demolition hammers, and other special material handling devices.

5729 Drill Rig Operating*

This occupation includes jobs involved in moving in, setting up, operating, maintaining, and moving out heavy mobile drill rigs and associated tools and equipment that are used for geologic drilling at field locations. The work requires knowledge of the operating characteristics of core, churn, calyx, auger, or probe type drill rigs and tools; and skill in manipulating controls to adjust to any drilling conditions.

5736 Braking-Switching and Conducting*

This occupation includes jobs involved in coordinating (onsite) the movement, makeup, or breakup of trains, locomotives, and train cars. The work requires knowledge of the layout of a railroad track system; knowledge of and ability to follow numerous safety, signaling, switching, track use, train car, train movement procedures, restrictions, and requirements; and knowledge of the movement and braking characteristics of locomotives, train cars, and various sizes of trains under a variety of weather, visibility, cargo, track, and other operating conditions. Some work also requires ability to plan efficient work sequences in making up, breaking up, and overseeing (onsite) the safe movement of trains; ability to coordinate the work of a train crew; and ability to enforce numerous operational and safety procedures and requirements.

5737 Locomotive Engineering*

This occupation includes jobs involved in operating all types of locomotives and trains to transport supplies, equipment, conveyances, and personnel. This work requires skill in operating locomotives under various conditions, and knowledge of the layout of a track system and the safety, signaling and track use requirements or restrictions in various areas of operation.

5738 Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating*

This occupation includes jobs involved in the operation of self-propelled, flange wheel railroad maintenance vehicles and equipment to lay, remove, repair, elevate, align, and maintain ties, rails, ballast, and other parts of the railway, and to transport maintenance supplies, tools, equipment, and personnel. This work requires the ability to safely operate one or more flanged wheel railroad maintenance vehicles, knowledge of railway maintenance and repair methods and requirements, and knowledge of track system layout, operating rules, and maintenance procedures.

5767 Airfield Clearing Equipment Operating

This occupation includes jobs involved in operating airfield clearing equipment, including snow removal equipment and vacuum type sweepers (not conventional snow removal equipment or sweepers used primarily on streets, parking areas, ramps, etc.). This equipment typically consists of gasoline or diesel powered units equipped with specially designed attachments used separately or simultaneously in clearing runways, taxiways, and aprons of snow or foreign objects where conventional equipment and techniques are ineffective. Representative of such equipment are Sno-Gos, Rollovers, Vacuum Sweepers, and other vehicles that include comparable auxiliary equipment.

5782 Ship Operating

This occupation includes jobs involved in operating ships, tugboats, seagoing dredges, fishing vessels, or other similar vessels, often greater than 55 meters (180 feet) in length, engaged in transporting passengers and freight, towing or assisting the maneuvering of large vessels, making hydrographic and oceanographic surveys, drilling or probing subaqueous holes, conducting fishing operations, etc. The work includes navigating the ship, standing watch, setting and maintaining speed and course, using navigational aids and devices to compute position, and coordinating the activities of members of the crew. The work requires knowledge of the handling and operation of large vessels offshore or in the Great Lakes and/or large vessels under tow.

5784 Riverboat Operating

This occupation includes jobs involved in operating riverboats, towboats, with tows, self-propelled dredges and other similar craft, often larger than 55 meters (180 feet) in length engaged in transporting passengers and freight, moving nonself-propelled vessels and floating plant, making hydrographic surveys, dredging and maintaining waterways, etc. The work includes steering the boat, standing watch, setting and maintaining speed and course, determining position using navigational aids, and coordinating activities of members of the crew. The work requires knowledge of river currents, stages, obstructions, navigation locks and dams, and the handling and operation of large vessels or tows on rivers.

5786 Small Craft Operating*

This occupation includes jobs involved in operating small oar, sail or mechanically propelled craft, generally under 55 meters (180 feet) in length, to transport personnel and supplies, control harbor pollution, remove aquatic plants, conduct hydrographic surveys of rivers and harbors, or similar duties. The operations are characterized by regular daily tours of duty followed by employee's physical departure from the boat rather than watch-and-watch, which is characteristic of maritime industry practices. The work requires the ability to steer and navigate the small craft, operate the engines and, in some assignments, make operating repairs to the engine and the boat itself.

5788 Deckhand

This occupation includes jobs that involve doing general maintenance work; repairing and painting decks, hulls, superstructure and interior spaces of vessels; operating cargo gear and deck machinery; rigging booms; handling lines during docking, moving and towing operations; mending lines and canvas; standing lookout, security and wheel watches; connecting and disconnecting hoses and pipelines; operating fishing gear; and similar work.