INDOT seeks temporary winter workers with statewide job fairs

From Elkhart to Indianapolis to Terre Haute, INDOT will have 13 in-person job fairs open Wednesday.

The annual event helps get temporary employees to meet extra winter road maintenance needs.

The job, which lasts five months, involves repairing traffic signs, snow removal and other duties. It starts at $20 an hour. There are also a limited number of on-call snow plow driver positions, which make $24 per hour. Commercial Driver's Licenses are required for all these jobs.

The job fairs will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28 at the following locations:

• Traffic Management Center – 8620 East 21st Street, Indianapolis, IN 46219
• Indianapolis Sub District Office – 7105 S. Brookville Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46239
• Cloverdale Sub District Office – 10 High St. Cloverdale, IN 46120
• Crawfordsville Office – 139 W 300 N Crawfordsville, IN 47933
• Terre Haute Sub District Office – 5693 East Sony Drive Terre Haute, IN 47802
• Gary Sub District Office – 7601 Melton Rd, Gary, IN 46403
• LaPorte Office – 315 East Boyd Boulevard, LaPorte, IN 46350
• Plymouth Sub District Office – 2845 Jack Greenlee Dr., Plymouth, IN 46563 
• Ft Wayne Office – 5333 Hatfield Rd, Ft Wayne, IN 46808
• Wabash Sub District Office – 1290 Manchester Ave, Wabash, IN 46992
• Elkhart Sub District Office – 58905 Co Rd 9, Elkhart, IN 46517
• Fall City Sub District Office – 5701 US 31, Clarksville, IN 47129
• Bloomington Sub District Office – 2965 N Prow Rd, Bloomington, IN 47404

Potential candidates can be interviewed onsite. More details on available seasonal jobs can be found on the state’s online job board.

Despite the state’s tight labor market, Northeast Region Public Hunter Petroviak said there are few positions INDOT is struggling to hire.

“We have a handful of jobs that we do need to fill,” Petroviak said. “But we're in no means in a position where we're facing such a shortage that we're not going to be able to maintain or improve roads.”

The department offers “appealing” pay scales, benefits and opportunities for advancement in both these temporary and other long-term positions, he said.

“I think the good news for people, too, is that [often] these seasonal positions can turn into full-time jobs,” Petroviack said. “So, starting out at this level can lead to many more opportunities down the road.”

The median hourly pay in Indiana for jobs that can require a Commercial Driver's License ranges by vehicle type, according to estimates for May 2021 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

School bus and light truck drivers get around $18 an hour, while heavy or transit bus drivers' median hourly pay is around $23. INDOT’s seasonal jobs offer pay starting at $20.

The department is confident it will fill enough of the seasonal winter jobs, Petroviack added. But they are prepared to expand hiring efforts, potentially with a second set of job fairs, if goals aren’t immediately met.

“Even if we happen to not get just as many people as we'd like to have on board, winter operations will not be in jeopardy,” he said. “If there's a major winter storm or something in one of our districts, we’re able to pull some people from other neighboring districts.”

The department does not offer CDL training to unlicensed applicants for these seasonal jobs because they are so short. But, Petroviak said that training is sometimes available for full-time positions in the department.

“Give us a chance, come talk to the people who are going to be there to facilitate these hiring fairs,” he said. “You never know until you try.”

Contact reporter Adam at arayes@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @arayesIPB.

Copyright 2022 IPB News. To see more, visit IPB News.