With winter approaching, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is looking for workers with commercial driver’s licenses to help maintain roads and handle snow and ice removal across the state.

The seasonal openings could be especially attractive to professional drivers. The jobs begin in November and run through the end of March, with pay reaching $25 an hour for drivers hired specifically as on-call snowplow operators.

Full-time seasonal positions start at $21 an hour. For both opportunities, one of the main requirements is a valid Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), according to information published by INDOT.

The hiring push is part of Indiana’s annual preparation to keep interstates, U.S. highways and state roads moving during periods of snow and ice.

Interviews scheduled for October 6 across Indiana

One of the main hiring events will take place Tuesday, October 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time, at multiple INDOT locations across the state.

In southwestern Indiana, interviews will be held at the Evansville Subdistrict Office, 16601 Boyle Lane, and the Tell City Subdistrict Office, 15077 Old State Road 37. Another hiring location will be available in Paoli, at 899 N. Greenbriar Drive.

The hiring effort extends well beyond southwestern Indiana. Events will also be held that day in Gary, LaPorte, Plymouth and Rensselaer in the northwest; Fort Wayne, Wabash and Elkhart in the northeast; Terre Haute in west-central Indiana; and Indianapolis in the central part of the state.

According to information released about the hiring events, advance registration is not required, and applicants can interview on site that day.

Those interested can also review available positions and application information through the INDOT careers portal.

What will the drivers do?

Full-time seasonal positions include general highway and traffic maintenance duties in addition to snow and ice removal. INDOT relies on its maintenance crews for both summer and winter highway operations.

The scale of that work becomes clearer when a winter storm approaches.

According to INDOT’s winter operations program, the agency can deploy more than 1,000 snowplows and as many as 2,000 drivers, mechanics, administrative employees and operations personnel ahead of a winter weather event.

When conditions require it, crews work alternating 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, maintaining more than 29,000 lane miles of interstates, U.S. routes and state highways.

During a storm, INDOT aims to have snowplows travel roads under its responsibility approximately every two to three hours, while crews also use salt and other treatments to control snow and ice accumulation.

A job that keeps highways moving

The seasonal hiring effort also has a direct connection to freight transportation.

Indiana occupies a strategic position in the Midwest highway network and is crossed by major interstate corridors used every day by trucks and commercial fleets. These include I-65, I-69 and I-70, along with other routes connecting the state to major markets across the Midwest and eastern United States.

That means winter road operations are not only important for passenger vehicles. Keeping interstates and major state highways passable also helps freight continue moving when snowstorms and icy conditions disrupt travel.

INDOT’s winter priority is snow and ice removal, with crews working to keep highways and bridges open and passable and preserve mobility during severe weather.

For trucking companies, an icy highway or a blocked interstate can mean detours, delayed deliveries, lost hours of service and trucks sitting idle. That makes snowplow operations particularly important to freight movement throughout the colder months.

Echelon Plowing on the Southern State Parkway

Indiana needs drivers with CDLs

The hiring campaign also highlights something trucking companies know well: workers with CDLs are needed not only by private fleets but also by public agencies responsible for keeping highways operating.

For these winter seasonal positions, INDOT specifically requires a valid CDL for the jobs paying $21 and $25 an hour.

Beyond seasonal openings, the agency also hires for other highway maintenance positions. Highway Maintenance Technicians currently earn $20 an hour, or $21 an hour with a CDL, while some permanent positions allow employees to obtain their commercial license after being hired. INDOT provides training and covers certain costs associated with obtaining the license.

For drivers who already hold a CDL and are looking for seasonal work or an opportunity with a state agency, the October 6 hiring event provides a direct way to explore available positions.

And for truckers who will continue traveling Indiana’s highways this winter, the hiring push matters for another reason: these drivers will be part of the crews working to keep roads open when the first major snowstorms arrive.

Applicants can find all hiring locations, requirements and available opportunities on INDOT’s official winter seasonal employment page.

Interested in joining INDOT’s winter crews? You can apply and find available positions here.