Will “Excavation Laborer” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

Job Description

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.

Job Details

• The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 47-2071.00
• The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 43,800.00
• The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 21.00
• Currently, there are 51,880 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators”.

Also Known As…

• Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
• Truck Driver
• Screed Operator
• Roller Operator
• Paver Operator
• Operator
• Maintenance Equipment Operator (MEO)
• Heavy Equipment Operator
• Equipment Operator (EO)
• Asphalt Raker
• Asphalt Paver Operator
• Traveling Plant Operator
• Transportation Maintenance Worker
• Tamping Machine Operator
• Strike Off Machine Operator
• Stone Spreader Operator
• Steam Roller Operator
• Self-Propelled Hot-Mix Roller Operator
• Roller Machine Operator
• Roadway Technician
• Road Roller Operator
• Road Packer Operator
• Road Oiling Truck Driver
• Road Mixer Operator
• Road Grader
• Reinforcing Steel Machine Operator
• Paving Machine Operator
• Paving Foreman
• Mud Jack Operator
• Mechanical Spreader Operator
• Loader Operator
• Laydown Machine Operator
• Laborer
• Joint Machine Operator
• Joint Cleaning and Grooving Machine Operator
• Highway Maintenance Worker
• Heater-Planer Operator
• Grade Foreman
• Form Tamper Operator
• Form Tamper
• Form Grader
• Curb Machine Operator
• Crew Team Member
• Concrete Paving Machine Operator
• Concrete Finishing Machine Operator
• Concrete Finisher
• Concrete and Asphalt Equipment Crew Member
• Blacktop-Paver Operator
• Black Top Spreader Machine Operator
• Black Top Roller
• Black Top Paver Operator
• Black Top Machine Operator
• Bituminous Paving Machine Operator
• Asphalt Tamping Machine Operator
• Asphalt Surface Heater Operator
• Asphalt Spreader Operator
• Asphalt Screed Operator
• Asphalt Roller Person
• Asphalt Roller Operator
• Asphalt Paving Superintendent
• Asphalt Paving Machine Operator
• Asphalt Paving Foreman
• Asphalt Paver
• Asphalt Distributor Tender
• Asphalt Distributor Operator

Tasks for “Excavation Laborer”

• Operate machines that clean or cut expansion joints in concrete or asphalt and that rout out cracks in pavement.
• Control traffic.
• Shovel blacktop.
• 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.
• Drive and operate curbing machines to extrude concrete or asphalt curbing.
• Control paving machines to push dump trucks and to maintain a constant flow of asphalt or other material into hoppers or screeds.
• Set up and tear down equipment.
• Operate machines to spread, smooth, level, or steel-reinforce stone, concrete, or asphalt on road beds.
• Start machine, engage clutch, and push and move levers to guide machine along forms or guidelines and to control the operation of machine attachments.
• Install dies, cutters, and extensions to screeds onto machines, using hand tools.
• Set up forms and lay out guidelines for curbs, according to written specifications, using string, spray paint, and concrete or water mixes.
• Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.
• Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.
• Cut or break up pavement and drive guardrail posts, using machines equipped with interchangeable hammers.
• 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.
• 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.
• Operate tamping machines or manually roll surfaces to compact earth fills, foundation forms, and finished road materials, according to grade specifications.

Related Technology & Tools

• Vibratory rollers
• Two way radios
• Pavement marking machines
• Concrete saws
• Liquid asphalt storage equipment
• Power extendable screeds
• Desktop computers
• Asphalt paving machines
• String lines
• Transit levels
• Vibrating concrete screeds
• Pneumatic paving breakers
• Snowplows
• Profiling equipment
• Milling machines
• Skid steer loaders
• Paving curbing machines
• Cold planers
• Automatic paving control systems
• Self-propelled material transfer devices
• Oil distributors
• Straightedges
• Personal computers
• Asphalt mixing equipment
• Pneumatic rollers
• Dump trucks
• Cold in-place recyclers
• Compactors
• Locking pliers
• Chip spreaders
• Hot mix material transfer devices
• Claw hammers
• Concrete paving machines
• Windrow pickup machines
• Slip form machines
• Flatbed truck trailers
• Jackhammers
• Asphalt distributor trucks
• Robotic paving machines
• Static rollers
• Motor graders
• Manual rollers
• Asphalt rakes
• Road heater-planers
• Self-contained breathing apparatus
• Surveying tapes
• Wheel loaders
• Adjustable wrenches
• Rubber-track asphalt pavers
• Tamping machines
• Asphalt heating equipment
• Paving finishing machines
• Laser levels
• Rolling machines
• Rubber-tired asphalt pavers
• Respirators
• Straight screwdrivers
• Nut drivers

• Time report software
• Email software
• Database software
• Microsoft Office
• Spreadsheet software
• HCSS HeavyBid
• Word processing software
• Microsoft Excel
• Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D