NYSDOT to hire more than 500 workers for winter season

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is preparing for the upcoming winter season and is seeking to fill more than 500 positions as permanent and seasonal maintenance staff across upstate New York and Long Island. 

Each September, the department begins to hire and train staff on equipment and best practices, with the aim of having them ready to plow snow as soon as winter weather begins, per an Aug. 26 news release from the department. 

Employees can expect a base salary plus likely overtime pay, training provided by experienced equipment operator instructors and storm managers, and an allowance for footwear.

“Our maintenance workers are the heart and soul of everything we do at DOT, especially during New York’s harsh winter season,” Marie Therese Dominguez, NYSDOT Commissioner, said in the release. “They play a vital role during and after winter storms, clearing snow and ice to enhance highway safety, maintaining access for first responders and, in smaller storms, allowing businesses to remain open so the public can get the goods and services they need. We are seeking hard-working, dedicated professionals to join our team who take pride in what they do and positively impact the traveling public.” 

The department is accepting applications for positions as highway maintenance worker trainees. 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, the department said.

The DOT will train and evaluate those hired on “several” pieces of equipment and the department expects those hired 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. The DOT expects those employees 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. Temporary employment “often” leads to a permanent position for the right candidates, the DOT said. 

During the winter, maintenance workers primarily assist in snow and ice removal, but the department also expects them to perform general highway repairs and maintenance such as 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, the DOT said.

The DOT employs about 3,700 full time snow and ice operators and supervisors, as well as an estimated 300 seasonal operators. They are responsible for pre-treating, plowing, and removing ice from more than 36,000 miles of roadway.

The department also intends to hire permanent and temporary maintenance workers across the state, including 34 in Central New York, 36 in the Mohawk Valley, 38 in the Western Southern Tier, 38 in the Eastern Southern Tier, 60 in the North Country, and 60 in the Finger Lakes region. 

Qualified candidates can find more information about the positions available and how to apply at https://www.dot.ny.gov/jobs/perm_positions/highway-maintenance-worker.

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is preparing for the upcoming winter season and is seeking to fill more than 500 positions as permanent and seasonal maintenance staff across upstate New York and Long Island. 

Each September, the department begins to hire and train staff on equipment and best practices, with the aim of having them ready to plow snow as soon as winter weather begins, per an Aug. 26 news release from the department. 

Employees can expect a base salary plus likely overtime pay, training provided by experienced equipment operator instructors and storm managers, and an allowance for footwear.

“Our maintenance workers are the heart and soul of everything we do at DOT, especially during New York’s harsh winter season,” Marie Therese Dominguez, NYSDOT Commissioner, said in the release. “They play a vital role during and after winter storms, clearing snow and ice to enhance highway safety, maintaining access for first responders and, in smaller storms, allowing businesses to remain open so the public can get the goods and services they need. We are seeking hard-working, dedicated professionals to join our team who take pride in what they do and positively impact the traveling public.” 

The department is accepting applications for positions as highway maintenance worker trainees. 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, the department said.

The DOT will train and evaluate those hired on “several” pieces of equipment and the department expects those hired 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. The DOT expects those employees 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. Temporary employment “often” leads to a permanent position for the right candidates, the DOT said. 

During the winter, maintenance workers primarily assist in snow and ice removal, but the department also expects them to perform general highway repairs and maintenance such as 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, the DOT said.

The DOT employs about 3,700 full time snow and ice operators and supervisors, as well as an estimated 300 seasonal operators. They are responsible for pre-treating, plowing, and removing ice from more than 36,000 miles of roadway.

The department also intends to hire permanent and temporary maintenance workers across the state, including 34 in Central New York, 36 in the Mohawk Valley, 38 in the Western Southern Tier, 38 in the Eastern Southern Tier, 60 in the North Country, and 60 in the Finger Lakes region. 

Qualified candidates can find more information about the positions available and how to apply at https://www.dot.ny.gov/jobs/perm_positions/highway-maintenance-worker.