Skip To Content
< Back to Jobs

Streets Heavy Equipment Operator Apprentice

Ongoing

Department(s): Public Works and Utilities

Location: Pittsburg, KS

Position Summary

  1. Works assisting the streets heavy equipment operator 1 or 2. Performs manual labor accomplishing all tasks associated with street operations including: operating various types of heavy equipment to excavate, grade or level earth for streets, alleys, sidewalks or other construction sites; fine grades, slopes, inclines, ramps, curves and unimproved streets and alleys. Performs work on all types of roadway surface from maintenance work to new construction. This includes but is not limited to asphalt, concrete and unimproved surfaces. This work involves the operation and maintenance of a wide variety of heavy equipment used in construction and maintenance work, and other duties as assigned. Learns operation of loader, road graders, skid loaders, dump truck, in digging of ditches, cutting down slopes, and loading rock/gravel/snow on trucks. Performs emergency operations for various natural disasters to include, floods and storms. This position is a probationary position to assess employee’s ability to receive and follow instruction. Probationary period also allows employee time to complete necessary certifications and trainings before being classified as a street’s heavy equipment operator 1.
  2. Reports to the Streets Superintendent
  3. Performs daily required service checks on equipment to be used for the day including checking and filling; fluids, pressures, and grease points. Cleaning machinery as necessary. Ensures that equipment is operating correctly and reports any suspected malfunctions or safety issues.
  4. The primary duties of work are performed outdoors and may include working in adverse weather conditions.
  5. Work may involve 24-hour availability during emergency situations. This will include overtime and call back situations as required.
  6. Work in confined spaces and trench excavations as required.
  7. The job position summary, duties and responsibilities is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all responsibilities, skills or competencies with this job. Performs other duties as assigned.

Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Equipment Operation
    1. Learn to Operate Backhoe for loading, excavation, hammering and other related tasks.
    2. Learn to Operate Skidsteer with a variety of attachments.
    3. Learn to Operate Dumptruck: *Including with plow and spreader attachments for snow operations. *Learn to correctly connect to asphalt paver. Hauls gravel, asphalt, sand, sweeper piles, snow, and other related materials through use of a dump truck.
    4. Learn to Operate Mini-Excavator with a variety of attachments.
    5. Learn to Operate Motor Grader.
    6. Learn to Operate Front End Loader.
    7. Learn to Operate a Crack Sealing Machine.
    8. Learn to Operate Asphalt Distributor Truck.
    9. Learn to Operate Asphalt Paving Machine.
    10. Learn to Operate Steel Drum Rollers.
    11. Learn to utilize power tools and small hand tools to perform necessary work.
    12. Learn to operate a forklift or other material handling equipment.
    13. Learn to operate Demolition Walk behind Saw.
    14. Learn to assist with operating asphalt plant to produce hot mix asphalt.
  2. Asphalt Applications
    1. Learn proper asphalt crack treatments including; low modulus/extra low modulus, rubberized asphalt, crumb rubber, asphalt emulsion, asphalt cement, cutback asphalt.
    2. Learn asphalt surface treatments including, fog seal, seal coat, slurry seal, micro-surfacing, and hot mix overlay.
    3. Learn proper asphalt pothole patching and repair with various materials including; cold mix, spray injection, hot mix, slurry and micro-surfacing material.
  3. Concrete Applications
    1. Assists in setting grades for concrete forms, installing forms and removing forms and back filling dirt.
    2. Places, finishes, cures concrete, place relieve cuts as necessary.
  4. Snow & Ice Applications
    1. Learns pre-treatment and treatment operations snow and ice control.
    2. Learns removal of snow and ice accumulations through truck mounted snow plows or other assigned heavy equipment such as loaders, backhoes, tractors, or skidsteers,
    3. Learns mixing/blending of salt and sand as instructed with loader prior to loading of truck mounted spreaders.
    4. Learns mixing of water and salt to create brine mixture for pre-pretreatment measures.
  5. Safety Procedures
    1. Learns installation of temporary traffic control devices in accordance with Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
  6. Personal Conduct
    1. Reliability: Policy 210 & 502
    2. Judgement: Policy 101
    3. Cooperation / Attitude: Policy 104
    4. Serving the Public: Policy 103

Qualifications

Position Competencies       

  1. Equipment Operations
    1. Knowledge of principles, methods and techniques of heavy and light equipment operation.
    2. Attentive to surroundings, preventing injury or damage to people, physical assets, or work in place.
    3. Knowledge of correct equipment fuel, liquid, or pressure levels necessary for safe operation equipment and reduced stress on equipment.
    4. Knowledge of correct lock out tag systems to be in place when performing equipment maintenance.
    5. Knowledge of equipment functional controls and their proper applications.
    6. Knowledge of proper attachment of structural connection points for equipment accessories including hydraulic or electrical connections.
  2. Asphalt Applications
    1. Knowledge of material safety data sheet for each individual component and it’s application.
    2. Knowledge of different mixes and or products typically used and their correct name and general characteristics.
    3. Knowledge of product placement requirements to achieve acceptable final product result.
  3. Concrete Applications
    1. Knowledge of material safety data sheet for each individual component and it’s application
    2. Knowledge of different mixes and or products typically used and their correct name and general characteristics
    3. Knowledge of concrete formwork: connections, applications, and structural ability.
    4. Knowledge of product placement and finishing requirements to achieve acceptable final product result.
  4. Snow & Ice Applications
    1. Knowledge of material safety data sheet for each individual component and it’s application.
    2. Knowledge of route prioritization and correct plowing procedure and direction for different routes.
  5. Safety Procedures
    1. Knowledge of traffic laws as they pertain to the operation of heavy equipment and minor maintenance requirements of heavy equipment.
    2. Knowledge of occupational hazards and standard safety precautions necessary in the work in the performance of assigned duties.
    3. Knowledge of city streets & alleys; locations, speeds, directions, compositions, and thicknesses.

Requirements

  1. High school graduation or equivalent.
  2. Work to obtain Kansas Commercial Driver’s License Class A – (6 months from hire date)
    1. Air Brake Endorsement
    2. Tanker Endorsement – may be optionally required
    3. Automatic Transmission
    4. Standard Transmission – may be optionally required
  3. Obtain OSHA 10 hour certification (1 year from hire date)
  4. Will complete one year of on the job training minimum.
  5. Will complete one year of on the job training minimum.
  6. Work to obtain certifications in: (max 3 years from date of hire)
    1. National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) Certification: Core Curriculum
    2. National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) Certification: Heavy Equipment Operations – Level 1, or reciprocal type of heavy equipment operation training certification.
    3. Receive City of Pittsburg internal program certificate for training related to applicable asphalt practices, basic concrete knowledge, and entry level equipment operations. Test to be based off equipment standards, National Ready Mix Association information, American Concrete Institute, the US Army Corps of Engineers, National Asphalt Pavement Association, and the American Public Works Association training materials.
  7. Basic competencies using micro-soft products such as outlook, word, and excel.
  8. Basic competencies to utilize smart phones, tablets, and computers for communicating, corresponding, and processing work orders.