RED HEN TURF FARM
Job Description – Operator
Position Title: Operator
Minimal Level of Education and Experience required for acceptable performance:
Minimum of 2 years semi driving experience with clean driving record.
Wage Range:
$14+ per hour
Reports to: Turf Operations Manager and Sod Harvesting Manager
Overall Summary:
This position is a seasonal job, lasting from April through November.
Duties typically consist of working 50% in Trucking and 50% in other departments.
At times, this position requires working long hours (55+ hours per week), including some weekends.
Assignment to a tandem axle day cab, flatbed trailer, and a mounted forklift.
Operators make deliveries of sod are to residential homes, commercial developments, and garden centers. A
typical day may include 2-3 sod loads per day, with multiple stops per load. A delivery forklift is used to
unload and stage the sod rolls. Outgoing loads typically consist of pallets of little rolls, big rolls, and
occasionally sod laying machines. Deliveries of grain are made to local or regional facilities. Deliveries of
tomatoes are to regional facilities -- about 5 hours roundtrip.
Essential Tasks, Duties & Responsibilities (include, but are not limited to):
Safety: Always working with the safety of yourself, your co-workers, your customers, and others as a
priority.
Ongoing Training: Actively participating in weekly Operators Meetings and other ongoing training sessions
that address various aspects of your job duties and responsibilities. Each current Operator will be
responsible for training newly hired Operators.
Administrative: Many duties require accurately completing and handling paperwork that will be turned in
promptly.
Maintenance and Service:
o Performing the following inspections on a daily basis and turning in accurate forms at the end of the
week: Truck Inspections, Trailer Inspections, and Layer Service Inspections.
o Performing monthly Forklift Inspections and turning in accurate forms at the end of the week.
o Performing minor repair work and preventative maintenance to your truck, trailer and forklift, and
other minor repair work and maintenance to Red Hen equipment and property as requested.
Customer Service:
o Operators are, to our customers, the “face of Red Hen Turf Farm”.
o Using discretion and professionalism in handling billing paperwork and other customer information.
o Turning in delivery-related paperwork at the end of each day. This includes: office-copies of invoices,
information on pallet and tube returns, grain scale tickets, and tomato delivery tickets.
o Directing questions appropriately when communicating information about Red Hen products to
customers (For example, referring customers to our website, brochures, and to contact Office Staff.)
Loading and Delivery:
o Sod: Assisting the Sod Harvesting Manager with performing a second level of quality control. This
includes activities like double-checking that there is the proper amount of sod loaded and that it is of
Position Title: Operator
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good quality. It is each Operator’s responsibility to secure loads properly, and that they are delivered
under the necessary time-constraints to meet the daily projected workload. Operators assist in
handling returned pallets and tubes – on the job site and at the farm – and often play a role in
advising customers at the delivery sites about the best way to stage the sod.
Tomatoes: Performing trailer inspections before leaving the field to prevent breakdowns. While at
the delivery facility, following all applicable rules and procedures, and representing Red Hen in a
professional manner. Turning in tomatoes scale tickets by the next morning.
Grain: Being trained and training other Operators in bin safety, loading trucks correctly, cleaning out
bins, and moving augers. Turning in grain scale tickets by the next morning.
Non-Essential Tasks, Duties & Responsibilities:
Commercial Driver License (CDL-A) is a plus.
Work history in the Agricultural industry is a plus.
General mechanical and automotive skills such as welding, farm machinery maintenance and operation, and
construction equipment maintenance and operation.
Familiar with the local area, including towns and regions, construction sites, typical traffic patterns, and
travel distances.
Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Communication: Balancing listening and talking; speaking and writing clearly and accurately; influencing
others to communicate openly and honestly; keeping others informed.
Team Work & Coachability: Ability to work as a member of a team; be receptive to feedback; willing to learn
new things and share knowledge and skills; embracing continuous improvement.
Customer-Oriented: Practicing excellent customer service like being courteous, helpful, patient, and
attentive. Professional appearance, clear communication, product knowledge (including directing customers
to Red Hen’s website, brochures, and office staff for questions), time management skills, and the ability to be
flexible enough to handle surprises. Willing to do other tasks to keep our customers satisfied
Problem Solving & Innovation: Finding the best solution to a given problem or situation; collaborating with
others to seek input and alternative ideas; thinking first before acting. Taking ownership of your work and
thinking of new ways to do things better, and being willing to share your ideas with others.
Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Productivity: Only Handle It Once (OHIO) is the rule of thumb to strive for in
performing all job duties; if you take something on, try avoid multitasking and don't stop until you've finished
it; look for ideas to make every motion count twice, and share your ideas with others; be tough about
sticking to deadlines.
Self-Management: Be self-managing; focus on effective planning and time management as well as
prioritization of tasks; be reliable and maintain work / life balance.
Administration & Quality Compliance: Keep up to date with administrative and reporting responsibilities
required of the position and job duties; comply with company policies and auditing requirements at all times.
Technology: Red Hen Turf Farm understands that learning new technologies can be a challenge. Still, you will
need to be receptive to learning new technologies to help improve productivity and profitability of the farm.
Physical:
• Ability to sit for extended periods of time
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs
• Ability to bend, climb, lift throughout the day
• Be able to work outside in all conditions
More about Working at Red Hen:
Paychecks are issued every Thursday by direct deposit.
Paid holidays – if working the day before & after – are Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, & Thanksgiving Day
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Job Description Last Reviewed and Updated: 4/07/15
Position Title: Operator
Red Hen performs pre-employment drug testing for all positions, as well as random, post incident / accident,
reasonable suspicion and rehabilitation monitoring drug and alcohol testing.
Red Hen and our Operators who drive semis will comply with all applicable commercial driver’s license (CDL)
requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), along with the Department of
Transportation (DOT). This includes rules related to alcohol and drug testing, medical examination rules,
accidents, driver training, roadside inspections, daily vehicle inspections, and annual vehicle inspections.
SOME PHOTOS TO ILLUSTRATE THE OPERATOR POSITION
Princeton delivery forklift used to unload sod and load up little roll sod.
Operator loading big roll sod with case forklift. It has better reach than
Princeton forks.
Operator unloading sod at job site.
Load of little roll sod waiting to be loaded up and delivered.
Little roll sod being pushed off. The landscaper is holding the sod stack
while it is being pushed off. Strapped and ready for delivery.
Load of big roll sod. Rolls are unloaded 2 at a time.
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Job Description Last Reviewed and Updated: 4/07/15