Jobs / Transportation and material moving / 53-7072.00
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.
- US jobs
- 9,780
- Median wage
- $61,770 a year
- Job family
- Transportation and material moving
Can agents do the work of pump operators, except wellhead pumpers?
We read the evidence for the whole job family, Transportation and material moving: Unmeasured (no change in 12 months)
No direct benchmark gives a success rate.
0% of this occupation's work, by O*NET work activities, is measured by a direct benchmark.
- 14%Operate pumping systems or equipmentNot measured
- 13%Communicate with others about operational plans or activitiesNot measured
- 9%Connect components or supply lines to equipment or toolsNot measured
- 9%Monitor equipment operationNot measured
- 8%Maintain operational recordsNot measured
- 8%Plan work activitiesNot measured
- 6%Test characteristics of materials or productsNot measured
- 6%Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processingNot measured
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in transportation and material moving, not always this occupation's tasks.
Direct evidence
Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.
- 82%Waymo Driver (rider-only, 220.6M miles through March 2026) · Mar 2026Unrated
Also relevant
These benchmarks cover part of this family's work, or have no result yet. They do not set its step.
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- 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.
- Read operating schedules or instructions or receive verbal orders to determine amounts to be pumped.
- Test materials and solutions, using testing equipment.
- Tend auxiliary equipment such as water treatment and refrigeration units, and heat exchangers.
- Add chemicals and solutions to tanks to ensure that specifications are met.
Other job titles for this occupation (51)
Boom Pump Operator · Chemical Pumper · Day Light Relief Operator · Outside Operator · Pipeline Dispatch Operator · Pipeline Operator · Pump Operator · Pump Station Operator · Pumper · Tank Farm Operator · Acid Loader · Acid Pump Operator · Airveyor Operator · Booster Station Operator · Brewery Pumper · Caustic Pump Operator · Concrete Boom Pump Operator · Concrete Operator · Concrete Pump Operator · Fermenting Cellars Receiver · Fluid Pump Operator · Gas Transfer Operator · Grease and Tallow Pumper · Hydrant Systems Operator · Liquor Bridge Operator · Main Line Station Engineer · Monitor Car Operator · Oil Pumper · Operations Technician (Ops Technician) · Panelboard Tank Pumper · Pigment Pumper · Pipeline Technician (Pipeline Tech) · Pipeliner · Production Utility Worker · Pump Kill Operator · Pump Mechanic · Pump Repair Mechanic · Pump Runner · Pump Technician · Pump Tender · Pump Truck Operator · Pumper Gager · Pumpman · Station Engineer · Still Pump Operator · Tank Farm Attendant · Tank Operator · Tank Tender · Utility Operator · Wash Oil Pump Operator · Waste Oil Pumper