What You Need to Know About Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator
Occupation 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.
What Do Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators Do On a Daily Basis?
- Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.
- 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.
- Drive machines onto truck trailers, and drive trucks to transport machines and material to and from job sites.
- Operate oil distributors, loaders, chip spreaders, dump trucks, and snow plows.
- Coordinate truck dumping.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Paving, Surfacing & Tamping Equipment Operator?
When polled, Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Types of Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator
- Excavation Laborer
- Loader Operator
- Asphalt Distributor Tender
- Black Top Paver Operator
- Black Top Machine Operator
Job Demand for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 51,900 jobs in the United States for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 12.1% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 6,300 new jobs for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 6,200 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Paving, Surfacing & Tamping Equipment Operator are Utah, Arizona, and Florida. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, New Mexico, or Hawaii. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
How Much Does a Paving, Surfacing & Tamping Equipment Operator Make?
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators make between $27,260 and $70,710 a year.

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators who work in Oregon, Illinois, or Alaska, make the highest salaries.
How much do Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $37,450 |
Alaska | $66,250 |
Arizona | $41,500 |
Arkansas | $33,930 |
California | $58,370 |
Colorado | $45,310 |
Connecticut | $52,100 |
Delaware | $44,860 |
District of Columbia | $51,770 |
Florida | $34,460 |
Georgia | $36,630 |
Idaho | $37,970 |
Illinois | $59,540 |
Indiana | $42,760 |
Iowa | $44,360 |
Kansas | $39,470 |
Kentucky | $39,530 |
Louisiana | $43,110 |
Maine | $38,720 |
Maryland | $43,140 |
Massachusetts | $60,260 |
Michigan | $48,190 |
Minnesota | $55,280 |
Mississippi | $33,400 |
Missouri | $49,060 |
Montana | $47,310 |
Nebraska | $35,450 |
Nevada | $55,890 |
New Hampshire | $42,850 |
New Jersey | $49,540 |
New Mexico | $40,010 |
New York | $59,100 |
North Carolina | $37,040 |
North Dakota | $49,800 |
Ohio | $51,240 |
Oklahoma | $36,160 |
Oregon | $64,000 |
Pennsylvania | $43,890 |
South Carolina | $35,300 |
South Dakota | $43,560 |
Tennessee | $34,840 |
Texas | $38,770 |
Utah | $45,210 |
Virginia | $34,170 |
Washington | $66,520 |
West Virginia | $38,940 |
Wisconsin | $43,790 |
Wyoming | $47,000 |
What Tools & Technology do Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Outlook
- Email software
- Word processing software
- Spreadsheet software
- Database software
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
- HCSS HeavyBid
Becoming a Paving, Surfacing & Tamping Equipment Operator
Learn what Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator education requirements there are.

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where do Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators Work?

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators work in the following industries:

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those interested in being a Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator may also be interested in:
- Stock Clerks- Stockroom, Warehouse, or Storage Yard
- Fallers
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
Career changers with experience as a Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: Hic85 via Public Domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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