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.
This is when it pays to have sharp eyes. In our booths, we have an intercom that opens us to a dispatcher, state police units, and maintenance. If we can catch a plate number and a description of the vehicle, a unit can be rapidly dispatched if in the area. Regardless of the outcome, we must note as much information as we can on our Tour of Duty, and notify dispatch of the incident. We are audited every shift via money total and axle count so every axle that rolls over the treadles(sp?) in our lanes must be accounted for. Also, I used to hang out of my booth and wave my arms like a crazy person trying to get them to stop.
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Full-timers work eight hour shifts. Part-timers work anywhere between 4-8 hours depending on the shift. They also often jump between a few different lanes during their shift. We are provided stools and some of us do sit the whole time, but I never thought they were particularly comfortable so I usually stood for the majority of my shifts.
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I've had a lot of rude things done to me over the years. Dirty money, insults, ridiculous amounts of change, etc. But I think the one thing that has stuck with me to this day happened on an overnight shift years ago. Guy pulled up, handed me his ticket and his money in silence. While making his change, he looked up at me and asked 'Is this what you're going to do for the rest of your life?' While I truly don't believe he was asking the question maliciously, it's a loaded question, and something I would never ever ask another human being who's just trying to get through their day.
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Speaking from a part-time position only, I started at 9.36/hour. Five years later I was around the 13-14/hour range. I never exceeded 20k in a year. No health benefits. Under our contract, full-timers received pretty decent benefits from what I gathered and also received first dibs on all overtime opportunities. Becoming full-time was not a frequent opportunity, and almost always came with relocation. I can't give you an exact yearly salary, though.
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In New York we have 'unpaid toll' forms. The collector takes the driver's license, copies down all relevant information of the driver, takes the plate number of the vehicle and returns the license and a bill to the driver with an address to mail payment to within seven days. Additionally, if you're back on the road within that seven day span, you can pay your unpaid toll at the same time that you pay your regular toll. If the driver doesn't have their license on them, we ask them to pull off to the side and we call for a state trooper to come and verify information. It can take a few minutes, and people behind you will be displeased, but it happens and we try to make it as painless as possible.
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Usually you don't go more than 2-3 hours without a break so it isn't as big of an issue as people think. However, if it's an emergency and it's not too busy you can usually turn your light red, put a cone in the lane, and run into the building off to the side. If it is busy, someone is usually freed up for a few minutes to give you a spell. However, at some of our smaller stations, there are long stretches covered by a single collector, including the overnight (11p-7a) where I have heard of the bottle method being employed. Pure rumor there, though.
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While it is incredibly rare, and would probably take a perfect storm of circumstances, I have heard of this. I can only assume it would entail upwards of 300 16 hour days.
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