Will “Heater-Planer Operator” 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
• Grade Foreman
• Form Tamper Operator
• Form Tamper
• Form Grader
• Excavation Laborer
• 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 “Heater-Planer Operator”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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