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CDL rules and recruiting gaps leave Chicopee departments short-staffed
Summary
Multiple Chicopee departments reported numerous open positions and hiring challenges tied to commercial driver-license (CDL) requirements and regional pay competition during the FY26 budget hearings.
Several Chicopee departments told councilors June 23 they are struggling to fill front-line positions, with the commercial driver’s license requirement repeatedly cited as a barrier.
Why it matters: staffing shortages increase overtime costs, limit services such as snow removal and street repairs, and can delay capital projects that require on-staff oversight.
DPW officials said the city has repositioned some job grades to attract applicants. The highway superintendent described a restructuring that reduced four pay-grade 5L positions and added three 6L positions “in hopes that in the next fiscal year that maybe we'll have a little bit more success filling the 6L positions versus the 5L positions,” he told councilors.
Officials across departments gave counts of unfilled roles: the building department reported two open building inspector positions; parks said about five positions were unfilled for the past couple of years; engineering said three openings; highway was cited in discussion as having about 10 vacancies; water and sanitation reported multiple open positions tied to CDL and specialized licensing. Forestry managers said two positions were open, and the department is working to use cooperative interns and training to fill the pipeline.
DPW leaders and councilors also cited changes in federal and industry rules. As one DPW speaker explained, “post COVID, when the Federal Motor Carrier... changed the CDL requirement ... it made it a lot more difficult” to hire for those roles, because training programs and certification paths changed.
Councilors asked whether the city could fund on‑the‑job training or pay-for-license programs; department heads said some union negotiations and in‑house limits mean ad hoc solutions are being explored. Departments reported using temporary labor contracts and outside partners such as Roca for short-term help.
No formal policy change was adopted June 23; councilors directed departments to continue recruitment efforts and to bring follow-up information on potential training or pay‑grade adjustments when final budgets are considered.
