Glossary
Surface Mining Equipment Operator Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential surface mining equipment operator terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key surface mining equipment operator vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in surface mining equipment operator training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Bench
- Step in a pit.
- Berm
- Safety mound.
- Blind spot
- Area operator can’t see.
- Bucket fill
- How full the bucket is.
- Cycle time
- Time per load.
- Dump point
- Where trucks unload.
- Face
- Area being mined.
- Fleet management
- Dispatch system.
- Ground control
- Keeping rock stable.
- Haul road
- Road for mining trucks.
- MSHA
- Mine Safety and Health Administration.
- Part 46/48 training
- Required mine safety training.
- Pre-shift exam
- Safety check before work.
- Right-of-way
- Who goes first.
- Spotting
- Positioning trucks to load.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Surface Mining Equipment Operator practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Surface Mining Equipment Operator training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.