Highway Maintenance Workers

Career summary

Highway maintenance workers are also known as road maintenance technicians or road maintenance workers.

#closest match is 4285 highway maintenance workers, checked 2/11/15 lh

Highway maintenance workers do minor repairs. For example, they fill potholes and cracked road surfaces. They also may clean and repair tunnels and small bridges.

Highway maintenance workers drive trucks with coworkers and equipment to work sites. Workers set up signs to warn drivers of construction work or to direct traffic around work areas. Some workers may flag drivers to slow down or divert them to another lane.

Maintenance workers perform many different duties. They install road markers and other signs. To do this, they take measurements and use tape, string, or chalk to mark sign locations. They use hand and power tools to dig holes and erect the signs. They use a similar process to install and repair guardrails and snow fences. When button-type lane markers break or detach, maintenance workers repair them. In addition, they paint lane markers. They may also repair lights.

In the winter, maintenance workers drive trucks equipped with snow plows or snow blowers to clear the roads. In the summer, they drive mowers to cut grass along highways. They also perform other landscaping duties, such as planting, trimming, and weeding. They may also clean litter and debris from roads, ditches, and drains. In addition, they may use chemicals to get rid of rodents and unwanted brush.

To repair broken pavement, maintenance workers use power tools to break pavement into smaller sections. They use other equipment to remove the broken sections. They fill the holes with asphalt and operate tamping equipment to tightly pack the asphalt.

Related careers

This career is part of the Architecture and Construction cluster of careers.

Related careers include:

• Fence Builders
• Forklift Operators
• General Construction Workers
• Heavy Truck Drivers
• Landscapers and Groundskeepers
• Material Moving Machine Operators
• Operating Engineers and Construction Equipment Operators
• Paving Equipment Operators
• Pump Operators
• Structural Metal Workers

Job duties

Task list

The following list of tasks is specific to highway maintenance workers.

• Drive trucks to work sites.
• Set construction signs and cones around work area to divert traffic.
• Flag drivers to warn them of road work or obstacles.
• Measure and mark locations to install markers.
• Erect, install, and repair road signs, guardrails, button-type lane markers, lights, and snow fences.
• Perform landscape duties, including mowing grass, clearing weeds and brush, and planting trees.
• Dump and spread asphalt to patch broken pavement.
• Paint traffic control lines.
• Inspect, clean, and fix bridges, tunnels, and other structures.
• Remove litter and debris from roads. Clean ditches, culverts, and drains.
• Use poisons and herbicides to eliminate unwanted animals and weeds.
• Drive vehicles and special equipment to remove snow and ice.

Common work activities

Highway maintenance workers perform the following tasks. These tasks are common to many careers.

• Communicate with supervisors, peers, or subordinates
• Establish and maintain relationships
• Organize, plan, and prioritize work
• Inspect equipment, structures, or materials
• Get information needed to do the job
• Perform for or work with the public
• Operate vehicles or mechanized equipment
• Monitor events, materials, and surroundings
• Assist and care for others
• Develop and build teams
• Coordinate the work and activities of others
• Convince others to buy goods or change their minds or actions
• Identify objects, actions, and events
• Communicate with people outside the organization
• Resolve conflicts and negotiate with others
• Make decisions and solve problems
• Control machines and processes
• Perform activities that use the whole body
• Teach others
• Think creatively
• Judge the value of objects, services, or people
• Evaluate information against standards
• Update and use job-related knowledge
• Perform administrative tasks
• Guide, direct, and motivate others
• Analyze data or information
• Document and record information
• Explain the meaning of information to others
• Process information
• Use computers

Work requirements

Working conditions

In a typical work setting, highway maintenance workers:

Interpersonal relationships

• Are responsible for the health and safety of drivers and coworkers.
• Have a medium level of social contact. Maintenance workers often work in teams, but may also spend time working alone.
• Communicate in person on a daily basis. They communicate less often by telephone and e-mail.
• Regularly work in a group or as part of a team.
• Are responsible for the work outcomes and results of other workers.

Physical work conditions

• Work mainly outdoors. In addition, they regularly drive enclosed vehicles, such as trucks, and open vehicles, such as mowers.
• Are often exposed to whole body vibration.
• Nearly always wear protective attire, such as gloves, hats, and work boots.
• Are constantly exposed to extremely hot or cold temperatures while working outdoors.
• Are often exposed to contaminants, such as when spreading asphalt.
• Are often exposed to sounds and noise levels that are uncomfortable.
• Are sometimes exposed to hazardous equipment.
• Are often exposed to extremely bright or dim lighting conditions.
• Are sometimes exposed to hazardous situations that may result in cuts or minor burns.
• Work near others, usually within a few feet.

Work performance

• Must be exact in their work. Errors could affect the safety of the roads they maintain.
• Make decisions that affect others on a weekly basis. This is because they make most decisions without talking to a supervisor.
• Set some tasks and goals without talking to a supervisor, but usually consult with another first.
• Must keep pace with the speed of equipment.

Hours/travel

• Usually work full time.
• Generally work a set schedule. However, they may work overtime to meet deadlines. This may include working weekends and holidays.
• May work seasonally.
• May travel to areas where workers are needed.

Physical demands

Highway maintenance workers frequently:

• Use their hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls.
• Repeat the same movements.
• Bend or twist their body.
• Stand for long periods of time.
• Walk or run for long periods of time.

It is important for highway maintenance workers to be able to:

• Make quick, precise adjustments to machine controls.
• Move two or more limbs together (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while remaining in place.
• Hold the arm and hand in one position or hold the hand steady while moving the arm.
• Use muscles to lift, push, pull, or carry heavy objects.
• See details of objects that are less than a few feet away.
• Focus on one source of sound and ignore others.
• Use one or two hands to grasp, move, or assemble objects.
• Use fingers to grasp, move, or assemble very small objects.
• Choose quickly and correctly among various movements when responding to different signals.
• See details of objects that are more than a few feet away.
• React quickly using hands, fingers, or feet.
• Use stomach and lower back muscles to support the body for long periods without getting tired.
• Be physically active for long periods without getting tired or out of breath.
• Bend, stretch, twist, or reach out.
• Determine the distance between objects.
• Understand the speech of another person.
• Speak clearly so listeners can understand.
• Adjust body movements or equipment controls to keep pace with speed changes of moving objects.

It is not as important, but still necessary, for highway maintenance workers to be able to:

• Hear sounds and recognize the difference between them.
• Use muscles for extended periods without getting tired.
• Coordinate movement of several parts of the body, such as arms and legs, while the body is moving.
• Move arms and legs quickly.
• See differences between colors, shades, and brightness.
• See objects in very bright or glaring light.
• Keep or regain the body's balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
• Make fast, repeated movements of fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Determine from which direction a sound came.
• While looking forward, see objects or movements that are off to the side.

Skills and abilities

Highway maintenance workers need to:

Communicate

• Understand spoken information.
• Speak clearly so listeners can understand.
• Listen to others and ask questions.

Reason and problem solve

• Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
• Concentrate and not be distracted while performing a task.
• Follow guidelines to arrange objects or actions in a certain order.
• Use reasoning to discover answers to problems.
• Combine several pieces of information and draw conclusions.
• Recognize the nature of a problem.
• Develop rules that group items in various ways.

Manage oneself, people, time, and things

• Check how well one is learning or doing something.
• Go back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information without becoming confused.

Work with people

• Change behavior in relation to others' actions.

Work with things

• Operate and control equipment.
• Watch gauges, dials, and output to make sure a machine is working properly.

Perceive and visualize

• Imagine how something will look if it is moved around or its parts are rearranged.
• Identify a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in distracting material.
• Quickly and accurately compare letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns.

Education and training

Educational programs

The programs of study listed below will help you prepare for the occupation or career cluster you are exploring.

Programs of study to consider

• Construction Trades
• Heavy Equipment Operations

Training

To work as a highway maintenance worker, you typically need to:

• have a high school diploma or equivalent;
• complete moderate-term, on-the-job training; and
• be at least 18 years old.

Education after high school

No formal education is required beyond high school.

On-the-job training

Highway maintenance workers almost always learn their skills on the job. They receive training from an experienced worker. During training, you learn to use equipment necessary for the job and clean and prepare work sites and roads for repair. Training may last up to one year.

Helpful high school courses

You should take a general high school curriculum that meets the state's graduation requirements. You will be required to take both math and science classes to graduate.

Helpful electives to take in high school that prepare you for this career include:

• Driver Education
• Physical Education

The courses listed above are meant to help you create your high school plan. If you have not already done so, talk to a school counselor or parent about the courses you are considering taking.

You should also check with a teacher or counselor to see if work-based learning opportunities are available in your school and community. These might include field trips, job shadowing, internships, and actual work experience. The goal of these activities is to help you connect your school experiences with real-life work.

Join some groups, try some hobbies, or volunteer with an organization that interests you. By participating in activities you can have fun, make new friends, and learn about yourself. Maybe one of them will help direct you to a future career. Here are examples of activities and groups that may be available in your high school or community.

Things to know

Workers must be 18 years old, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and have one year of experience in highway engineering, maintenance work, landscaping, truck driving, farming, or construction work, any of which must involve vehicular equipment skills. Washington State Department of Transportation workers must undergo pre-employment drug and alcohol testing. Many employers require one or more of the following: a valid driver's license or class B commercial driver's license (CDL) with air brake endorsement, a first aid and flagging certificate, and a physical exam. The class B CDL is an entry-level license for many employers. To advance to other positions, workers must acquire a class A CDL with air brake and tanker endorsement.

Alternative entry routes

Some people gain experience by working as maintenance trainees.

Tips

Experience driving multi-axle trucks may improve chances for advancement. A vocational or technical school degree in related topics is helpful. Equipment operation or mechanical training is beneficial. Computer experience is helpful for scheduling and collecting information. Get a part-time summer job to gain experience.

#Checked state DOT website 4/26/04 to verify parts of the info above, CJ. General DOT info still ok, 4/7/08 & 4/21/10, 4/4/12 & 3/18/14, 4/25/16 cj. No current DOT jobs to compare to so left as is, 4/3/18 cj.

Costs to workers

Union highway maintenance workers pay an initiation fee and dues.  Workers may also need to buy work clothing and footwear.

#all wa content. lh

Licensing/certification

For workers engaged in weed and/or insect control, a public pesticide operator's license from the Washington State Department of Agriculture is required. Some positions may require possession of a valid Washington State explosives user's license from the Department of Labor and Industries or a Combination Driver's License (CDL) from the Department of Licensing.

Job listings

Listed below are links to job categories from the National Labor Exchange that relate to this career. Once you get a list of jobs, you can view information about individual jobs and find out how to apply. If your job search finds too many openings, or if you wish to search for jobs outside of Washington, you will need to refine your search.

• Highway Maintenance Workers 

To get a listing of current jobs from the WorkSource system, go to the WorkSource website .

Wages

The worker's level of experience and responsibility affect wages. Pay also varies by area of the country. In parts of the country that get snow, work for highway maintenance workers is seasonal. Some workers travel in order to have work all year. For example, those who live in the Midwest or Northeast may move south during the winter months. Other workers have other jobs during the off-season.

Highway maintenance workers who work full time generally receive benefits. Typical benefits include sick leave, paid vacation, and health insurance. Some employers also provide a retirement plan.

Employment and outlook

Washington outlook

The table below provides information about the number of workers in this career in various regions. It also provides information about the expected growth rate and future job openings.

National employment

Major employers:

• Local, state, and federal government agencies (Department of Roads or Transportation)
• Highway construction companies

National outlook

Growth in this occupation will about as fast as average. Government budget cuts impact demand for highway maintenance workers. Job openings will occur as people retire or leave for other jobs.

Other resources

Finishing Trades Institute Northwest 

Washington State Department of Transportation Employment Opportunities 

References

Career cluster

• Architecture and Construction

Career path

• Realistic (Technical)

O*Net  occupation

• Highway Maintenance Workers (47-4051.00) 

O*Net job zone 

• Job Zone 2 - Some preparation needed. Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed.

DOT occupations

• Highway-maintenance Worker (899.684-014) 
• Lane-marker Installer (859.684-010) 

Holland occupational cluster

• Realistic/Conventional/Investigative

COPSystem

• Technology Skilled