Mill, pave, and roll the asphalt under Georgia's roads, lots, and driveways.
Milling crews grind worn pavement down to grade, then paving crews follow with hot mix. The paver lays it, the screed sets depth and finish, rakers work the joints and edges the machine cannot reach, and rollers compact it before it cools, on parking lots, county roads, and interstates alike.
It is hot work in hot months, and state highway paving often runs at night to keep lanes open during the day. Laborers who learn the crew's sequence move up to equipment fastest, so ask how long that takes and who decides.
Most people start as a laborer or raker on the paving crew, or a ground man on the milling crew, no experience required. From there, operators move onto rollers, skid steers, and shuttle buggies, then the screed, the skill position on a paving crew, and finally the paver itself. Milling machine operators cut the surface to grade for resurfacing, and water and tack truck drivers need a Class B CDL with a tanker endorsement. Paving foremen run the crew, read plans, order material, and talk to the owner.
Laborers, rakers, and ground men run $27,880 to $56,450. Equipment operators run $37,870 to $59,130. Paving foremen fall into the same statewide wage category as other construction foremen, up to $119,750. Pay climbs fastest by moving from hand work onto equipment.
Source: Georgia wages, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Most paving and milling training happens on the job, inside the company that hires you. Get on a crew, then get trained up to equipment.