Will “Traveling Plant 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
• 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 “Traveling Plant Operator”

• Control paving machines to push dump trucks and to maintain a constant flow of asphalt or other material into hoppers or screeds.
• Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.
• Set up forms and lay out guidelines for curbs, according to written specifications, using string, spray paint, and concrete or water mixes.
• 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.
• 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 that clean or cut expansion joints in concrete or asphalt and that rout out cracks in pavement.
• Fill tanks, hoppers, or machines with paving materials.
• Set up and tear down equipment.
• 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.
• Start machine, engage clutch, and push and move levers to guide machine along forms or guidelines and to control the operation of machine attachments.
• Drive and operate curbing machines to extrude concrete or asphalt curbing.
• 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.
• Shovel blacktop.
• Cut or break up pavement and drive guardrail posts, using machines equipped with interchangeable hammers.
• Coordinate truck dumping.
• Control traffic.
• Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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