BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - While we are still months away from snow covering the roads of Western New York, the commissioner of the New York Department of Transportation said there is a need for drivers.
NYSDOT is looking to hire more than 50 workers for its fleet staff. The jobs include not only plow drivers, but heavy duty equipment operators, bridge operations, mechanics, and more. The jobs are permanent, which will include summer maintenance work.
"We have the largest and most technically advanced snow and ice operation here in New York State," DOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said Wednesday in Depew. "More than any other state in the country, New York State experiences the most extreme weather conditions across the United States and we have the best people executing that mission on a day-to-day basis."
There are approximately 500 employees currently working for the transportation department in Western New York. Dominguez said the end of the hiring freeze in New York now allows them to hire employees.
Qualifications for the job include being at least 18 years old, a clean class A or class B commercial driver's license, and the ability to pass a drug test. There will be training for the job with the expectation that new hires can operate a dump truck after two weeks.
In response to a question about the impact the governor's vaccine or test mandate for state workers may have on the DOT and employment, Dominguez said it's the DOT's goal to keep employees safe under the protocols given.
