Will “Loader 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
• 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
• 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 “Loader Operator”

• Operate machines that clean or cut expansion joints in concrete or asphalt and that rout out cracks in pavement.
• Control traffic.
• Shovel blacktop.
• Drive and operate curbing machines to extrude concrete or asphalt curbing.
• 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 machines to spread, smooth, level, or steel-reinforce stone, concrete, or asphalt on road beds.
• 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.
• Set up and tear down equipment.
• Operate oil distributors, loaders, chip spreaders, dump trucks, and snow plows.
• 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.
• Set up forms and lay out guidelines for curbs, according to written specifications, using string, spray paint, and concrete or water mixes.
• 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.
• Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.
• Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.
• 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.
• Fill tanks, hoppers, or machines with paving materials.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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