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What does a paving machine operator do?

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
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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".

Most common paving machine operator skills

The three companies that hire the most paving machine operators are:

Compare different paving machine operators

Paving machine operator vs. Asphalt raker

We looked at the average paving machine operator salary and compared it with the wages of an asphalt raker. Generally speaking, asphalt rakers are paid $10,955 lower than paving machine operators per year.Even though paving machine operators and asphalt rakers are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require asphalt, hand tools, and road construction in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

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

Asphalt paver positions earn lower pay than paving machine operator roles. They earn a $10,473 lower salary than paving machine operators per year.

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

On average scale, roadway technicians bring in lower salaries than paving machine operators. In fact, they earn a $562 lower salary per year.

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

Road graders tend to earn a higher pay than paving machine operators by an average of $3,156 per year.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A paving machine operator uses "asphalt," "hand tools," "maintenance checks," and "machine operators." Road graders are more likely to have duties that require skills in "mowing," "routine maintenance," "safety rules," and "bobcat. "road graders reach lower levels of education compared to paving machine operators, in general. The difference is that they're 5.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of paving machine operator

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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