Maintenance Technician

Veteran Hiring Solutions; City of Rochester (NY); On-site; USD 34,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hiring bonuses

Tool allowance

Full benefits

401(k) matching

Parental leave

Tuition assistance

Wellness program

Job summary

Casella in Rochester, NY is seeking a hands-on technician to keep the fleet moving. You will perform driveline work, inspect and repair air brakes, and service suspensions to ensure trucks roll out correctly each day.

This role rewards reliability, initiative, and a readiness to grow through the Casella career pathway from Apprentice to Lead. If you show up ready to work and take ownership, you can build a lasting career with us.

Qualifications

• Must have served in the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Reserves, or U.S. National Guard.
• Driveline experience. Air brakes. Suspension components -- U-joints, leaf springs, the fundamentals.
• Cab and chassis knowledge.
• At least one year of hands‑on mechanical experience on trucks or heavy equipment.
• High School Diploma or GED.
• Valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Perform driveline work, air brakes, and suspension components.
• Learn the shop, the work order system, and the people around you.
• Grow through the Casella career pathway from Apprentice to Lead by proving yourself.

Job description

Every truck that sits broken overnight is a route that does not run the next morning. That matters. Not in an abstract way. In a real, someone-is-counting-on-that-truck way.

The mechanic at this yard keeps the fleet moving. That is the job. When you fix it right, you see the result the next day when it rolls out the gate. No emails. No meetings. Just a truck running the way it should, doing work that has to get done.

Chris Cooke runs this shop. He came up from nothing in this industry -- starting on the back of a trash truck, growing into fleet management, building a facility from 6 trucks to 40 before taking over Rochester. He is not here to manage from behind a desk. He is here to build something, and he is looking for people who want to build it with him.

"Where you want to take it, that is up to you."

That is the offer. The career pathway is real. What you put in determines what you get out.

WHY THIS ROLE. WHY NOW.

MISSION

Every truck that sits broken overnight is a route that does not run the next morning. That matters. Not in an abstract way. In a real, someone-is-counting-on-that-truck way.

The mechanic at this yard keeps the fleet moving. That is the job. When you fix it right, you see the result the next day when it rolls out the gate. No emails. No meetings. Just a truck running the way it should, doing work that has to get done.

Chris Cooke runs this shop. He came up from nothing in this industry -- starting on the back of a trash truck, growing into fleet management, building a facility from 6 trucks to 40 before taking over Rochester. He is not here to manage from behind a desk. He is here to build something, and he is looking for people who want to build it with him.

"Where you want to take it, that is up to you."

That is the offer. The career pathway is real. What you put in determines what you get out.

Chris took over Rochester five weeks ago. He walked into a yard that needs his standard applied to it. He knows how to do that. He did it in Batavia. He needs mechanics who can come in ready to work and grow alongside him as he gets this location where it needs to be.

You will not inherit a finished shop. You will help build one.

That is either exactly what you want or it is not. If you need structure handed to you before you can operate, this is the wrong seat right now. If you are the kind of person who sees the work and does it -- who finds the next task without being told -- this is the right place at the right time with the right leader.

Both shifts are open. The need is immediate.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

By Day 30:

Show up every day. That is first. It is not assumed -- it is the standard. Complete onboarding and safety compliance training without having to be chased through it. Demonstrate that you can execute driveline work, air brakes, and suspension components independently. Learn the shop, the work order system, and the people around you without drama.

By Day 90:

Run your section of the PM schedule without gaps. No trucks fall through the cracks on your watch. Begin building hydraulic and diagnostic knowledge through vendor training, floor work, and asking questions. Earn trust through consistency -- not by talking about what you can do, but by doing it.

By Day 180:

Operate with minimal daily direction. You see the work. You do the work. You are the kind of technician Chris does not have to watch because he knows you are doing it right. If you want to keep moving up the career pathway, you are already on it.

FIT TRAITS

Attendance and Reliability. Chris named this first. Not technical skill, not certifications -- showing up. Every day. That is the baseline. If your record does not support this, do not apply.

Self-Starting Work Ethic. There is always something to do in this shop. The person who waits to be assigned the next task is the wrong person. The person who finds it and goes is the right one. "If there is time to lean, there is time to clean" is not a slogan here. It is how the shop operates.

Hunger to Grow. The career pathway at Casella goes from Apprentice to Tech B to Tech A to Master to Lead. Chris has grown people through every level of that progression. He will invest in you if you want it. What he will not do is carry someone who does not.

Honest Self-Assessment. Know what you know. Know what you do not. Chris has been in this industry long enough to hear immediately when someone overstates their experience. Honest gaps are workable. Inflated claims are not.

Team Culture. No drama. No entitlement. You earn what you get, same as everyone else in that bay. The people who thrive here are steady, reliable, and leave the politics at the door.

Requirements

• Must have served in the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Reserves, or U.S. National Guard.
  

Non-Negotiable Baseline:

Driveline experience. Air brakes. Suspension components -- U-joints, leaf springs, the fundamentals. Cab and chassis knowledge. At least one year of hands‑on mechanical experience on trucks or heavy equipment. High School Diploma or GED. Valid driver's license.

This is not an Apprentice hire right now. You need to come in able to execute the basics independently.

Strong Pluses:

Hydraulic experience. Electrical diagnostics. Aftertreatment systems (DPF, DEF, emissions). CDL. ASE certifications. If you do not have these yet, that is what training is for.

Military Equivalents:

If you served in a 91B, 91D, 91H, or 91S MOS, your fundamentals transfer directly. Aviation maintainers in the 15-series, Navy MR or MM, and USAF 2T3X1 bring hydraulic and electrical aptitude that carries into this environment. If you drove and maintained vehicles in a combat arms or logistics role, the floor experience counts. Chris acknowledged that military equipment has different specs than on‑road commercial trucks -- he also said the ideology is the same. If your hands know how to work, that reads.

Benefits

Hiring bonuses paid at time of hire by career path level: Apprentice $2,000, Tech B $3,000, Tech A $5,000, Master $6,000.

$2,000 annual tool allowance plus $500 per quarter tool reimbursement.

Pay ranges from approximately $25.00 to $45.00 per hour based on experience and career path level.

Full benefits package: Medical, Dental, and Vision. 401(k) with company match. Life and Disability Insurance. Maternity and Parental Leave. Tuition Assistance. Career Pathways Program. Quarterly and Annual Safety Awards. Employee Assistance Plan. Wellness Incentive Credit. Prescription Drug Coverage. Flexible Spending Accounts. LiveHealth Online telemedicine. 15% Verizon discount. Savings on eligible Ford and Lincoln vehicles. 100% surgery coverage through Lantern with no deductibles, no copays, and all travel paid.