Plant operators for excavators, dumpers, telehandlers, rollers and other site machinery — for contractors hiring, and for operators looking for work.
We recruit operators for groundworks, civils and general construction sites, across machines such as:
Tell us the machine, its size and the card your site requires. Card categories are specific to each machine.
CSCS does not issue plant cards. Operators on construction sites are carded through partner schemes that carry the CSCS logo, such as CPCS and NPORS. Both use two levels:
NPORS also issues a traditional card without the CSCS logo for sectors other than construction; on construction sites the NPORS/CSCS card is the relevant one.
Examples of CPCS categories: A09 forward tipping dumper, A58 360 excavator below 10 tonnes, A59 360 excavator above 10 tonnes, A17 telescopic handler and A31 ride-on roller. The legal duty is for employers to make sure plant users are adequately trained; which card a site accepts is the principal contractor's decision.
ONS figures put the median hourly pay of employed mobile machine operatives at £16.00 in April 2025 — about £128 for an 8-hour day. This is official national benchmark data, not a rate we are offering: pay for any role depends on the site, the location and the terms agreed. Our labourer day rates guide explains how agency charge rates are built on top of pay.
Sources: CSCS Card Finder (occupation: Plant Operator); CPCS (NOCN) Red Trained Operator and Blue Competent Operator card pages and category list; NPORS card information; Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, regulation 9; ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025, SOC 2020 unit group 8229. Accessed 25 September 2026.
Send a staffing enquiry and we aim to respond within one business day. Include:
Registration is free and does not guarantee work. We don't run a job board — we contact you when suitable work comes up. Have ready:
They are separate plant card schemes, and both issue cards carrying the CSCS logo for construction. Each has a red Trained Operator card and a blue Competent Operator card; which one a site accepts is the principal contractor's decision, so tell us what your site requires.
The red Trained Operator card lasts two years and is for operators who have passed the tests but not yet achieved the NVQ, which must be completed within the card's life. The blue Competent Operator card lasts five years, is renewable and shows the NVQ has been achieved.
A58 covers 360 excavators below 10 tonnes and A59 covers those above 10 tonnes. A09 is the forward tipping dumper, A17 the telescopic handler and A31 the ride-on roller.
The legal requirement is that employers make sure anyone using work equipment is adequately trained. Plant cards from schemes such as CPCS and NPORS show an operator's training and competence, and each site decides which cards it accepts.
The ONS median for employed mobile machine operatives was £16.00 an hour in April 2025, about £128 for an 8-hour day. This is a national benchmark, not a promised rate.
More on hiring and working in this trade.
