Will “Traveling Plant 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
• 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
• Heater-Planer Operator
• 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 “Traveling Plant Operator”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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