What the work involves, what it pays, and real lines you can start from. Answer a few small questions and leave with a resume.
Also called bridge tender, crossing tender, dam tender and drawbridge tender.
$57,700
Median pay a year
3,040
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
A Bridge and Lock Tender resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Bridge and Lock Tender
Summary
Bridge and lock tender operating machinery to open and close canal locks and drawbridges, directing vessel movements and ensuring safe passage on inland waterways
Experience
Bridge and Lock Tender
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Controlled machinery to open and close canal locks and drawbridges
Directed movements of vessels in locks using signals and loudspeakers
Observed position and progress of vessels to use lock spaces well
Recorded names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through locks
Moved levers to activate traffic signals, navigation lights, and alarms
Checked that bridges were clear of vehicles and pedestrians before opening
Performed maintenance duties, such as cleaning and minor repairs
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What to put on a Bridge and Lock Tender resume
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What did you do each day?
Choose what fits, or say your own.
Controlled machines for locks and bridgesDirected boats using signals and speakersWatched boats to use space wellRecorded names and types of vesselsMoved levers for signals and lightsChecked bridges for vehicles and people
becomes
On your resume
Operated machinery to open and close canal locks and bridges, ensuring safe passage for vessels.
Recorded names and types of vessels to maintain accurate operational logs
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Then it asks for one more thing
The line that could show more, and the fact that lands it.
Make it stronger
A few lines could show more. Each one is asked, and answered by choosing.
Add how often you operated the machinery each shift.
The line
Operated machinery several times during each shift to open and close canal locks and bridges, ensuring safe passage for vessels
Add how often you operated the machinery each shift.
Pick one that fits
Several times during each shiftMultiple times every hourOften throughout the day
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In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Show what improved once the logs were maintained.
The line
Recorded names and types of vessels to maintain accurate operational logs
Show what improved once the logs were maintained.
Pick one that fits
Helped ensure smooth operationsImproved communication with vessel operatorsReduced waiting times for vessels
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
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What it is made of
Skills for a Bridge and Lock Tender resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Monitoring vehicle movement
Controlling traffic equipment
Directing vehicle traffic
Recording travel details
Reporting vehicle malfunctions
Monitoring traffic signals
Monitoring surroundings
Arranging maintenance activities
Cleaning machinery and equipment
Cleaning work areas
Securing watercraft
Controlling pumps
The work itself
What a Bridge and Lock Tender does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages. May supervise such operations. Includes drawbridge operators, lock operators, and slip bridge operators.
What it pays
How much does a Bridge and Lock Tender make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$38,640
Median
$57,700
75th percentile
$69,620
About 3,040 people do this work in the United States.
This page is about the occupation Bridge and Lock Tenders. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.