What Do Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators Do?

Job Description & Duties 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.

Daily Life Of a Paving, Surfacing & Tamping Equipment Operator

• Cut or break up pavement and drive guardrail posts, using machines equipped with interchangeable hammers.
• Drive and operate curbing machines to extrude concrete or asphalt curbing.
• 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.
• Set up and tear down equipment.
• Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics’ hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.

What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Paving, Surfacing & Tamping Equipment Operator?

Below is a list of the skills most Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators say are important on the job.

Operation 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.

Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Types of Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

• Paver Operator
• Laydown Machine Operator
• Crew Team Member
• Form Tamper Operator
• Form Tamper

Job Opportunities for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

There were about 51,900 jobs for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators in 2016 (in the United States).

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 12.1% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 6,300 new jobs for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators by 2026. There will be an estimated 6,200 positions for Paving, Surfacing & Tamping Equipment Operator per year.

The states with the most job growth for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators are Texas, Florida, and California.

Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, New Mexico, or Hawaii. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Paving, Surfacing & Tamping Equipment Operator Salary

The salary for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators ranges between about $27,260 and $70,710 a year. The median salary is $39,780.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Washington	$66,520
Alaska	$66,250
Oregon	$64,000
Massachusetts	$60,260
Illinois	$59,540
New York	$59,100
California	$58,370
Nevada	$55,890
Minnesota	$55,280
Connecticut	$52,100
District of Columbia	$51,770
Ohio	$51,240
North Dakota	$49,800
New Jersey	$49,540
Missouri	$49,060
Michigan	$48,190
Montana	$47,310
Wyoming	$47,000
Colorado	$45,310
Utah	$45,210
Delaware	$44,860
Iowa	$44,360
Pennsylvania	$43,890
Wisconsin	$43,790
South Dakota	$43,560
Maryland	$43,140
Louisiana	$43,110
New Hampshire	$42,850
Indiana	$42,760
Arizona	$41,500
New Mexico	$40,010
Kentucky	$39,530
Kansas	$39,470
West Virginia	$38,940
Texas	$38,770
Maine	$38,720
Idaho	$37,970
Alabama	$37,450
North Carolina	$37,040
Georgia	$36,630
Oklahoma	$36,160
Nebraska	$35,450
South Carolina	$35,300
Tennessee	$34,840
Florida	$34,460
Virginia	$34,170
Arkansas	$33,930
Mississippi	$33,400

What Tools & Technology do Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators:

• Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Outlook

Becoming a Paving, Surfacing & Tamping Equipment Operator

Individuals working as Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators have obtained the following education levels:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Who Employs Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators?

You May Also Be Interested In…

Those interested in being a Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator may also be interested in:

• Stock Clerks- Stockroom, Warehouse, or Storage Yard
• Fallers
• Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand

Career changers with experience as a Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

• Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators
• Sailors and Marine Oilers

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons