National
| Median wages (2008) |
$14.93 hourly, $31,050 annual |
| Employment (2006) |
136,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2006-2016) |
Average (7% to 13%)
|
| Projected need (2006-2016) |
47,000 additional employees |
53-7081.00 - Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Collect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck. May drive truck.
Sample of reported job titles:
Rolloff Truck Driver, Sanitation Laborer, Garbage Man, Swamper, Front Load Trash Truck Driver, Recycle Driver, Front Loader Residential Driver, Garbage Collector, Residential Recycle Driver, Solid Waste Collector
Tasks
- Inspect trucks prior to beginning routes to ensure safe operating condition.
- Refuel trucks and add other necessary fluids, such as oil.
- Fill out any needed reports for defective equipment.
- Drive to disposal sites to empty trucks that have been filled.
- Drive trucks along established routes through residential streets and alleys, or through business and industrial areas.
- Operate equipment that compresses the collected refuse.
- Operate automated or semi-automated hoisting devices that raise refuse bins and dump contents into openings in truck bodies.
- Dismount garbage trucks to collect garbage and remount trucks to ride to the next collection point.
- Communicate with dispatchers concerning delays, unsafe sites, accidents, equipment breakdowns, and other maintenance problems.
- Keep informed of road and weather conditions to determine how routes will be affected.
