Job Description

Posting number: 2026-0826

Department: Public Works - Solid Waste

Job classification: Equipment Operator I

Posting type: Both

Categories: Public Works, Sanitation, Waste Management, Drivers

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Equipment Operator Trainee - Starting at $15.75 per hour:
The purpose of this classification is to drive or operate vehicles (tandem-axle or special solid waste vehicles), and other equipment where driving and maneuvering the vehicle constitutes the majority of the work required to complete tasks for solid waste removal. Equipment in this classification does not involve the operation of additional mechanisms other than those that are simple and routine requiring little extra dexterity and finesse. Classification is reserved for those positions where operation of included equipment is the primary function of the job.

Equipment Operator I - Starting at $17.75 per hour:
The purpose of this classification is to drive or operate vehicles (tandem-axle or special solid waste vehicles), and other equipment where driving and maneuvering the vehicle constitutes the majority of the work required to complete tasks for solid waste removal. Equipment in this classification does not involve the operation of additional mechanisms other than those that are simple and routine requiring little extra dexterity and finesse. Classification is reserved for those positions where operation of included equipment is the primary function of the job.

Equipment Operator II - Starting at $19.44 per hour:
The purpose of this classification is to drive and operate vehicles, tractors, and other equipment with specialized functions that involve the operation of mechanisms to complete solid waste removal tasks in addition to driving and maneuvering the vehicle. Equipment/vehicles in this classification have mechanisms that are somewhat complex to operate, requiring more dexterity and finesse. Equipment Operator II's operate larger vehicles requiring a higher level of skill than those at Equipment Operator I level to drive and maneuver in and around confined areas.

Equipment Operator III - Starting at $21.14 per hour:
The purpose of this classification is to drive and operate Solid Waste vehicles and other equipment with specialized functions that involve the operation of complex mechanisms to complete tasks in addition to driving and maneuvering the vehicle. Equipment in this classification is automated, requiring a high level of skill, dexterity, and finesse. Classification is reserved for those positions where operation of included equipment is the primary function of the job.

Examples of duties

Equipment Operator Trainee - Starting at $15.75 per hour:

The following duties and functions, as outlined herein, are intended to be representative of the type of tasks performed within this classification. They are not listed in any order of importance. The omission of specific statements of the duties or functions does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned.

Rolls carts out to and from delivery truck.
Drives and operates the dumpster delivery truck as a Florida Class E driver's license operator.
Performs pre-trip and post-trip inspections on vehicle. Obeys all traffic laws and safety guidelines; uses personal protective equipment (PPE) as required.
Must have the physical ability to work on the back of the rear Loader; plus, physically work on the recycling truck.
During operations, it may require the ability to hold on the side of the truck and safely dismount.

Performs manual handling and loading of trash and garbage into the Solid Waste garbage truck.
Operates the packing blades, sweep handles and hopper control levers of the Solid Waste truck.
Operates the cart tipper of the Solid Waste truck to service garbage and recycling carts.
Manually services recycling bins, boxes, and other unspecified commodities.
Operates the cart repair truck, rollout cart delivery truck, dumpster delivery truck and other Solid Waste equipment in the daily performance of duties.
Complies with local, state and federal safety regulations under the guidance and direction of a Solid Waste CDL driver.
Maintains specified routes to collect and load refuse containers into truck; assists and directs driver when backing up truck; cleans up spills and debris from ground; and cleans out truck prior to the end of shift.
Performs heavy manual labor for extended periods as required by work assignments and occasionally performs work in adverse weather conditions.
Performs accommodation service requirements of garbage carts, pails and bags pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) as required.

ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS
Participates in emergency-related operations such as flood and hurricane debris removal.
Performs other related duties as assigned.

Equipment Operator I - Starting at $17.75 per hour:

The following duties and functions, as outlined herein, are intended to be representative of the type of tasks performed within this classification. They are not listed in any order of importance. The omission of specific statements of the duties or functions does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned.

Performs Pre-trip and Post-trip inspections. Inspects and prepares equipment for safe and proper operation prior to beginning work for the day; reports to supervisor all notable issues found during inspections; performs light maintenance on equipment, which includes greasing and lubing of equipment, refueling, and refilling lubricants; cleans vehicles, beds, and mounted equipment upon completion of assignments; secures vehicle after use.
Drives trucks and other vehicles in order to perform solid waste daily assignments. Maneuvers in and around traffic, parked cars, crew workers, equipment, and other obstacles; obeys all traffic laws and safety guidelines; monitors immediate environment and work area to ensure the safety of operator, other workers, the equipment, and the public; uses personal protective equipment (PPE) as required.
Drives assigned truck along a prescribed residential and/or commercial areas to collect garbage, trash or recycled materials; makes frequent stops at appropriate intervals to position truck near bulk piles or refuse containers; avoids backing of vehicle whenever possible to perform tasks; performs physical work functions in retrieving and sorting recyclable materials into hopper; attaches hopper to truck, closes tailgate and operates mechanism to dump at the appropriate disposal location.
Maintains the pace of collection activities by determining the length of time spent on route or at each stop in order to ensure timely completion of assigned route.
Weighs solid waste collection trucks individually as they enter and exit landfill; weighs and separates recyclable products from solid waste, and sorts them according to category.
Performs basic and semi-skilled labor as appropriate to perform various solid waste assignments; picks up paper, limbs, and other debris; manually moves loads and arranges materials.
Performs skilled work in the operation of solid waste equipment. Responsibilities vary from servicing garbage at residential to commercial locations throughout the City where designated garbage cans are used. Frequently exits and re-enters garbage truck to manually pick up carts, bags, trash and vegetation. Pulls and/or pushes garbage cans from properties to the rear end loader of the garbage truck and positions garbage cans on the tipper, which may require lifting; operates the mechanism to dump the garbage into the truck; places garbage cans to the curbside.
Uses an onboard computer system to navigate routes electronically in order to complete tasks.
Operates a manual rear load garbage truck, a manual rear load recycle truck, and a dump truck. May be assigned to operate a manual side load EVO truck.
Performs accommodation service requirements of garbage carts, pails and bags pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) as required.
ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS

Performs essential functions normally performed by Equipment Operator Level I and operates vehicles as needed to complete division or departmental projects and workload.
Performs other related duties as required.

Equipment Operator II - Starting at $19.44 per hour:

The following duties and functions, as outlined herein, are intended to be representative of the type of tasks performed within this classification. They are not listed in any order of importance. The omission of specific statements of the duties or functions does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned.

Performs Pre-trip and Post-trip inspections. Inspects and prepares equipment for safe and proper operation prior to beginning work for the day; reports to supervisor all notable issues found during inspections; performs light maintenance on equipment, which includes greasing and lubing of equipment, refueling, and refilling lubricants; cleans vehicles, beds, and mounted equipment upon completion of assignments; secures vehicle after use.
Drives trucks and other vehicles in order to perform solid waste daily assignments in residential waste bulk/trash section. Maneuvers in and around traffic, parked cars, crew workers, equipment, and other obstacles; obeys all traffic laws and safety guidelines; monitors immediate environment and work area to ensure the safety of operator, other workers, the equipment, and the public; uses personal protective equipment (PPE) as required.
Operates over-the-top manual recycle truck and grapple truck as required. May be assigned to operate bulk trash rear steer.
Drives larger, difficult to drive vehicles requiring a higher level of skill than that needed at Operator I level to maneuver in and around confined areas for the purpose of transporting materials from site to site, such as a dump truck, grapple truck. Utilizes rear steer and grapple trucks to retrieve large piles, bulk, vegetation, construction waste and recyclable materials for dumping. Operates hydraulic and hoisting mechanisms to dispose of loads, taking care to avoid flipping bulk items or spilling contents; secures all doors, gates, and fasteners to prevent spillage or loss of load during transport; transports and delivers load to destinations such as landfill and transfer stations.
Operates all Level I Equipment Operator assigned trucks as needed (rear load, EVO, rear load recycle, and dump trucks to complete division or departmental workload.
Uses an onboard computer system to navigate routes electronically in order to complete tasks.
Drives assigned truck along a prescribed residential and/or commercial areas to collect garbage, trash or recycled materials; makes frequent stops at appropriate intervals to position truck near bulk piles or containers, avoiding backing of vehicle whenever possible; frequently exits and re-enters garbage truck to manually pick up carts, bags, trash and vegetation; performs physical work functions in retrieving and sorting recyclable materials into hopper; attaches hopper to truck, closes tailgate and operates mechanism to dump at the appropriate disposal location.
Maintains the pace of collection activities to ensure timely completion of assigned route.
Weighs solid waste collection trucks individually as they enter and exit landfill; weighs and separates recyclable products from solid waste, and sorts them according to category.
Performs accommodation service requirements of garbage carts, pails and bags pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) as required.

ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS

Performs essential functions normally performed by Equipment Operator Level I operators as needed, to complete division or departmental workload.
Works with other divisions on emergency calls.
Performs other related duties as required.

Equipment Operator III - Starting at $21.14 per hour:

The following duties and functions, as outlined herein, are intended to be representative of the type of tasks performed within this classification. They are not listed in any order of importance. The omission of specific statements of the duties or functions does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned.

Performs Pre-trip and Post-trip inspections. Inspects and prepares equipment for safe and proper operation prior to beginning work for the day; reports to supervisor all notable issues found during inspections; performs light maintenance on equipment, which includes greasing and lubing of equipment, refueling, and refilling lubricants; cleans vehicles, beds, and mounted equipment upon completion of assignments; secures vehicle after use.
Operates various equipment and automated vehicles to complete tasks related to Solid Waste; drives vehicles over public roads, work sites, right-of-ways, parks, Public Works facilities, and other City property; maneuvers in and around traffic, parked cars, equipment, utilities, and other obstacles; obeys all traffic laws and safety guidelines; monitors immediate environment and work area to ensure the safety of operator, other workers, the equipment, and the public; uses personal protective equipment (PPE) as required.
Operates all Level I and II Equipment Operator assigned trucks as needed (rear load, rear load recycle, dump, over-the-top recycle, bulk trash rear steer and grapple truck). Weighs capacities to load materials into trucks; positions equipment and controls height, angle, and position of equipment for pick-up of garbage carts, bulk piles, garbage pails and bags; controls amount, and weight of materials being lifted to avoid exceeding equipment capacity.
Uses an onboard computer system to navigate routes electronically in order to complete tasks.
Drives and operates automated side load garbage truck to collect garbage and debris from work sites and transport to the landfill or transfer station; avoids backing of vehicle whenever possible to perform tasks; positions vehicle alongside targeted debris; operates truck to upload materials into the truck; secures all doors, gates, and fasteners to prevent spillage or loss of load during transport; takes necessary precautions to ensure that both the load and vehicle are properly distributed and balanced; dumps material at appropriate location. Controls placement of equipment and determines optimum approach to each scenario in order to avoid destruction of property or damage to electric, water, sewer, and other public utility lines.
Performs accommodation service requirements of garbage carts, pails and bags pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) as required.

ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS

Performs essential functions normally performed by Equipment Operator Level I and II operators as needed, to complete division or departmental workload.
Works with other divisions on emergency calls.
Performs other related duties as required.

Qualifications

Equipment Operator Trainee:

• One (1) year of previous experience involving any area of manual labor, construction, equipment operation, solid waste, or closely related area; and
• Must possess and maintain a valid Florida driver's license; and
• Must obtain a Florida Commercial Learner's Permit (CPL) within six (6) months in position.
• Must obtain the OSHA 30 - Hour General Industry Card within six (6) months in position.

Preferred Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications for education and experience must be met before consideration of the following Preferred Qualifications:

• Possess and maintain a valid Florida Commercial Learner's Permit (CPL) or Florida Class B Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

Equipment Operator I:

• One (1) year of previous experience in Solid Waste residential line of business, manual collection, including exposure to the operation of vehicles and equipment used in assigned areas, with at least six (6) months of cross-training operating the following vehicles:
  1. Manual rear load garbage truck
  2. Manual rear load recycle truck
  3. Dump truck
• Must possess and maintain a valid State of Florida Class B Commercial Driver's License (CDL); and
• Must complete a written test to evaluate knowledge of Equipment Operator I functions; and
• Must complete an equipment specific field test within Solid Waste residential line of business, manual collection sections operating rear load garbage truck, rear load recycle truck, and dump truck, and score an 80%;
• Must obtain the following training/certifications within ninety (90) days of hire:
  • 10-Hour OSHA General Industry Card
  • Lock Out/ Tag Out Certification

PERERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Qualifications for education and experience must be met before consideration of the following Preferred Qualifications:

• Manual side load EVO garbage truck

Equipment Operator II:

• Two (2) years of experience in Solid Waste residential line of business, manual collection, of which six (6) months of cross-training has been received in Solid Waste Section, Residential Waste Bulk/Trash operating the following equipment in the assigned section:
  • Grapple truck
  • Rear load recycling truck
  • Over-the top recycle truck

• Must complete a written test to evaluate knowledge of Equipment Operator II functions; and
• Must complete an equipment specific field test within Solid Waste, residential waste bulk/trash section including over the top recycle truck, bulk trash rear steer truck and bulk trash cherry picker/lightning loader truck and score an 80%; and
• Must possess and maintain a valid State of Florida Class-B Commercial Driver's License (CDL); and
• Must obtain the following within ninety (90) days of hire:
  • 30-Hour OSHA General Industry Card;
  • FEMA IS-0552: The Public Works Role in Emergency Management course and successfully pass exam;
  • Lock Out Tag Out Certification

Equipment Operator III:

• Four (4) years of experience operating the vehicles in Solid Waste Residential Waste Manual and Residential Waste Bulk/Trash Sections, of which six (6) months of cross-training has been received in Solid Waste residential automated line of business operating an automated side load garbage truck; and
• Must complete a written test to evaluate knowledge of Equipment Operator III functions; and
• Must complete equipment specific field test within Solid Waste, residential automated section operating the automated side loader and score an 80%;
• Must possess and maintain a valid State of Florida Class-B Commercial Driver's License (CDL); and
• Complete the following within ninety (90) days of hire:
  • 30-Hour OSHA General Industry Course
  • FEMA - IS 552: The Public Works Role in Emergency Management course and successfully pass exam;
  • FEMA - IS 558: Public Works and Disaster Recovery course and successfully pass exam;
  • Lock Out Tag Out Certificate

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Qualifications for education and experience must be met before consideration of the following Preferred Qualifications:

• Manual side load EVO garbage truck
• Bulk trash rear steer

Supplemental information

COMMUNICATION COMPETENCIES

Effectively communicates with supervisor, employees, other departments, contractors, engineers, utility companies, vendors, outside agencies, the public, and other individuals as needed to coordinate work activities, review status of work, exchange information, or resolve problems.

Accurately and expeditiously receives and delivers messages and information to the appropriate individuals.

Ability to prepare accurate and thorough written records and reports.

Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions and to complete assigned tasks with minimal supervisory direction.

Ability to understand and quickly and accurately follow brief oral and written instructions on moderately complex matters.

Ability to establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with Supervisor, customers, other employees, other departments, governmental and regulatory agencies, and the general public.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Equipment Operator Trainee:
Basic knowledge of tools, methods, and materials used in general Solid Waste work.
Ability to pickup various types of debris, garbage carts and recycle bins.
Demonstrates ability to drive and operate the dumpster delivery truck.
Demonstrates ability to operate the rollout cart delivery truck.
Demonstrates ability to correctly operate the cart tipper of the Solid Waste truck in order to service garbage and recycling carts.
Demonstrates the ability to operate the packing blades, sweep handles and hopper control levers of the Solid Waste truck.
Demonstrates the skill and ability to use assigned equipment once trained.
Demonstrates ability to manually service recycling bins, boxes, and other unspecified commodities.
Demonstrates ability to adhere to all safe working practices.
Ability to perform heavy manual labor for extended periods as required by work assignments, and in occasionally adverse weather conditions.
Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions.
Ability to effectively interact with supervisors, co-workers, other departments, the public, and outside agencies in a courteous manner.

Equipment Operator I:

• Knowledge of and the ability to adhere to all safe working practices including work zone traffic control, highway safety rules and regulations, and taking effective precautionary measures necessary to avoid accidents.
• Basic knowledge and ability to detect mechanical issues with the equipment.
• Ability to understand and follow direction.
• Ability to adhere to all safe working practices.
• Ability to properly use tools and equipment.
• Ability to perform assigned tasks under general supervision.
• Ability to plan and organize daily work routine, and to estimate expected time of completion.
• Ability to safely navigate routes to complete daily tasks, avoiding backing vehicles when possible.
• Ability to transport and remove materials, equipment, debris, and/or refuse from specified areas.
• Ability to operate a rear load garbage truck and a manual side load EVO garbage truck.
• Ability to operate a rear load recycle truck, and scowl body.
• Ability to use and navigate routes electronically through an onboard computing system to complete tasks.
• Ability to effectively interact with supervisors, co-workers, other departments, the public, and outside agencies in a courteous manner.

• Knowledge of occupational hazards and the safety precautions necessary to operate equipment and avoid accidents.
• Knowledge of the operational characteristics of the solid waste equipment.
• Knowledge of solid waste standards, practices and procedures.
• Knowledge of and the ability to detect mechanical issues with the equipment.
• Skill in driving large trucks and similar automotive equipment related to solid waste.
• Skill in operating the assigned vehicle in the prescribed manner.
• Skill in maneuvering in and around traffic, parked cars, crew workers, equipment, other obstacles and avoiding backing of vehicles whenever possible.
• Ability to operate all vehicles used at Level I Equipment Operator level.
• Ability to operate Solid Waste bulk/trash truck and dump truck.
• Ability to operate manual over-the-top recycle truck.
• Ability to adhere to all safe working practices.
• Ability to safely navigate routes to complete daily tasks.
• Ability to use and navigate routes electronically through an onboard computer system to complete tasks.
• Ability to effectively interact with supervisors, co-workers, other departments, the public, and outside agencies in a courteous manner.

• Knowledge of the operational characteristics of the solid waste equipment.
• Knowledge of safe driving techniques and the occupational hazards of operating Solid Waste equipment.
• Knowledge of solid waste standards, practices and procedures.
• Knowledge of and the ability to detect mechanical issues with the equipment.
  Skill in driving all large trucks and similar automotive equipment related to solid waste.
• Skill in driving and operating automated side load trucks.
• Skill in operating all assigned vehicles in the prescribed manner.
• Skill in maneuvering in and around traffic, parked cars, other employees, equipment, other obstacles and avoiding backing of vehicles whenever possible.
• Ability to operate all vehicles used at Equipment Operator I and II levels.
• Ability to adhere to all safe working practices.
• Ability to effectively interact with supervisors, co-workers, other departments, the public, and outside agencies in a courteous manner.
• Ability to use and navigate routes electronically through an onboard computer system to complete tasks.