As the sun rises, Josue Prado takes his first break to grab breakfast and take a quick nap.
Prado's job is not a glorious one, however, his pride gives him energy to wake up at 2 a.m. six days a week, and drive through snow, sleet and rain.
While driving a trash truck was never Prado's dream career, he has taken solace and dignity in the ability to provide for his family of seven. Prado has six children, and a wife, who live with him in Chenango, N.Y., outside of Syracuse.
Prado reports to work at Syracuse Haulers [13] at 3:30 a.m., six days a week and drives Truck 61 — a front-end loader. Prado then spends his 12-hour workday traversing Onondaga County to collect garbage from up to 100 different dumpsters.
"The snowy days are the worst," Prado reminisces as he enjoys one of the last fall days. Between access to the dumpsters and the truck's performance, days with heavy snow may last as long as 16 hours, Prado said.
Prado works alone most days, spending an average of 12 hours in the truck, driving over 100 miles on average. Prado has been working for Syracuse Haulers for over nine years and has no plans to leave soon.
"I like waking up in the morning knowing that there's going to be trash," Prado jokes. "[It's] job security."
While Prado works to support his family, his family supports him. Prado's youngest son is most proud of him.
Every time we pass a Syracuse Haulers dumpster my son points it out, Prado explains. "It's Syracuse Haulers, daddy!" Prado repeats while laughing.
It's his family's support, and pride, that Prado takes with him every day as he works through the elements to keep the city moving.
