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"A great way to begin is to hold a training day and lay asphalt or just a mixture of sand and gravel somewhere on the company premises," says Ingersoll Rand's Peter Fleming. "Let your younger workers experience as much of the real job as they can, under supervision of course."

Make a Big Impact with Compaction Instruction
Compactors offer another set of techniques operators need to learn. Ingersoll Rand's Peter Fleming says to start training by introducing the concepts behind the machines, then move to put those concepts into practice. Workers should understand the purpose of compaction and the importance of achieving density at the right material temperature. He says it's important to teach students the difference between frequency and amplitude of the vibration and how the incorrect rolling speed can ruin the mat laid be the paver. "After they have that down, show them how to steer in a straight line and how to stop the roller at an angle and in such a position as to be ready to reverse without turning the drums when stationary on the asphalt, and then move on to practice the variety of rolling patterns that may be applied." Fleming says, "The best way to teach all that is to let the workers get in the seat and operate the rollers."