# Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining

> Operate underground loading or moving machine to load or move coal, ore, or rock using shuttle or mine car or conveyors. Equipment may include power shovels, hoisting engines equipped with cable-drawn scraper or scoop, or machines equipped with gathering arms and conveyor.

- **SOC code:** 47-5044.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-5044-00
- **Also known as:** Load Haul Dump Operator (LHD Operator), Loader Operator, Loading Machine Operator, Shuttle Car Operator, Coal Hauler Operator, Equipment Operator, Miner Operator, Production Miner
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Handle high voltage sources and hang electrical cables.
- Drive loaded shuttle cars to ramps and move controls to discharge loads into mine cars or onto conveyors.
- Pry off loose material from roofs and move it into the paths of machines, using crowbars.
- Move trailing electrical cables clear of obstructions, using rubber safety gloves.
- Stop gathering arms when cars are full.
- Control conveyors that run the entire length of shuttle cars to distribute loads as loading progresses.
- Examine roadway and clear obstructions from the path of travel.
- Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines.
- Drive machines into piles of material blasted from working faces.
- Operate levers to move conveyor booms or shovels so that mine contents such as coal, rock, and ore can be placed into cars or onto conveyors.
- Move mine cars into position for loading and unloading, using pinchbars inserted under car wheels to position cars under loading spouts.
- Advance machines to gather material and convey it into cars.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Control Precision _(ability)_
- Operation and Control _(transferable_skill)_
- Multilimb Coordination _(ability)_
- Reaction Time _(ability)_
- Mechanical _(knowledge)_
- Operations Monitoring _(transferable_skill)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Arm-Hand Steadiness _(ability)_
- Manual Dexterity _(ability)_
- Rate Control _(ability)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- Troubleshooting _(transferable_skill)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Depth Perception _(Common Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Microsoft Windows _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Excel _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Equipment Maintenance _(Specialized Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Windows _(hot technology)_
- Automated systems software
- Inventory management systems
- Maintenance management software
- Mine maintenance software
- Work time accounting software

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 4th percentile (Low) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 5th percentile (Low) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 10th percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** -22.3% growth (Declining); 0.5k annual openings; 6.4k → 5k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $68,860; 6,130 employed.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-5044-00_