TollBoothGuy
5 Years Experience
Brooklyn, NY
Male, 33
I spent just short of five years as a toll collector on the western end of New York State. Ask me anything, but please don't pay me in pennies.
Restrooms are located in the small buildings off to the side of the plazas. During day shifts you generally don't go too many hours without a break so it isn't a huge issue. If you've got other lanes open next to you and it isn't busy you sometimes can put out a cone in your lane and run in quickly. If traffic doesn't allow that you can intercom to try and get someone on break to give you a spell. If you're covering a small station by yourself overnight, you do the best you can...
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Hahaha this is by far my favorite question so far. Unfortunately I don't know anything about operations on the Bay Bridge so I can't really give you much specific advice.
If you have a receipt from the transaction, there might be some identifying information on it. (In New York we had collector #'s that were printed out on the receipts)
If you go over the Bay Bridge frequently you could try to ask other collectors, but that would likely be very hit or miss.
Honestly, I would post a Craigslist missed connection. If you write it artfully enough, the Internet might just take up your cause. Good luck!
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The only thing I can really recall is having to make change on the spot without the use of a calculator. (We didn't have cash registers in the booth) so you need to be able to calculate change that drivers are owed on your own. There were some other scenario-based questions, I suppose, and general inquiries about customer service experience. There is often a civil service exam somewhere in the process and that often serves as the basis for the job. (If you can pass the test, you can probably do the job. I got the sense that the interview was primarily to confirm the results of the test. Again, I'm sure other collectors have different experiences.)
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I was paid bi-weekly. I can't speak for toll collectors as a whole, though.
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Programmer
Why are most developers socially withdrawn?
McDonald's Manager
Did you have to deal with a lot of disrespectful customers? What would they say?
School Bus Driver
If your bus is in an accident that was ruled your fault, would you lose your job?
I don't really really keep up with that kind of stuff anymore. Try this page:
http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/public/index.cfm
Good luck!
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The only time I required a license was when an individual did not have enough money to pay. We were required to copy down the name and address of the driver and take down the corresponding plate number along with the amount owed. Two copies to audit, one copy to the driver. I'm not aware of other situations with other agencies that might require it, but I assume that is the most common reason a collector would need it.
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I'm both impressed that you found this AMA while you were on the road and a little regretful it took me over a year to answer. Regardless, I worked in Western New York so I would have been of no use to you. Hope you figured it out!
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