How To Become A Brake Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a brake operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a brake operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.71 an hour? That's $38,911 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreBrake OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,911

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.5

Growth Rate -5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 1.68%

Black or African American 7.93%

Hispanic or Latino 13.41%

Unknown 4.36%

White 71.84%

Gender

female 12.17%

male 87.83%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress Level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.0

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.5

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a brake operator

Explore brake operator education requirements

Most common brake operator degrees

High School Diploma

49.6 %

Associate

22.2 %

Bachelor's

13.7 %

Start to develop specific brake operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Calipers	14.85%
Basic Math	13.90%
Tape Measure	11.66%
Hand Tools	9.77%
Pallets	6.07%

Complete relevant brake operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New brake operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a brake operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real brake operator resumes.

Research brake operator duties and responsibilities

Experience using micrometers, squares, calipers and protractors.
Perform light mig and tig welding and metal refinishing.
Align motor, air end and coupling using calipers, dial indicators and straight edges.
Operate brake press to meet OE specifications.

Prepare your brake operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your brake operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a brake operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Brake Operator Resume templates

Build a professional Brake Operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Brake Operator resume.

Apply for brake operator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a brake operator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do brake operators rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Brake Operator reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019

Pros

It was challenging sort of an artistic job

Cons

Heavy lifting a very physical job