Will “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
• 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 “Operator”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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