Motor Vehicle Operating
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Motor Vehicle Operating occupation series (code 5703): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
In the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, Motor Vehicle Operating counts 4,012 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.2% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined from the prior period; pay averages $61,944, which pays below the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- -5.9%
- Pay change
- -0.0%
- Avg tenure
- 12.6 yrs
- Rank in family
- #1 of 15
FedScope read on Motor Vehicle Operating (dense series)
Headcount moved down versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path. Pay moved down between the two reporting periods, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Code 57, the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, is where the federal government classifies Motor Vehicle Operating alongside 14 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Motor Vehicle Operating postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family. Across the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, 9,311 employees work in 15 occupations; Motor Vehicle Operating is 43.1% of that headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (25th percentile) of pay among Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Motor Vehicle Operating pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$61,944
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-47.2%
Where Motor Vehicle Operating ranks on lean federal pay
Motor Vehicle Operating earns more on average than 17% of federal occupation series (90 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Motor Vehicle Operating sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Motor Vehicle Operating.
Related Occupations in Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Equipment Operating | 2,691 | $78,062 | 13.2 yrs |
| Crane Operating | 616 | $90,118 | 13.9 yrs |
| Misc Transportation/mobile Equipment Oper | 512 | $60,267 | 13 yrs |
| Tractor Operating | 437 | $60,593 | 11.6 yrs |
| Small Craft Operating | 225 | $76,720 | 12.5 yrs |
| Deckhand | 192 | $66,505 | 7.3 yrs |
| Ship Operating | 129 | $101,346 | 14.4 yrs |
| Fork Lift Operating | 126 | $67,848 | 12.4 yrs |
| Riverboat Operating | 120 | n/a | 15 yrs |
| Drill Rig Operating | 78 | $75,988 | 10.3 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Motor Vehicle Operating outside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (4,012 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($61,944 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Motor Vehicle Operating pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Motor Vehicle Operating postings on USAJOBS.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.