Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

What the job really is

Operate equipment used for applying concrete, asphalt, or other materials to road beds, parking lots, or airport runways and taxiways or for tamping gravel, dirt, or other materials. Includes concrete and asphalt paving machine operators, form tampers, tamping machine operators, and stone spreader operators.

At a glance

• Sector: Construction & Extraction
• O*NET-SOC code: 47-2071
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Start machine, engage clutch, and push and move levers to guide machine along forms or guidelines and to control the operation of machine attachments.
• Fill tanks, hoppers, or machines with paving materials.
• Control paving machines to push dump trucks and to maintain a constant flow of asphalt or other material into hoppers or screeds.
• Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.
• Coordinate truck dumping.
• Drive machines onto truck trailers, and drive trucks to transport machines and material to and from job sites.
• Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.
• Set up and tear down equipment.
• Operate machines to spread, smooth, level, or steel-reinforce stone, concrete, or asphalt on road beds.
• Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.
• Control traffic.
• Shovel blacktop.

Tools and technology

Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Adjustable wrenches, Asphalt distributor trucks, Asphalt heating equipment, Asphalt mixing equipment, Asphalt paving machines, Asphalt rakes, Automatic paving control systems, Chip spreaders

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Construction Laborers
• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
• Segmental Pavers
• Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
• Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
• Pile Driver Operators
• Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
• Pipelayers

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.