Career profile · 47-2071
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.
What the work can involve
- 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.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves some prior preparation and on-the-job learning. Check the specific employer, occupational credential and state requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Building and Construction
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Public Safety and Security
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Controlling Machines and Processes
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
- Performing General Physical Activities
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Occasional contact with others | 33.0%08/2020 · sample 15 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 39.0%08/2020 · sample 15 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 33.6%08/2020 · sample 15 |
| Spend Time Sitting | More than half the time | 34.5%08/2020 · sample 15 |
| Spend Time Standing | About half the time | 29.2%08/2020 · sample 15 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
- Data base user interface and query software: Database software
- Electronic mail software: Email software, Microsoft Outlook
- Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software: Warehouse management system WMS
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Project management software: HCSS HeavyBid
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
- Time accounting software: Time report software
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 50 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $41,880 | $20.14 | 700 |
| Alaska | $83,520 | $40.15 | 80 |
| Arizona | $52,140 | $25.07 | 170 |
| Arkansas | $44,010 | $21.16 | 490 |
| California | $83,130 | $39.97 | 1,400 |
| Colorado | $58,810 | $28.28 | 920 |
| Connecticut | $77,480 | $37.25 | Not published |
| Delaware | $54,020 | $25.97 | 150 |
| District of Columbia | $91,280 | $43.88 | 70 |
| Florida | $46,840 | $22.52 | 2,740 |
| Georgia | $46,100 | $22.16 | 1,270 |
| Hawaii | $111,360 | $53.54 | Not published |
| Idaho | $73,210 | $35.20 | 130 |
| Illinois | $73,060 | $35.13 | 950 |
| Indiana | $50,380 | $24.22 | 910 |
| Iowa | $61,110 | $29.38 | Not published |
| Kansas | $49,070 | $23.59 | 540 |
| Kentucky | $45,660 | $21.95 | 110 |
| Louisiana | $48,450 | $23.29 | 350 |
| Maine | $57,020 | $27.42 | 250 |
| Maryland | $60,530 | $29.10 | 750 |
| Massachusetts | $60,950 | $29.31 | 560 |
| Michigan | $54,220 | $26.07 | 1,720 |
| Minnesota | $68,180 | $32.78 | 830 |
| Mississippi | $37,030 | $17.80 | 470 |
| Missouri | $69,400 | $33.37 | 1,560 |
| Montana | $55,920 | $26.89 | 260 |
| Nebraska | $45,760 | $22.00 | 390 |
| Nevada | $51,400 | $24.71 | Not published |
| New Hampshire | $62,080 | $29.85 | 260 |
| New Jersey | $50,500 | $24.28 | 840 |
| New Mexico | $45,880 | $22.06 | 990 |
| New York | $62,760 | $30.17 | 4,530 |
| North Carolina | $47,820 | $22.99 | 1,940 |
| Ohio | $60,280 | $28.98 | 2,370 |
| Oklahoma | $46,760 | $22.48 | 550 |
| Oregon | $63,310 | $30.44 | 520 |
| Pennsylvania | $56,010 | $26.93 | 520 |
| Rhode Island | $63,060 | $30.32 | 160 |
| South Carolina | $46,950 | $22.57 | 630 |
| South Dakota | $60,140 | $28.92 | 130 |
| Tennessee | $42,510 | $20.44 | 1,730 |
| Texas | $47,060 | $22.63 | 3,940 |
| Utah | $48,860 | $23.49 | 410 |
| Vermont | $54,830 | $26.36 | 70 |
| Virginia | $48,060 | $23.10 | 1,660 |
| Washington | $90,530 | $43.53 | 530 |
| West Virginia | $51,230 | $24.63 | 210 |
| Wisconsin | $69,020 | $33.18 | 960 |
| Wyoming | $58,080 | $27.92 | 160 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 219 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
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Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 47-2071.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.