Utilizing crushed stone as a filling material for roadbed construction helps balance excavation and embankment backfilling, an important aspect of current green highway development. However, the main drawback of using crushed stone is the significant variation in particle size, which can lead to excessive uneven settlement. Investigating the influence of stress paths during the rolling loading process on compaction characteristics is crucial for optimizing rolling parameters and guiding rolling construction. This study uses crushed stone material from the compaction site of the Quanzhou-Guanyang Expressway. Through indoor experiments, this work investigates the influence of preconsolidation load magnitude and sequence on compaction characteristics, focusing on micro-pore features, compaction density development, strength, and nominal deformation modulus during the rolling process. The study indicates that in the absence of preconsolidation, the nominal deformation modulus increases linearly with the increase in loading. Under preconsolidation conditions, the nominal deformation modulus reaches its peak when the reloading load reaches 60 % of the preconsolidation load. Before reaching the peak, the nominal deformation modulus increases rapidly with the reloading load at a rate eight times faster than that under non-preconsolidated conditions. After the peak, the nominal deformation modulus decreases rapidly, exhibiting a distinct hump-shaped pattern. When the reloading load reaches 1.5 times the preconsolidation load, the magnitude of the nominal deformation modulus becomes independent of whether a preconsolidation process has been applied. This research finding reveals that during the combined treatment of a rockfill subgrade using dynamic compaction and impact rolling, a higher dynamic compaction energy level is more conducive to enhancing the subgrade’s resistance to deformation. Meanwhile, the subsequent impact rolling load should be kept below 60 % of the equivalent dynamic compaction load.