Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
Operate equipment used for applying concrete, asphalt, or other materials to road beds, parking lots, or airport runways and taxiways or for tamping gravel, dirt, or other materials. Includes concrete and asphalt paving machine operators, form tampers, tamping machine operators, and stone spreader operators.
Also called: Asphalt Paver Operator · Asphalt Paving Machine Operator · Asphalt Raker · Asphalt Roller Operator · Equipment Operator (EO) · Loader Operator
Median pay (national)
$51,650
$38,030–$90,110 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
45,680
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+3.2%
~4,000 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $90,110 versus $38,030 at the bottom 10% — 2.4x. The median of $51,650 leaves roughly 74% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +3.2% from 2024 to 2034 — about as fast as the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 4,000 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 51 states with released data, Hawaii pays the most for this role (median $108,570, +110% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $29,910 — a 263% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Reading Comprehension
- Learning Strategies
- Mathematics
- Writing
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.
- Drive machines onto truck trailers, and drive trucks to transport machines and material to and from job sites.
- Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.
- 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.
- Start machine, engage clutch, and push and move levers to guide machine along forms or guidelines and to control the operation of machine attachments.
- Fill tanks, hoppers, or machines with paving materials.
- 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.
- Set up and tear down equipment.
Tools & technology
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
- Database software
- HCSS HeavyBid
- Time report software
- Warehouse management system WMS
- Email software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
Knowledge areas
- Building and Construction
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Public Safety and Security
- Customer and Personal Service
- Chemistry
- Administration and Management