AITakeover Tracker

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

SOC: 47-2071.00 · Job Zone 2 (Some preparation)

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

Wage & Employment (2024)

Median Wage

$51,650

per year

Mean Wage

$58,660

per year

Employment

46K

workers

Wage Range

$38,030 - $90,110

10th - 90th pct

Wage Distribution

$38,030Median: $51,650$90,110

Task Breakdown

20 tasks analyzed

Operate machines to spread, smooth, level, or steel-reinforce stone, concrete, or asphalt on road beds.

Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.

Control traffic.

Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.

Control paving machines to push dump trucks and to maintain a constant flow of asphalt or other material into hoppers or screeds.

Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.

Operate tamping machines or manually roll surfaces to compact earth fills, foundation forms, and finished road materials, according to grade specifications.

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.

Set up and tear down equipment.

Coordinate truck dumping.

Drive machines onto truck trailers, and drive trucks to transport machines and material to and from job sites.

Operate oil distributors, loaders, chip spreaders, dump trucks, and snow plows.

Set up forms and lay out guidelines for curbs, according to written specifications, using string, spray paint, and concrete or water mixes.

Shovel blacktop.

Place strips of material, such as cork, asphalt, or steel into joints, or place rolls of expansion-joint material on machines that automatically insert material.

Operate machines that clean or cut expansion joints in concrete or asphalt and that rout out cracks in pavement.

Cut or break up pavement and drive guardrail posts, using machines equipped with interchangeable hammers.

Install dies, cutters, and extensions to screeds onto machines, using hand tools.

Drive and operate curbing machines to extrude concrete or asphalt curbing.

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