Temporary Digging Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Salary: $26.00 Hourly
Location : Ouray County, CO
Job Type: Temporary Full Time (9 mos or less)
Job Number: HAA-R5S3-WT/Ridgway-09/26
Department: Department of Transportation
Division: CDOT Region 5
Opening Date: 09/01/2026
Closing Date: 2/28/2027 11:59 PM Mountain
FLSA: Determined by Position
Primary Physical Work Address: 1125 CO-62, Ridgway, CO 81432
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt; position is eligible for overtime compensation.
Department Contact Information: Ximena.PerezGarcia@state.co.us
Type of Announcement: This is a temporary position. Applications will be considered from residents and non-residents of Colorado.
How To Apply: Please submit an online application for this position at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado. Reach out to the Department Contact to apply using a paper application, including any supplemental questions. Failure to submit a complete and timely application may result in the rejection of your application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that application materials are received by the appropriate Human Resources office before the closing date and time listed.
Department Information
Applications will be considered from residents and non-residents of Colorado.
This announcement is posted until the position is filled. Applications are reviewed as received; applying early is strongly encouraged.
This is a paid temporary position limited to a maximum of 9 months from the date of hire. In addition to being a fantastic place to work, CDOT offers all temporary employees paid sick leave. Temporary employees accrue one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, capped at 48 hours.
This position is not covered by the Partnership Agreement between the State of Colorado and Colorado Workers for Innovative and New Solutions (COWins).
If you have a Colorado Class A or B Commercial Driver's License and are passionate about safety, travel, and hands-on repair and improvements, then consider turning your passions into a career as a Highway Maintenance Specialist. CDOT has a vacancy for a Temporary Highway Maintenance Specialist in Ridgway, CO for the winter season.
CDOT offers $26.00/hour for the winter season. The majority of CDOT's temporary Highway Maintenance positions work 40 hours per week with the opportunity for overtime.
About CDOT
Do you want to make a difference in Coloradans' lives? Do you have a passion for helping people and keeping them safe? At the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), you'll have the opportunity to do just that. The work our people do contributes to keeping Coloradans and visitors safe and provides freedom, connection, and experience through travel. Please visit our careers page to learn about CDOT and how we are making Colorado a great place to live, work and play, now and for the future! Also, check out our excellent benefits package for permanent positions!
CDOT for All
CDOT's strength is our people, and our commitment to our people is to shape, support, and sustain the employee experience and ultimately create a supportive workplace where everyone, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, education, disability, socioeconomic status, or any other identity, has the opportunity to thrive.
Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For more information, go to https://studentaid.gov/pslf/
Description of Job
What You Will Do
No two days are exactly the same in CDOT highway maintenance. Your daily work activities change based on project needs and also vary based on weather, environment, and road conditions. You will be on-call on a rotating basis as well as subject to call to respond to weather and other emergencies. You will typically work in a team environment, as each maintenance patrol location has at least one lead highway maintenance specialist and multiple highway maintenance specialists. Your main job activities include:

• Plowing snow
• Operating heavy equipment, such as tandem dump truck, loader, tractor mower, etc.
• Mowing grass and weeds
• Removing debris from roadways, including rock, mud, and deceased animals
• Removing debris from culverts, tunnels, etc.
• Shoveling gravel, sand, concrete, and asphalt
• Digging ditches
• Installing and repairing guardrail, highway markers and signs, warning signs, and lighting
• Filling potholes and roadway cracks
• Setting out signs and cones for traffic control
• Removing and covering graffiti
• Installing pavement markings/striping
• Stopping or slowing traffic in emergency situations
• Maintaining equipment and performing minor repairs
• Following safety guidance and wearing proper safety equipment

What Impact You Will Have
Your work is critical to keeping Colorado's roadways open and safe. Your work also positively impacts quality of life for all Coloradans and visitors and helps our economy to thrive.
What CDOT Provides

• Personal protective equipment, such as uniforms, boots, hard hats, gloves, safety vest, respirator, and tools
• Full payment for your CDL physical, after your first year with CDOT
• Partial reimbursement (up to 50%) for your CDL renewal, after your first year with CDOT
• CPR and first-aid training
• Variety of career training opportunities
• 40-hour work weeks, with opportunity for overtime during weather emergencies
• 4-day work schedule (10-hour days Monday-Thursday) during the summer months, typically May through September
• Opportunities to learn new equipment
• Opportunities for advancement

Your Work Environment

• Exposure to loud noise
• Exposure to fumes, odors, gasses, dusts, etc. that may affect breathing, eyes, and skin
• Required to use appropriate personal protective equipment
• Required to work with chemicals and cleaning products
• Some equipment requires the use of respirators
• Work near traffic, sometimes high-speed traffic
• Use ladders and scissor lifts for heights of approximately 10'-20'
• Required to drive CDOT vehicles
• Frequently respond to emergencies outside regular work hours and may work overtime including weekends and holidays
• Must be willing and be physically able to work in extreme temperatures (hot and cold), variable weather conditions, and at varying elevations up to 12,000 feet for long periods of time

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights
Minimum Qualifications
Must have at least two (2) years of physical labor and/or heavy equipment operation experience.
Preferred Qualifications

• Has a strong commitment to working safely
• Has a desire to learn
• Wants to work outdoors
• Likes physically demanding work
• Takes pride in a job well done
• Adapts efficiently to changing conditions and priorities
• Works effectively in a team environment and looks out for team members
• Communicates effectively, especially in safety-critical situations
• Has a strong commitment to providing good customer service
• Likes to solve problems and figure out better ways to do things
• Has experience operating equipment, such as single and tandem axle dump trucks, front end loaders, bulldozers, backhoes, etc.
• Has experience using hand tools
• Has basic computer skills and can learn new software/equipment
• Years of State service experience related to the duties of this position

Conditions of Employment

• Must possess and maintain a valid Commercial Driver's License Class A or B with no restriction on air brakes that allows operation within Colorado.
• If you have a non-Colorado Commercial Driver's License, you must be eligible to drive in Colorado with your CDL at time of hire. If you currently live outside of Colorado and relocate to reside in Colorado, you must transfer your CDL to Colorado within 30 days of relocation.
• Must pass a pre-employment screening which may include social security number trace, criminal records check, public court records check, educational records, and driving records checks. More information in the supplemental information section.
• May be required to pass a controlled substance test (i.e., drug test), and DOT physical through our medical provider.
• On-call work (rotating basis as well as subject to call)
• Shift work
• Essential Services Designation - Required to report without delay or interruption to provide essential or emergency services to ensure health, safety, and welfare.
• May be required to live within thirty (30) minutes' driving time in normal weather conditions to be able to respond in a timely manner after being notified to report to work. Knowledge of an emergency or hazardous condition may be considered to be notification to report to workstation.
• New employees are required to take two weeks of maintenance training, while veteran CDOT employees are required to take one week of training each year. This training is completed via computer or in our Aurora location.
• May be required to obtain a Hazardous Materials endorsement within 6 months to 1 year as a condition of appointment.
• Must be willing to respond to emergencies outside regular work hours and work overtime including weekends and holidays.
• Must provide the supervisor with a telephone number where you can be reached for the purposes of responding to an emergency.

Supplemental Information
Applicant Checklist
Complete Applications must include the following documents:

1. A complete CDOT Application for Announced Vacancy (please submit online using the green 'APPLY' button at the top of this announcement)
2. A complete Supplemental Questionnaire (The questionnaire is part of the online application. You will be prompted to answer them as you are completing your online application.)
3. A copy of your Commercial Driver's License, Class A or B, front and back.

Please note that you may redact information on your attachments that identifies your age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
Only complete applications submitted by the closing date for this announcement will be given consideration. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application. Failure to submit properly completed documents by the closing date of this announcement may result in your application being rejected.
The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness.
The State is resolute in non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.
Notifications:
All correspondence regarding your status in the selection/examination process will be via email. Include your current working email address on your application and check your email frequently as you could receive time sensitive correspondence regarding this position. We highly recommend that you set up your email to accept messages from "state.co.us" and "info@governmentjobs.com" addresses. It is your responsibility to ensure that your email will accept these notices and/or review your junk mail and spam filtered email. Immediately after you submit your application you should receive an email that confirms that you successfully submitted an application for this position. If you do not, try submitting again until you receive the confirmation email. Be sure to also check your junk folder for email communications from the State of Colorado's website.
Employment Screening
If an applicant reaches the finalist stage of the hiring process, the Colorado Department of Transportation may procure a consumer report and/or investigative consumer report on the applicant in connection with his/her application for employment purposes, as defined under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. These reports may be obtained at any time after receipt of the applicant's authorization. As part of the employment screening an applicant will be requested to disclose any deferred judgments and convictions as well as an explanation of the circumstances around any arrest or conviction. In the event that a screening returns information that the applicant believes is not accurate, he or she will have an opportunity to dispute the information with "Accurate." Accurate, a consumer reporting agency, will obtain the report for CDOT. Further information regarding Accurate including its privacy policy, may be found online at www.accurate.com. Accurate is located at 200 Spectrum Center Drive Suite 1100, Irvine, CA 92618.The report may contain information bearing on the applicant's character, general reputation, personal characteristics, and mode of living. The information that may be included in the report includes social security number trace, criminal records check, public court records checks, educational records, and driving records checks. CDOT will only request credit reports insofar as they relate to the position for which the applicant is applying. The information contained in the report will be obtained from private and/or public record sources. The applicant will have the right, upon written request made within a reasonable time after receipt of a notice, to request disclosure of the nature and scope of any investigative consumer report.
ADAAA Accommodations
CDOT is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability as d