5 Types of Asphalt Maintenance Employees to Hire for Your Pavement Business

Hiring the right crew for your asphalt maintenance business is comparable to laying the perfect pavement: it requires the right mix, layers, and a solid foundation. You can’t slap down a few workers and hope your business runs smoothly—you need a team as rugged and reliable as freshly cured asphalt.

To help pave your business’s way to success, let’s break down the five essential types of asphalt maintenance employees every pavement business needs and how to spot the rockstars from the roadblocks.

1. The Salesperson: Your Deal Closer

No pavement business runs without clients, and no clients say yes without a salesperson who knows how to seal the deal. But being persuasive isn’t enough. A good asphalt maintenance salesperson understands the industry and business services, listens carefully to customer needs, and can explain why proper asphalt care is worth every penny.

Hire a rep who can hold a real conversation on a lot walk. They explain options in plain English, ask about traffic patterns and budgets, and earn trust without hype. Curiosity matters. They study your services, learn the details of asphalt maintenance, and keep notes so relationships grow season after season.

Red Flags:

Pro Tip: Give reps simple proof. Use your pavement assessments to show life cycle cost, priority repairs, and phased plans. When owners see clear numbers, decisions come faster.

2. The Crew Member: Your Ground-Level Muscle

Crews carry the work. They clean and prep, crackfill, edge, and finish so the lot looks right and lasts. It takes more than strength. You need teammates who hold pace, follow spec, and care about the line they leave behind.

Look for people who show up on time, wear PPE, and ask for the next task. Experience in asphalt, construction, or other hands-on trades helps, but a teachable worker with steady habits often becomes a top hand quickly. Still, a willingness to learn and cultivate the necessary skills can quickly become valuable expertise (they must start somewhere).

Red Flags:

Pro Tip: Look for people who take pride in the final product. Attention to detail should look like perfectly laid asphalt.

3. The Foreman: Your On-Site Captain

A foreman turns the plan into a clean job. They stage materials, set the order of work, watch temps and weather, and keep the client updated. The best ones coach, correct, and steady the team when something breaks or conditions change.

Look for leadership qualities and experience in asphalt maintenance or related fields. Foremen should have solid problem-solving skills (because no job ever goes exactly as planned) and respect for their team. They also need to lead by example.

Red Flags:

Pro Tip: Have the foreman teach layout, kettle safety, and punch-list standards to one crew member each week. That builds future leads from inside your team.

4. The Office Admin: Your Behind-the-Scenes Heroes

You won’t see them on the pavement, but your office admin keeps your asphalt maintenance business running in top-notch shape from the background. Scheduling, invoicing, and customer communication—it’s all in their capable hands.

Look for someone with organization skills that rival a well-tuned Swiss watch. They should be experienced in office administration duties and capable of operating schedule software, invoicing apps, and ensuring positive customer service. Office admins should be calm, even when phones are ringing off the hook.

Red Flags:

Pro Tip: Your office admin can be a significant asset in customer retention. Friendliness and efficiency keep people coming back.

5. The Appointment Setter: Your Lead Wrangler

Most asphalt maintenance services require appointments, so a dedicated appointment setter is necessary. These asphalt maintenance employees are your first point of contact with potential clients. They must be warm, engaging, and persistent to keep the pipeline flowing.

Look for someone comfortable on the phone who can handle cold calls and warm leads. They should balance friendliness, professionalism, and familiarity with CRM tools to keep well-organized records of client information and appointments.

Red Flags:

Pro Tip: Offer small incentives for appointments booked. It keeps employee motivation high and your calendar full.

Building a Dream Team

Headcount alone will not grow a pavement company. Hire for role, attitude, and standards. Build a crew that values safety, quality, and clear communication. When each seat does its job, your schedule stays full and your reputation gets stronger.

AK DASH is a system made specifically for asphalt contractors to manage and grow their business, with some of our most successful contractors making millions in revenue. Managing asphalt projects is made easier with our crew scheduling features, and our task environment helps your team members know what they should do.