Is this shop worth it?

Currently I work at a heavy equipment dealership (I won't list the name) amd am wondering if this job would be worth it to any of you. A little background I attended a diesel tech school for 2 years and currently am on my year and a half at this dealership. The people I work with are great. The service manager can be a bit of a micromanager at times. I currently am a shop guy. I have a hour drive one way just to get to work. My first year I worked at 18.00 an hour. At the end of the first year I had a year end review and everything was noted excellent and they seamed to be very pleased to have my onboard. At the end I was given a raise of 50 cents. So I currently make 18.50 an hour and time and a half overtime when I rarely get it. Noted also I know it is my first year but I get sent out with road guys often and have done major jobs such as a rebuild on a cummins,pulling and replacing engines, troubleshooting electrical and hydraulic issues, full under carriages so on and so on. Also when the shop I work at is slow they will send me up to 7 hours away to work at another branch out of someone else's toolbox for the same 18.50 for a week or two at a time. On a average 40 hour week I only bring home 540.00 after taxes. The benefits arnt that great but they do give you a boot allowance once a year and a 250 dollar tool allowance once a year. I feel like the hour drive and the pay really isnt worth it. After gas all week and taxes I only make $480 thats not including other expenses outside of work. What do you guys think?

When they do send you to another shop 7 hours away do they pay you travel time? Do you have to pay for a motel room while there or do they take care of that and meals while out of town? What about work clothes, coveralls?

They pay me my hourly rate for travel time there and back. And yes pay for the hotel and they provide work cloths, gloves, safety vests when needed etc

You also qualify for per diem when you are working that far from home, or direct reimbursement of your meals by the company. If they won't pay that, make sure to keep records of dates you are gone and file for it on your taxes. It adds up.

As for the rest, seems low to me, but I'm not in that line of work. I know there are factory jobs in my area paying $18-$20 an hour along with all the overtime a guy could ask for. You might chalk it up to cutting teeth and learning your trade, but I don't know what the senior guys at your shop are earning.

colson04 said:

You also qualify for per diem when you are working that far from home, or direct reimbursement of your meals by the company. If they won't pay that, make sure to keep records of dates you are gone and file for it on your taxes. It adds up.

As for the rest, seems low to me, but I'm not in that line of work. I know there are factory jobs in my area paying $18-$20 an hour along with all the overtime a guy could ask for. You might chalk it up to cutting teeth and learning your trade, but I don't know what the senior guys at your shop are earning.

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The senior road tech at mt shop has worked here for 13 years and is less them 30. I believe he said 26 at one time and also told me you usually don't get a raise more then 3% of your hourly rate no matter how good you do. The only way I was told to get more was to get into a truck and that is a two dollar raise at the end of the year and again 3% after that.

I don't think that they are under paying you, if that's what they are paying the top guy at your shop. You're still pretty new to the game, give it some time, and learn all you can from who you are working with. At your age and experience level, they are essentially paying you to learn.

Have you received any factory backed training? Is there a possibility for that type of training. Are you enrolled a bonafide apprenticeship training program, If not is one available to You. These things all add up to a substantial dollar amount. Over all it sounds like the wage in your area is very low or you are working for a mom and pop shop that can't afford Competitive wages.

funwithfuel said:

Have you received any factory backed training? Is there a possibility for that type of training. Are you enrolled a bonafide apprenticeship training program, If not is one available to You. These things all add up to a substantial dollar amount. Over all it sounds like the wage in your area is very low or you are working for a mom and pop shop that can't afford Competitive wages.

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Yes this company has sent me to over five factory based training programs and the company also has shops in a few different states. I just feel very under paid for the size of the company.

I would think 5 years experience would be more of a jumping off point unless you are a first rate welder and fabricator and do a lot of that type work too.

Unless you're east coast, west coast or Chicagoland, I think you're ok

If you are only a year and a half out of tech school.....$18.50 is pretty decent money for your experience level in my opinion. The more experience you get, the better your pay will be. Time will tell if your with a good company that will take care of its valued employees but, in the meantime, learn as much as you can from everyone you can...…………..it will pay BIG later. I topped out in pay at 27 years old (1990) at $11.75! and that was with 9-10 years experience.

18 years ago when i started working on trucks in michigan at a mack dealer working second shift one hour drive to work i was making 10.35 hrly that was with nite shift premium. It dont seem like that long ago , not sure what state your in when i was younger and doing research hop over the border into ohio was an instant 2 dollers more an hr entry level mechanic starting wage. Doing further research the coastal states and areas west or east was 3 to 5 more an hour . Not sure if location is still as big a factor today with the increasingly lack of new mechanics and ones that actually give a crap about doing the job correctly in the equipment and truck fields .

Seems low... Gas stations are paying $14 to fill the slushi machine and they have a health insurance

mikebramel said:

Seems low... Gas stations are paying $14 to fill the slushi machine and they have a health insurance

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What!!

funwithfuel said:

Unless you're east coast, west coast or Chicagoland, I think you're ok

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Nope I'm in the east coast

Just worried that every year I get less then a dollar raise. Is the industry really less then 30 dollar an hour at being an experienced professional?

Not by me. Dealer techs get >$40 + benefits. Contractor techs get over $50+ benefits. But that's verified journeymans wage. Apprenticeship wages are on percentage on I believe 6 month increments. Plus health, pension blah, blah, blah.

funwithfuel said:

Not by me. Dealer techs get >$40 + benefits. Contractor techs get over $50+ benefits. But that's verified journeymans wage. Apprenticeship wages are on percentage on I believe 6 month increments. Plus health, pension blah, blah, blah.

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What dealership is this if you don't mind me asking?

Chicagoland heavy Equipment. It's all of them. Right now there's such a shortage, dealers are poaching from one another. Not Ag though, those guys are a different animal. Cat, Deere, Volvo, KMC, Case ,everyone is looking at resumes instead of throwing them out.

Self employed get over $120