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
• 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
• Operator
• 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”

• Start machine, engage clutch, and push and move levers to guide machine along forms or guidelines and to control the operation of machine attachments.
• Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.
• 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.
• Shovel blacktop.
• 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.
• Coordinate truck dumping.
• Drive machines onto truck trailers, and drive trucks to transport machines and material to and from job sites.
• Set up forms and lay out guidelines for curbs, according to written specifications, using string, spray paint, and concrete or water mixes.
• 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.
• Drive and operate curbing machines to extrude concrete or asphalt curbing.
• Control traffic.
• Operate oil distributors, loaders, chip spreaders, dump trucks, and snow plows.
• Set up and tear down equipment.
• Fill tanks, hoppers, or machines with paving materials.
• Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.
• Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.
• Control paving machines to push dump trucks and to maintain a constant flow of asphalt or other material into hoppers or screeds.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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