Construction and extraction
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.
Median pay
$53,340
Growth to 2035
−1%
little or no change
Openings a year
3,100
Time to qualify*
6 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators: 30% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- 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.
Also called: Asphalt Paver Operator · Asphalt Paving Machine Operator · Asphalt Raker · Asphalt Roller Operator · Equipment Operator (EO) · Loader Operator · Maintenance Equipment Operator (MEO) · Paver Operator
Outlook and AI
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators held 42,300 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 41,900 by 2035 (−1%, little or no change; all jobs: +3.5%).
Productivity change - share decreases as new equipment and paving materials allow operators to lay more road materials.
Compare with
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