Construction & Extraction
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
Also called: Asphalt Paver Operator, Asphalt Paving Machine Operator, Asphalt Raker, Asphalt Roller Operator
US median pay
$53,340
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
-0.9%
declining
Openings a year (US)
3,100
42,300 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 2/5 · Some preparation
What this job is
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.
What they do day to day
- 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.
- Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.
- Coordinate truck dumping.
- 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.
- Set up and tear down equipment.
- Operate machines to spread, smooth, level, or steel-reinforce stone, concrete, or asphalt on road beds.
- Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Operations Monitoring3.6/5
- Operation and Control3.4/5
- Troubleshooting3.0/5
- Repairing3.0/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
- Equipment Maintenance2.9/5
- Time Management2.8/5
Knowledge
- Building and Construction3.6/5
- Mechanical3.3/5
- Mathematics2.8/5
- Public Safety and Security2.7/5
- Physics2.7/5
- Customer and Personal Service2.7/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 2 of 5 — Some preparation. Usually a high school diploma; some previous work experience or training helps.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Less than high school41%
- High school diploma38%
- Post-secondary certificate21%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.