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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers?
Task-level automation exposure for Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers: 24 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
31%
weighted task index
24 of 24 tasks scored
Median Salary
$96,710 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
33,160 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
-1.9%
employment change
2,700 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 43 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$44,470 – $124,530
Highest medians
Alaska $124,530
Louisiana $106,640
Utah $105,980
Ohio $105,150
New Jersey $104,540
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $44,470
Connecticut $56,880
Georgia $57,180
South Carolina $58,160
Virginia $58,970
State figures come from the 51-8093 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 31%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 44%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 14%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 5%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 51/100
High
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
24 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 21%
6 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 15%
3 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 64%
15 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#14309 · Core · 8% automatable
Signal other workers by telephone or radio to operate pumps, open and close valves, and check temperatures.
physical manipulation — Embodied signaling in shared physical workspace
Signal others to coordinate work activities.
#14318 · Core · 28% automatable
Maintain and repair equipment, or report malfunctioning equipment to supervisors so that repairs can be scheduled.
text generation — Notifying maintenance needs is routine messaging
Repair production equipment or tools. Maintain production or processing equipment. Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
#14305 · Core · 42% automatable
Monitor process indicators, instruments, gauges, and meters to detect and report any possible problems.
visual inspection — Sensor/vision monitoring possible, but physical verification and accountability remain human
Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
#14306 · Core · 15% automatable
Start pumps and open valves or use automated equipment to regulate the flow of oil in pipelines and into and out of tanks.
physical manipulation — Hands-on adjustment of liquid flow controls
Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of water, cleaning solutions, or other liquids.
#14308 · Core · 20% automatable
Operate control panels to coordinate and regulate process variables such as temperature and pressure, and to direct product flow rate, according to process schedules.
physical manipulation — Hands-on energy distribution equipment operation
Operate energy distribution equipment.
#14310 · Core · 38% automatable
Verify that incoming and outgoing products are moving through the correct meters, and that meters are working properly.
visual inspection — Malfunction detection relies on live physical observation
Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.
#14317 · Core · 15% automatable
Patrol units to monitor the amount of oil in storage tanks, and to verify that activities and operations are safe, efficient, and in compliance with regulations.
physical manipulation — Checking fluid levels is hands-on physical work
Monitor equipment fluid levels.
#14313 · Core · 60% automatable
Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of system interconnections and capacities.
decision support — Sequence planning aided; production constraints human-verified
Plan production or operational procedures or sequences.
#14307 · Core · 15% automatable
Control or operate manifold and pumping systems to circulate liquids through a petroleum refinery.
physical manipulation — Pumping systems operated and adjusted in field
Operate pumping systems or equipment.
#14312 · Core · 15% automatable
Operate auxiliary equipment and control multiple processing units during distilling or treating operations, moving controls that regulate valves, pumps, compressors, and auxiliary equipment.
physical manipulation — Pumping systems operated and adjusted in field
Operate pumping systems or equipment.
#14319 · Core · 8% automatable
Collect product samples by turning bleeder valves, or by lowering containers into tanks to obtain oil samples.
physical manipulation — Manual product sampling
Collect samples of materials or products for testing.
#14311 · Core · 42% automatable
Read automatic gauges at specified intervals to determine the flow rate of oil into or from tanks, and the amount of oil in tanks.
visual inspection — Sensor/vision monitoring possible, but physical verification and accountability remain human
Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
#14316 · Core · 30% automatable
Synchronize activities with other pumphouses to ensure a continuous flow of products and a minimum of contamination between products.
interpersonal — Directing production operations is human supervisory authority
Direct operational or production activities.
#14315 · Core · 82% automatable
Record and compile operating data, instrument readings, documentation, and results of laboratory analyses.
data analysis — Record production data into structured logs
Record operational or production data.
#14321 · Core · 5% automatable
Conduct general housekeeping of units, including wiping up oil spills and performing general cleaning duties.
physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning of work areas
Clean work areas.
#14320 · Core · 14% automatable
Inspect pipelines, tightening connections and lubricating valves as necessary.
visual inspection — Physical inspection of production machinery in situ
Inspect production equipment. Lubricate production equipment.
#14314 · Supplemental · 66% automatable
Read and analyze specifications, schedules, logs, test results, and laboratory recommendations to determine how to set equipment controls to produce the required qualities and quantities of products.
visual inspection — Blueprint setup reading partial, human confirms
Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements.
#14323 · Supplemental · 22% automatable
Perform tests to check the qualities and grades of products, such as assessing levels of bottom sediment, water, and foreign materials in oil samples, using centrifugal testers.
physical manipulation — Chemical/physical testing requires lab manipulation
Test chemical or physical characteristics of materials or products.
#14328 · Supplemental · 78% automatable
Calculate test result values, using standard formulas.
data analysis — AI analyzes test results against criteria
Analyze test results.
#14326 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Clean interiors of processing units by circulating chemicals and solvents within units.
physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning of equipment in unstructured settings
Clean production equipment.
#14327 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Clamp seals around valves to secure tanks.
physical manipulation — Sealing gaps requires hands-on application
Seal gaps or cracks to prevent leakage or moisture intrusion.
#14322 · Supplemental · 30% automatable
Coordinate shutdowns and major projects.
interpersonal — Directing production operations is human supervisory authority
Direct operational or production activities.
#14324 · Supplemental · 82% automatable
Prepare calculations for receipts and deliveries of oil and oil products.
data analysis — Cost calculation from structured inputs
Calculate costs of goods or services.
#14325 · Supplemental · 70% automatable
Lower thermometers into tanks to obtain temperature readings.
data analysis — Weight/volume calculations from given data
Calculate weights, volumes or other characteristics of materials.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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