New York State Department of Transportation is preparing for the arrival of winter weather by making applications available for approximately 500 positions as permanent and seasonal maintenance staff across upstate New York, including the Southern Tier, and Long Island.
Each September, the Department begins to hire and train staff on equipment with the aim of having them ready to plow snow as soon as winter weather begins. Employees can expect a base salary plus likely overtime pay, training and an allowance for footwear.
Applications are being accepted for Highway Maintenance Worker Trainee positions. To apply, a candidate must be at least 18 years old, pass a physical and drug test, have a valid, clean Class A or B commercial driver license, and be certified to operate DOT heavy dump trucks within two weeks after start of employment.
Those hired will be trained and evaluated on several pieces of essential equipment and are expected to perform productive work while gaining experience. Physical labor is required, as is work with backhoes, front end loaders, stump grinders and other heavy equipment, while being trained on more complex equipment.
Returning seasonal employees and retirees qualify for the Highway Maintenance Worker 1 position. Those employees are expected to operate a variety of equipment, including hydraulic excavators, graders, bulldozers, and more, and are required to perform other maintenance activities, such as mounting and dismounting plows, making small equipment repairs and changing oil.
During the winter, maintenance workers primarily assist in snow and ice removal, but also are expected to perform general highway repairs and maintenance, including cold patching. Shifts vary depending on location, but run from early morning to early afternoon, and from early afternoon to late evening. During storms, those eight-hour shifts can be extended to form two, 12-hour shifts to ensure 24 hour a day, seven day a week snow and ice response.
NY DOT expects to hire across the state, including:
- Capital Region – 65
- Mohawk Valley – 36
- Central NY – 34
- Finger Lakes – 60
- Western NY – 65
- Western Southern Tier – 38
- Eastern Southern Tier – 38
- North Country – 60
- Hudson Valley – 90
- Long Island – 14
Qualified candidates can get information about the positions and how to apply at https://www.dot.ny.gov/jobs/perm_positions/highway-maintenance-worker.
To find the latest traffic and travel conditions, call 511, go online to www.511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app. The online system and mobile app include a state road map, indicating which roads are experiencing snow conditions and where conditions are normal.
