Equipment Operator

Job Summary

The Intermodal Labourer (also known as Labourer, Equipment Operator or Heavy Equipment Operator) is responsible for performing the same tasks as a Helper or Attendant Equipment Operator and Heavy Equipment Operator.

Major Responsibilities

• Perform basic hand and horn signals to guide the Heavy Equipment Operators
• Lift, carry, place and remove inter-box connectors (IBCs)
• Drive pickups, hitch trucks, and yard tractors
• Perform various tasks to ensure the proper setup of guides on the rail cars
• Setup rail cars and assist Heavy Equipment Operators in loading and unloading containers and empty chassis and trailers to and from rail cars
• Shunt inbound and outbound loads to and from railcars
• Lift rail car hitches
• Load reefers from carters
• Connect and disconnect gensets (portable fossil-fuel powered generators)
• Place, remove, and lock and unlock train connectors
• Ensure proper container and trailer placement on rail cars
• Drive pickup and hitch trucks
• Operate yard tractors, forklifts, and small cranes
• Complete paperwork associated with the loading and unloading of railcars and trailers
• Operate heavy equipment, including mobile cranes (primarily ‘reach stackers’) that lift containers to and from railcars and truck chassis

Working Conditions

• Available to work shifts, weekends, holidays, nights and occasional overtime when necessary
• Partially performed outdoors in various types of weather and environmental conditions
• Regular exposure to dust, pollen, noise and vibrations
• Physical: lift and carry up to 50 pounds frequently, and up to 70 pounds occasionally
• Climb and balance, grip handholds while working at heights of 4–8 feet (1–2 meters) off the ground
• Bend, stoop, squat, kneel, and perform overhead work

Requirements

• High School Diploma or General Education Diploma (GED)
• Valid driver’s licence
• Lift-truck operator certification
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Ability to work autonomously, adapt to different situations and manage stress
• Demonstrate good teamwork and maintain positive interactions with others
• Good verbal, reading comprehension, and writing skills
• Be dedicated to meeting established standards of quality, safety, productivity and client satisfaction
• Hand-eye coordination
• Proficiency with shovels, rods and pry bars, sledgehammers, jackhammers, wrenches, hand and power drills, hand tools and technical instruments (meters)
• Ability to use heavy equipment such as a backhoe, trencher, and directional barring machine
• Proficiency in the operation of lift trucks, up to 21,000 pounds (10,000 kg) capacity
• Vocational and technical training or knowledge of Rail Operating Rules

Training

The incumbent receives 40 hours of paid training (classroom training and 120 hours of on-the-job training).

This position is a unionized position. As such, pay and benefits are governed by the applicable collective agreement.