Transportation & Logistics
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Also called: Front Load Trash Truck Driver, Garbage Man, Recycle Driver, Refuse Collector
US median pay
$49,690
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+2.1%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
15,500
156,400 employed
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
Preparation 2/5 · Some preparation
What this job is
Collect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck. May drive truck.
What they do day to day
- Inspect trucks prior to beginning routes to ensure safe operating condition.
- Drive trucks, following established routes, through residential streets or alleys or through business or industrial areas.
- Refuel trucks or add other fluids, such as oil or brake fluid.
- Dump refuse or recyclable materials at disposal sites.
- Fill out defective equipment reports.
- 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.
- Operate equipment that compresses collected refuse.
- Communicate with dispatchers concerning delays, unsafe sites, accidents, equipment breakdowns, or other maintenance problems.
- Check road or weather conditions to determine how routes will be affected.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Operations Monitoring3.0/5
- Operation and Control3.0/5
- Equipment Maintenance2.8/5
- Coordination2.6/5
- Troubleshooting2.5/5
- Time Management2.5/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.5/5
- Repairing2.5/5
Knowledge
- Mechanical3.2/5
- English Language2.8/5
- Transportation2.6/5
- Public Safety and Security2.5/5
- Customer and Personal Service2.5/5
- Administration and Management2.1/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 2 of 5 — Some preparation. Usually a high school diploma; some previous work experience or training helps.
Typical entry education (BLS): No formal educational credential.
Highest education of people in this job:
- High school diploma81%
- Associate's degree11%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.