Garbage Truck Mechanic

No one likes garbage, whether it’s on the side of the road or in their home. In fact, there are whole gangs of people in orange jumpsuits who like to spend their weekends picking up trash on roadsides. All this collected trash eventually ends up in a garbage truck, which then takes it out to landfills or recycling plants.

Garbage Truck Mechanics play an important role in making sure trash gets where it needs to go. Your job as a Garbage Truck Mechanic is to perform basic maintenance work as well as fix the big problems on your city’s fleet of garbage trucks.

In some ways, garbage trucks are just like any other truck or vehicle on the road. They need their oil changed, their batteries installed, and their spark plugs replaced. As a Garbage Truck Mechanic, you’re the one who does these basic tasks, and more.

While you work, you keep accurate records of everything you do. This not only lets you know when it’s time to make a specific repair (say, replace a timing belt after 80,000 miles), but it also lets you prepare by ordering parts ahead of time. Doing basic maintenance calls for pretty much the same tools you would use on any vehicle—stuff like tire wrenches, screwdrivers, and pliers.

However, a garbage truck is not exactly the same as a regular car or truck. It has a lot of electrical parts that make the lifts work and the back holding areas crush trash. Because of this, you need some electrical skills, too.