Tim Robinson spends 9 to 12 hours a day in his truck, driving the same routes and picking up recyclables from the same containers throughout Westborough, Mass. He'll celebrate his 30th anniversary as a truck driver in January. "I really love this job. I'm a lifer, so I know I'll keep doing this a long time," he says. Robinson, who works for E.L. Harvey & Sons (Westborough, Mass.], likes the familiarity of his route and the predictability of his schedule. He even likes the physical demands of the job, which require him to stay in good shape so he can get in and out of the cab multiple times a day, pull open heavy container doors, and rearrange loads in his truck by hand. The things he loves about this job are the same things that make it hard for many recyclers to attract new drivers to these positions, he says. "It's hard work—you don't realize it sometimes. It's not for everyone."
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