Bradenton, Florida, approves incentive program to attract garbage truck drivers

After struggling for months to keep truck drivers on staff, Bradenton, Florida, has voted to approve a new incentive program aimed at boosting employee retention within the city’s Public Works Department.

“I’m sure you’ve all received the calls, probably incessantly, about trash pickup services, yard waste, recycle and pretty much anything that goes into a dumpster. It’s a terrible situation,” said City Administrator Rob Perry. “It’s not just Bradenton. It’s statewide and national.”

As reported by the Bradenton Herald, the city’s shortage of drivers has impacted collection schedules. City officials recently announced that they no longer have the capacity required to pick up yard waste and recycling every week, temporarily switching to a system that alternates between the pickups every week. Regular trash pickup has been prioritized and unaffected by the driver shortage.

Perry worked with Public Works Director Jim McLellan to come up with a $150,000 program aimed at rewarding employees who choose to stay with the city. Under the program, new employees with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) are eligible for a $1,000 bonus after six months, along with another $1,000 payment after they’ve been employed for a year.

“This is a recruitment and retention tool,” Councilwoman Marianne Barnebey said.

The incentive program also rewards CDL employees who have already shown their loyalty to the city. Any CDL-holding public works employee that has been with the city for more than five years will immediately receive a $2,000 bonus.

“It’s somewhat similar to what private haulers are offering,” said McLellan, who explained the program will remain in place until at least September 2022. “We’re trying to get us through what we hope will be the end of this crisis.”

City officials also recently hosted a job fair in an effort to attract drivers. In addition, Bradenton offers to pay for the classes required for an employee to earn their CDL, which is required to operate a large vehicle such as a garbage truck.

Public works employees who hold a CDL that is not required for their position are also eligible for pay. Those employees are entitled to half of the pay provided to CDL-holding drivers, according to incentive program documentation.

“We don’t want to be a training ground. Some people are looking for a higher wage and leaving us with a revolving door, unfortunately,” Perry told the Bradenton Herald. “That leaves us unable to provide the service our citizens require.”