Heavy Equipment Operator – Port Operations

Run the Machines That Move a Mountain of Salt

Vessels come in loaded. Somebody has to unload them, stockpile the product, blend it, and get it out the door to customers who are counting on it before the first snow flies.

That's you.

As an Operator at Grit One, you'll spend your day in the seat of serious equipment — Sennebogen material handlers, wheel loaders, conveyors, blending systems, pneumatic hoppers, and field unloaders. You'll learn machines you haven't run yet. You'll cross-train into roles beyond your own. And because we're still building this operation from the ground up, the way you do the job today shapes how it gets done tomorrow.

No two vessel days look the same. If sitting still all shift sounds like a slow death, keep reading.

Straight Talk Before You Apply

We'd rather tell you now than have you find out in week two:

• This job lives outdoors. Chicago winters, Chicago summers, wind off the water. All of it.
• The schedule follows the vessels. Evenings, weekends, and overtime during vessel operations and peak season. When a ship is in, we work.
• Safety isn't a poster here. It's the standard, and we hold each other to it.

Still with us? Good — that's exactly the person we're looking for.

What You'll Actually Do

• Run heavy equipment safely and within spec, day in and day out
• Hit production targets and keep the product moving
• Follow care and maintenance instructions so the equipment stays in the fight
• Cover other roles when teammates are out — flexibility keeps the operation running
• Own your numbers and know where you stand
• Speak up when you see a better, safer, or faster way to do something

Equipment you'll operate: Sennebogen material handler · wheel loader · wheel Bobcat · material loader · pneumatic and other hoppers · blending system · conveyors · field unloader · additional heavy machinery

You'll Fit Right In If You

• Treat safety as personal — yours and your crew's
• Would rather be running a machine than sitting at a desk
• Step up when someone's out instead of waiting to be asked
• Notice the thing that's not working right and say something about it
• Want to grow into more as this facility grows

What You Need

• High school diploma or equivalent
• 2+ years operating heavy equipment
• Comfortable following digital instructions and entering data into a system
• Reliable transportation to our port facility
• Availability for shifts, overtime, and weekends

Nice to have:

• Industrial, production, or warehouse experience
• OSHA or equipment-specific certifications

What We Offer

• Pay: $24-29.50/hour, plus overtime
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k)
• Vacation+ PTO  
• Paid holidays
• Real advancement opportunity as the port operation scales

About Grit One

Grit One is Midwest Salt with a port address — and a startup mindset.

Located at the Port of Chicago, we're the bulk salt production and storage facility where vessels unload, product gets stockpiled, and supply moves fast to customers who count on us.

We're still building this thing, which means every person on this team has a real hand in shaping what it becomes. We're big on ownership, smart ideas, and getting it right. If you show up ready to figure things out and be part of something that's just getting started, Grit One is where you want to be.

Low prices, quality product, phenomenal service — that's the Midwest Salt promise. At Grit One, we deliver it straight from the water.

Ready to get after it? Apply today.