Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment build operation and control, quality control analysis and operations monitoring skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners (88%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners | 88% | $49,880 | +39% | None |
| 2 | Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers | 84% | $34,890 | −3% | None |
| 3 | Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders | 80% | $43,530 | +21% | None |
| 4 | Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders | 77% | $54,430 | +52% | None |
| 5 | Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 77% | $48,250 | +35% | None |
| 6 | Dishwashers | 76% | $34,810 | −3% | None |
| 7 | Hazardous Materials Removal Workers | 76% | $49,450 | +38% | None |
| 8 | Light Truck Drivers | 76% | $44,860 | +25% | None |
| 9 | Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders | 75% | $48,040 | +34% | None |
| 10 | Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | 75% | $60,600 | +69% | None |
Compared with Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment, median $35,830. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as cleaners of vehicles and equipment (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
88% skill match · $49,880 · +39% pay
Operation and Control · Complex Problem Solving · Equipment Maintenance
84% skill match · $34,890 · −3% pay
Social Perceptiveness · Coordination · Operations Analysis
80% skill match · $43,530 · +21% pay
Social Perceptiveness · Coordination · Complex Problem Solving
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners (88% skill match, median $49,880), Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers (84% skill match, median $34,890) and Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders (80% skill match, median $43,530), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 23 pay more than cleaners of vehicles and equipment at the median. The biggest increases: Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers (+69%, $60,600), Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (+64%, $58,640) and Tire Builders (+60%, $57,390).
24 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.