Abstract: Apparatus for compacting or consolidating a strip of road surfacing material essentially comprises a self-propelled compacting machine and a guide vehicle. The guide vehicle has a steerable wheel and a set of drive wheels. The compacting machine is guided for orbital movement around the guide vehicle at a preset turning radius. The guide vehicle may be self-propelled in which case it carries its own motor for driving its driving shaft. Preferably the guide vehicle is driven for progressive displacement along the strip of surfacing material in response to the turning of a coupling bar, connecting the compacting machine with the guide vehicle about its end for determining the turning radius of the former. The coupling bar in turn rotatably drives the driving shaft of the guide vehicle which in turn drives the drive wheels of the guide vehicle through a power transmission.