What does a paving machine operator do?
Paving machine operator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real paving machine operator resumes:
- Determine the exact quantities to be add to produce the determined quantities of asphalt.
- Turn valves to regulate temperature of asphalt flowing from hopper when asphalt begin to harden on screed.
- Operate and maintain a forklift, bobcat, backhoe/front-end loader and grader in a safe and efficient manner.
- Crane operator, Bidwell paving machine operator and setup.
Paving machine operator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 51% of Paving Machine Operators are proficient in Asphalt, Hand Tools, and Construction Sites. They’re also known for soft skills such as Hand-eye-foot coordination, Unafraid of heights, and Mechanical skills.
We break down the percentage of Paving Machine Operators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Asphalt, 51%
Have been a contractor for about 11 years in Haiti working at a company called Asphalt, Co.
- Hand Tools, 22%
Installed and replaced cutting knives, blades and wheels, in cutting machine, using hand tools.
- Construction Sites, 18%
Clean and prepare construction sites.
- Loaders, 9%
Operated wheeled excavator on State and private road projects and skid steer loaders on various projects
- Repair Equipment, 1%
Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.
"asphalt," "hand tools," and "construction sites" are among the most common skills that paving machine operators use at work. You can find even more paving machine operator responsibilities below, including:
Hand-eye-foot coordination. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a paving machine operator to have is hand-eye-foot coordination. Their role and responsibilities require that "construction equipment operators should have steady hands and feet to guide and control heavy machinery precisely, sometimes in tight spaces." Paving machine operators often use hand-eye-foot coordination in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "performed work in coordination with asphalt and road construction contractors. "
Mechanical skills. This is an important skill for paving machine operators to perform their duties. For an example of how paving machine operator responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "construction equipment operators often perform basic maintenance on the equipment they operate." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a paving machine operator: "field of interests injection molding/mechanical maintenance/industrial maintenance".
The three companies that hire the most paving machine operators are:
- C.W. Matthews Contracting Co.5 paving machine operators jobs
- Blythe Construction4 paving machine operators jobs
- Hubbard Construction3 paving machine operators jobs
Compare different paving machine operators
Paving machine operator vs. Asphalt raker
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, paving machine operator responsibilities require skills like "construction sites," "loaders," "maintenance checks," and "machine operators." Meanwhile a typical asphalt raker has skills in areas such as "road surfaces," "traffic control," "water truck," and "facilitate alignment." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Asphalt rakers tend to reach lower levels of education than paving machine operators. In fact, asphalt rakers are 5.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Paving machine operator vs. Asphalt paver
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that paving machine operator responsibilities requires skills like "construction sites," "loaders," "maintenance checks," and "machine operators." But an asphalt paver might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "equipment maintenance," "jack hammers," "laser equipment," and "traffic control."
Asphalt pavers earn lower levels of education than paving machine operators in general. They're 5.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Paving machine operator vs. Roadway technician
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from paving machine operator resumes include skills like "hand tools," "construction sites," "loaders," and "maintenance checks," whereas a roadway technician is more likely to list skills in "autocad," "survey data," "traffic control," and "txdot. "
Roadway technicians typically earn lower educational levels compared to paving machine operators. Specifically, they're 5.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Paving machine operator vs. Road grader
Types of paving machine operator
Updated January 8, 2025