Workers receive excellent benefits, union representation and opportunities for advancement

Are you a mechanic or vehicle technician looking for a new job?

Come join the team that keeps our region moving! TriMet is hiring bus mechanics, light rail vehicle technicians and other important positions that are eligible for a $7,500 hiring bonus!

Buses, trains and streetcars get thousands of people in the Portland metro area where they need to go, every day. These big vehicles are a big responsibility, though. TriMet’s maintenance team keeps them rolling along — tuning up the diesel engines and electric motors that drive our bus fleet, tending to the power supply for our zero-emissions MAX trains, and much more.

What TriMet offers

New mechanics, technicians and maintainers start at $43.83 an hour. Working full time, a maintenance worker at TriMet can make over $90,000 in their first year on the job.

These positions are represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757. Under a new labor agreement between TriMet and the union, workers get a pay increase each year — as well as a 9% employer contribution to their 401(a) retirement plan, which will increase to 10% in 2028. The contract includes a 13.64% increase over four years.

Union employees are also entitled to important benefits, which include:

• Affordable, flexible health care coverage options, including dental and vision care plans.
• A tuition reimbursement of up to $5,250 annually, supporting employees as they work toward a degree or certificate.
• A child care subsidy of up to $150 monthly, helping employees to support their families.

We support our employees who are looking for opportunities to progress in their careers! TriMet hires supervisors from within. Additionally, leadership and learning courses are available to all TriMet employees, at no cost to them.

Speaking from experience

Joe Ruffin has worked at TriMet’s Ruby Junction Rail Operations Facility in Gresham for nearly 30 years. He’s now seen six generations of MAX vehicles come through his maintenance shop.

“I never thought I’d be here this long,” Joe laughs.

But, he adds, “I love it. From the start, I fell in love with it.”

Joe is one of many hardworking light rail vehicle technicians at Ruby Junction and the Elmonica Rail Operations Facility in Beaverton. TriMet’s approximately 150 light rail vehicles call these two facilities home.

It takes a lot of work to keep our MAX trains in good working condition. In a typical month, our train cars log about 700,000 miles in total, crisscrossing the region on 60 miles of trackway. That’s enough to wrap around the Earth 28 times!

But while our maintenance team works with machinery, their priority is people.

“We’re doing a public service, and we’re doing a good thing for the public. And that’s what I always tell everyone: Look at all the people we’re helping,” Joe explains. “We want to make sure they have a nice, safe, comfortable ride.”

Joe is active in the union, too. He’s passionate about the pay and benefits that he and other employees earn at TriMet.

“It’s a good place to work. It’s a good place to build a career,” Joe says. “We’ve got a really good Working and Wage Agreement and working relationship with management.”

Apply today!

TriMet is hiring! Check out our current job openings at trimet.org/careers.

Details about each open position are available, including the job description and requirements, an explanation of the pay and benefits, and information on how to apply and what to expect during the hiring process.

Our website also lists which positions are eligible for a $7,500 hiring bonus. That includes new bus mechanics, light rail vehicle technicians, transit operators and more!

You can apply online! Find the details on what you need to apply on our website.