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Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

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.

What you’d do

  • 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.

Skills that matter

  • Operations Monitoring
  • Operation and Control
  • Monitoring
  • Coordination
  • Critical Thinking
  • Repairing

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Equipment Operator (EO)
  • Paver Operator
  • Roller Operator
  • Screed Operator
  • Asphalt Paver Operator
  • Asphalt Paving Machine Operator

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