Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
Architecture and ConstructionO*NET 47-2071.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $53,008
- Projected change
- +6.3%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 46.16K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
79.4% of the workforce
Growing to 49.08K by 2035
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The work
What paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.
- Control paving machines to push dump trucks and to maintain a constant flow of asphalt or other material into hoppers or screeds.
- 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.
- Operate machines to spread, smooth, level, or steel-reinforce stone, concrete, or asphalt on road beds.
- Set up and tear down equipment.
- Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.
- Control traffic.
- Shovel blacktop.
- Operate tamping machines or manually roll surfaces to compact earth fills, foundation forms, and finished road materials, according to grade specifications.
- Operate oil distributors, loaders, chip spreaders, dump trucks, and snow plows.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $37,016
- 25th percentile
- $44,802
- 50th percentile
- $53,008
- 75th percentile
- $65,397
- 90th percentile
- $96,158
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $53,008 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+6.3%faster than average
202546,155 jobs
2035 projected49,076 jobs
2,921 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 79.4%
- Certificate
- 20.6%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Asphalt Paver Operators417 postings
- 02Asphalt Screed Operators306 postings
- 03Asphalt Equipment Operators76 postings
- 04Paver Operators24 postings
- 05Construction Equipment Operators7 postings
- 06Asphalt Paving Foremen6 postings
- 07Heavy Equipment Operators6 postings
- 08Machine Operators6 postings
- 09Equipment Operators5 postings
- 10Asphalt Laborers3 postings
- 11Asphalt Rakers2 postings
- 12Asphalt Roller Operators2 postings
- 13Highway Project Managers2 postings
- 14Dozer Operators1 postings
- 15Heavy Construction Equipment Operators1 postings
- 16Screed Operators1 postings
- 17Surface Mount Operators1 postings
Top employers
- 01CRH plc42 postings
- 02Reeves Construction Company29 postings
- 03Francis O Day22 postings
- 04Apac Atlantic19 postings
- 05Hubbard Construction Company17 postings
- 06Apac Alabama16 postings
- 07Florida Blacktop16 postings
- 08Border States Paving12 postings
- 09Blythe Construction11 postings
- 10Rogers Group9 postings
- 11Staker Parson Companies9 postings
- 12Advantage Asphalt Paving And Seal Coatings8 postings
- 13Allan Myers8 postings
- 14Austin Industrial8 postings
- 15Colas8 postings
- 16Monarch Paving Ltd.8 postings
- 17Scotty's Contracting & Stone8 postings
- 18Sunland Asphalt8 postings
- 19System One8 postings
- 20CRH Americas7 postings
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