The trade
What a heavy equipment operator does.
Heavy equipment operators drive and manoeuvre heavy job site machinery — bulldozers, front-end loaders, graders, asphalt pavers, compaction rollers, and backhoes — on civil engineering, road, and construction sites. They handle grading, levelling, paving course placement, and road infrastructure maintenance.
CCQ rate
$34.71 – $45.93 / hour (May 2025, depending on sector and class)
Wage rates are set by the CCQ collective agreement and vary by sector (civil engineering and roads, industrial, institutional-commercial, residential) and operator class (A, B, AA). For the exact rate that applies to you, check the official grid at ccq.org, 'Wages and rates' section.
Why it's tight
The pool is thin. Speed makes the difference.
In 2024, 6,177 heavy equipment operators were active on Quebec job sites, with an average age of 45.3 — meaning a lot of journeypersons will approach retirement over the next 10 to 15 years. Only 204 new apprentices were admitted in 2024, below the 2020-2023 annual average of 256. The CCQ rates job prospects as 'excellent' and projects 213.3 million hours worked across the industry in 2026, driven notably by Hydro-Québec's 2035 Action Plan and major civil engineering and road infrastructure projects — a sector that employs 85% of heavy equipment operators in Quebec.
That's exactly where Aplomb wins: Audrey activates candidates in under 2 minutes, 24/7. While others call back the next day, your heavy equipment operator is already talking to us.
What we check
Before it lands on your desk.
- Valid CCQ competency certificate (CCA apprentice or CCC journeyperson) in the target specialty (tractors, graders, pavers, or rollers)
- Completed DEP in Heavy Equipment Operation (5220) or a CCQ-recognized equivalent
- Current ASP Construction health and safety card (general construction industry health and safety training)
- Solid operating technique for the equipment involved: reading plans and survey data, routine maintenance, pre-shift inspection
- Experience in civil engineering and roads (road work, excavation, paving course placement) — the sector holding 85% of positions
Competency card
How a heavy equipment operator qualifies.
This trade is governed by the R-20 Act. To work on CCQ job sites, you need an apprentice competency certificate (CCA) — earned after completing the DEP in Heavy Equipment Operation (5220, 1,095 hours) and providing a job guarantee of at least 150 hours over 3 consecutive months. The apprentice then completes a single 2,000-hour apprenticeship period, then passes the provincial qualification exam (60 questions, 3 hours, 60% pass threshold) to earn the journeyperson competency certificate (CCC). The apprentice-to-journeyperson ratio is 1 apprentice per 2 journeypersons (2-1 ratio); this trade is excluded from any exemption that would raise that ratio.
Frequently asked questions
Hiring a heavy equipment operator, plainly.
How many apprentice operators can I have relative to journeypersons on my site?
The ratio is 1 apprentice per 2 journeypersons (2-1 ratio). In other words, for every apprentice, you need at least 2 journeypersons on the job. This trade is excluded from the exemptions that raise the ratio, unlike several other trades. Check the exact requirements for your sector on ccq.org.
The DEP is only offered in two regions — how do I find qualified candidates outside Montérégie and Chaudière-Appalaches?
That's right — the DEP in Heavy Equipment Operation (5220) is only offered in Montérégie and Chaudière-Appalaches. Journeypersons are found province-wide, but the pipeline of new apprentices is geographically concentrated. A construction-focused recruiting agency can widen your reach into those pools and screen candidates by CCQ card and required specialty.
What documents should I require from a candidate before hiring?
Require: (1) a valid CCQ competency certificate (CCA apprentice or CCC journeyperson, with the specialty matching the equipment to operate), (2) a valid ASP Construction card (health and safety), and (3) confirmation the candidate is properly registered in the CCQ database. For an apprentice, also confirm they're in their first and only apprenticeship period (2,000 hours).
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Also by region
heavy equipment operators in your area.
We recruit across Québec. See the candidate job pages by region for this trade.