refuse vehicle driver
Refuse vehicle drivers drive the large vehicles used for refuse collection. They drive the vehicles from the homes and facilities where the refuse is collected by the refuse collectors on the lorry and transport the waste to the waste treatment and disposal facilities.
refuse vehicle driver refuse vehicle drivers drive the large vehicles used for refuse collection. The role shows low AI exposure (0.38 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include waste transport legislation, waste management, types of waste collection vehicles, waste and scrap products, drive vehicles.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £39,905 a year for Large goods vehicle drivers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £33,749 to £46,679 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 8211). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Plant and machine operators and assemblers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only refuse vehicle driver, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 8. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Transportation
- Customer and Personal Service
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Telecommunications
- Computers and Electronics
What you'd actually do
- 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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does refuse vehicle driver do?
Refuse vehicle drivers drive the large vehicles used for refuse collection. They drive the vehicles from the homes and facilities where the refuse is collected by the refuse collectors on the lorry and transport the waste to the waste treatment and disposal facilities.
What skills does refuse vehicle driver need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include waste transport legislation, waste management, types of waste collection vehicles, waste and scrap products, drive vehicles, manage waste rock. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace refuse vehicle driver?
Our AI-durability model gives refuse vehicle driver a score of 0.38 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.