# Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

> Collect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck. May drive truck.

- **SOC code:** 53-7081.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-7081-00
- **Also known as:** Garbage Man, Roll Off Truck Driver, Sanitation Laborer, Trash Collector, Front Load Trash Truck Driver, Recycle Driver, Refuse Collector, Roll Off Container Truck Driver
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Inspect trucks prior to beginning routes to ensure safe operating condition.
- Drive trucks, following established routes, through residential streets or alleys or through business or industrial areas.
- Refuel trucks or add other fluids, such as oil or brake fluid.
- Dump refuse or recyclable materials at disposal sites.
- Fill out defective equipment reports.
- Operate automated or semi-automated hoisting devices that raise refuse bins and dump contents into openings in truck bodies.
- Dismount garbage trucks to collect garbage and remount trucks to ride to the next collection point.
- Operate equipment that compresses collected refuse.
- Communicate with dispatchers concerning delays, unsafe sites, accidents, equipment breakdowns, or other maintenance problems.
- Check road or weather conditions to determine how routes will be affected.
- Tag garbage or recycling containers to inform customers of problems, such as excess garbage or inclusion of items that are not permitted.
- Clean trucks or compactor bodies after routes have been completed.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Multilimb Coordination _(ability)_
- Arm-Hand Steadiness _(ability)_
- Static Strength _(ability)_
- Mechanical _(knowledge)_
- Manual Dexterity _(ability)_
- Reaction Time _(ability)_
- Trunk Strength _(ability)_
- Operations Monitoring _(transferable_skill)_
- Operation and Control _(transferable_skill)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Extent Flexibility _(ability)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Finger Dexterity _(Common Skill)_
- Equipment Maintenance _(Specialized Skill)_
- Depth Perception _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Writing _(Common Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- AMCS Platform
- Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
- Dossier software
- Fleet management software
- Global positioning system GPS software
- Mileage logging software
- Payroll software
- Routeware software
- Squeegee
- WAM software

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 9th percentile (Low) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 8th percentile (Low) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 26th percentile (Low) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 6th percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 84th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 0.9% growth (About average); 16.9k annual openings; 147.9k → 149.2k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $48,350; 139,180 employed.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-7081-00_