Motor Equipment Operator I Public Works, Bureau of Highways, Cooksville Shop

Howard County:
Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community.

Howard County Government:
Howard County Government is a leader in innovation sustainability and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the 2025 Howard County Government received a record-breaking 83 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) the highest number of annual NACo awards achieved in the history of the State of Maryland and the highest number of awards out of any county in the State of Maryland which received a collective 136 awards. NACo is the leading organization representing county-level government operations. These awards recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents improve existing programs upgrade working conditions and enhance citizen participation and public policymaking.

What are we looking for
We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations.

What youll like most about working at Howard County Government:

• We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.
• We have a highly talented diverse and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard but it will be encouraged!
• We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical retirement and wellness programs.
• As a member of the Howard County Government team youll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

Include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.

Operates dump trucks hauling sand stone pipe and other materials and equipment used in highway construction and maintenance.

Operates motor vehicles with attachments and/or tools (such as chippers compressor tamping machine trencher) to spread salt and sand on icy roads shore up ditches install pipes mows grass and similar activities.

Operates a highway striping vehicle or its paint spray carriage and a personnel lift truck used in signal maintenance tree trimming and other duties.

Inspects and performs minor routine maintenance on equipment and tools.

Checks for damaged or worn tires or tracks proper air pressure in tires and other elements affecting safe equipment operation; performs routine and preventive maintenance as established by unit.

Operates forklift to load and unload heavy materials; manually loads and unloads other materials; performs both routine and skilled laboring tasks.

Performs basic horticultural practices; pruning plant identification.

Keeps log of vehicle operation; makes reports of equipment defects accidents traffic violations and other mishaps.

May operate more complex motor equipment hand tools and power tools; may direct and instruct other employees in the use of motor equipment hand tools power tools and related work.

Performs all types of semiskilled manual tasks such as: painting raking and shoveling stone mixing cement flagging traffic mulching and seeding operates jack hammer and other highway related maintenance tasks.

Operates forestry truck and chipper.

Operates snow plow and salt spreader plowing and salting roads.

Patches roads and shoulders.

May oversee the work of subordinate employees.

Directs traffic flow during work activities.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Any combination of education and experience equivalent to completion of the tenth school grade and one year of experience operating large dump trucks and/or other motor equipment of the same complexity; or one year of experience in progressively responsible manual laboring work some of which has included the operation of such motor equipment.

PREFERRED EDUCATION KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Knowledge of traffic laws truck related laws and safety procedures.

Knowledge of the principles and practices of motor equipment operation.

Knowledge of the hazards and safety rules and regulations involved in laboring and equipment operation activities in the unit to which assigned.

Some knowledge of carpentry and form building.

Skill in the safe and efficient operation of dump trucks and other motor equipment of the same complexity both on and off the highway.

Skilled in the operation of hand and power tools.

Ability to service motor equipment.

Ability to learn the operation of mechanical equipment such as forklifts backhoes hydraulic excavator front end loaders and other heavy construction equipment.

Ability to learn the geography of the County.

Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions directions and traffic signals.

Ability to perform heavy labor for prolonged period of time often under adverse weather conditions.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates.

Ability to perform preventive maintenance on above mentioned equipment and vehicles.

Knowledge of tree care technique and procedures.

Knowledge of computer operation.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job the employee is frequently required to stand; sit; use hands to finger handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to walk and stoop kneel crouch or crawl and may be required to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision distance vision peripheral vision and ability to adjust focus.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly exposed to outside weather conditions moving traffic moving mechanical parts fumes or airborne particles loud noises and vibration. The employee is occasionally exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals.

LANGUAGE SKILLS MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND REASONING ABILITY:
Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions short correspondence and memos.

Ability to write simple correspondence.

Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to coworkers and others

Ability to add subtract multiply and divide in all units of measure using whole numbers.

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written oral or diagram form.

Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Shall have a valid CDL Class B license issued by the State of Maryland during tenure of appointment as a Motor Equipment Operator I if required by work assignment.

Valid DOT physical card.

Possession of a valid Maryland approved flagger program card may be required depending upon work assignment and must be obtained within Department time frames and maintained during tenure of employment.

Confined space training certification may also be required when required by work assignment.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

TO APPLY:You must complete an employment application online to be considered for this recruitment. Resumes cannot be substituted for completion of the job application work history. No paper applications will be accepted.

Selected candidates may be subject to drug screening background screening and reference checks.

At time of application please submit a copy of any college degree coursework licenses or certifications that you have referenced on your who have education obtained outside of the U.S. may need to provide proof of the equivalent U.S. education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services () or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation ( County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H-1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H-1B Visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Howard Countyis an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity equity and inclusion. The County prohibits discrimination on the basis of race color religion age sex ancestry creed national origin disability status genetics marital statusmilitary service sexual orientation gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local laws. Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources directly at .Requests for accommodations should not be attached to the application.