Roads, driveways, and parking lots can all be built with the help of paving contractors. The job could also entail assisting with larger projects such as highway construction, airport runway paving, or any other paving-related task. You’ll need at least a high school diploma to become a paving contractor, and you’ll need to work as a paver under supervision until you’re ready to work as a paving contractor.
Pavement contractors frequently start their careers as paving workers or paving equipment operators. If you want to work as a paving contractor, you’ll need to learn the industry from the ground up, which you can do working as a paving worker or equipment operator. After being promoted from a paving worker to a paving contractor, the focus shifts to project management.
Getting a high school diploma, a post-secondary apprenticeship to learn paving on the job, and then working for several years until you are promoted into management training as a paving contractor can all help you become a paving contractor. Granted, some people attend community colleges and others attend four-year colleges to study business management, computer skills, construction, and earn a bachelor’s degree in business. After that, they might choose to work as a paver after college. After gaining paving experience and gaining a better understanding of the business, they are gradually given more responsibilities until they are promoted to paving contractor management.
Paving contractors have a wide range of responsibilities due to the managerial nature of the job. Paving contractors, for example, may be in charge of obtaining new clients, hiring and training paving workers, surveying the site, conducting cost analyses, and determining the cost of equipment and labor during the course of a paving project. The paving contractor is also in charge of keeping the project on track, keeping the client informed of any issues that arise, and sending an invoice to the client for payment at the end of the project.
Because paving contractors frequently use computers to keep records, they must have excellent computer skills. Paving contractors must also have excellent interpersonal skills in order to communicate with clients and manage work crews in order to keep jobs on track and complete them successfully. Finally, paving contractors must have strong math skills in order to conduct cost analyses and keep track of project expenditures.
After a few years as a paving contractor for a company, you have the option of staying with the company or starting your own paving contracting business. If you decide to start your own business, keep in mind that the initial investment may be substantial. However, if you can get enough start-up money, clients, and are a good manager who can hire good paving workers, you could have a successful paving business.