Will “Heater-Planer Operator” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

Job Description

Operate equipment used for applying concrete, asphalt, or other materials to road beds, parking lots, or airport runways and taxiways, or equipment used for tamping gravel, dirt, or other materials. Includes concrete and asphalt paving machine operators, form tampers, tamping machine operators, and stone spreader operators.

Job Details

• The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 47-2071.00
• The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 43,800.00
• The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 21.00
• Currently, there are 51,880 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators”.

Also Known As…

• Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
• Truck Driver
• Screed Operator
• Roller Operator
• Paver Operator
• Operator
• Maintenance Equipment Operator (MEO)
• Heavy Equipment Operator
• Equipment Operator (EO)
• Asphalt Raker
• Asphalt Paver Operator
• Traveling Plant Operator
• Transportation Maintenance Worker
• Tamping Machine Operator
• Strike Off Machine Operator
• Stone Spreader Operator
• Steam Roller Operator
• Self-Propelled Hot-Mix Roller Operator
• Roller Machine Operator
• Roadway Technician
• Road Roller Operator
• Road Packer Operator
• Road Oiling Truck Driver
• Road Mixer Operator
• Road Grader
• Reinforcing Steel Machine Operator
• Paving Machine Operator
• Paving Foreman
• Mud Jack Operator
• Mechanical Spreader Operator
• Loader Operator
• Laydown Machine Operator
• Laborer
• Joint Machine Operator
• Joint Cleaning and Grooving Machine Operator
• Highway Maintenance Worker
• Grade Foreman
• Form Tamper Operator
• Form Tamper
• Form Grader
• Excavation Laborer
• Curb Machine Operator
• Crew Team Member
• Concrete Paving Machine Operator
• Concrete Finishing Machine Operator
• Concrete Finisher
• Concrete and Asphalt Equipment Crew Member
• Blacktop-Paver Operator
• Black Top Spreader Machine Operator
• Black Top Roller
• Black Top Paver Operator
• Black Top Machine Operator
• Bituminous Paving Machine Operator
• Asphalt Tamping Machine Operator
• Asphalt Surface Heater Operator
• Asphalt Spreader Operator
• Asphalt Screed Operator
• Asphalt Roller Person
• Asphalt Roller Operator
• Asphalt Paving Superintendent
• Asphalt Paving Machine Operator
• Asphalt Paving Foreman
• Asphalt Paver
• Asphalt Distributor Tender
• Asphalt Distributor Operator

Tasks for “Heater-Planer Operator”

• Operate tamping machines or manually roll surfaces to compact earth fills, foundation forms, and finished road materials, according to grade specifications.
• Drive and operate curbing machines to extrude concrete or asphalt curbing.
• Operate machines to spread, smooth, level, or steel-reinforce stone, concrete, or asphalt on road beds.
• Operate machines that clean or cut expansion joints in concrete or asphalt and that rout out cracks in pavement.
• Shovel blacktop.
• Drive machines onto truck trailers, and drive trucks to transport machines and material to and from job sites.
• Start machine, engage clutch, and push and move levers to guide machine along forms or guidelines and to control the operation of machine attachments.
• Operate oil distributors, loaders, chip spreaders, dump trucks, and snow plows.
• Control traffic.
• Install dies, cutters, and extensions to screeds onto machines, using hand tools.
• Coordinate truck dumping.
• Cut or break up pavement and drive guardrail posts, using machines equipped with interchangeable hammers.
• Control paving machines to push dump trucks and to maintain a constant flow of asphalt or other material into hoppers or screeds.
• Place strips of material, such as cork, asphalt, or steel into joints, or place rolls of expansion-joint material on machines that automatically insert material.
• Fill tanks, hoppers, or machines with paving materials.
• Set up and tear down equipment.
• Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.
• Set up forms and lay out guidelines for curbs, according to written specifications, using string, spray paint, and concrete or water mixes.
• Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.
• Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.

Related Technology & Tools

• Surveying tapes
• Self-propelled material transfer devices
• Respirators
• Pavement marking machines
• Self-contained breathing apparatus
• Straight screwdrivers
• Road heater-planers
• Concrete paving machines
• Vibrating concrete screeds
• Liquid asphalt storage equipment
• Jackhammers
• Paving finishing machines
• Dump trucks
• Cold planers
• Laser levels
• Profiling equipment
• Concrete saws
• Milling machines
• Rolling machines
• Windrow pickup machines
• Asphalt distributor trucks
• Transit levels
• Straightedges
• Two way radios
• Pneumatic paving breakers
• Asphalt heating equipment
• Cold in-place recyclers
• Chip spreaders
• Locking pliers
• Manual rollers
• Oil distributors
• Rubber-tired asphalt pavers
• Hot mix material transfer devices
• Desktop computers
• Slip form machines
• Power extendable screeds
• Nut drivers
• Snowplows
• Robotic paving machines
• Automatic paving control systems
• Asphalt rakes
• Skid steer loaders
• Compactors
• Asphalt paving machines
• Asphalt mixing equipment
• Adjustable wrenches
• Pneumatic rollers
• Claw hammers
• String lines
• Flatbed truck trailers
• Static rollers
• Tamping machines
• Rubber-track asphalt pavers
• Paving curbing machines
• Wheel loaders
• Personal computers
• Motor graders
• Vibratory rollers

• Microsoft Office
• HCSS HeavyBid
• Microsoft Excel
• Spreadsheet software
• Email software
• Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
• Time report software
• Word processing software
• Database software