Finding qualified help

Pumpguy, we had a guy just like your screwball. Couldn’t figure out how to start a backhoe (despite them having two at the school he went to), didn’t know the difference between 12 and 24v battery wiring (despite spending a whole day in school on servicing batteries), and had to have his hand held on very basic stuff like services...and anything more complicated, forget it he’d just stare at his laptop with an expression like a chicken watching a magic trick for days on end instead of doing the work. When he did do work it’d take him three times as long as me ( and I’ll freely admit I’m the slowest in the shop)

They had a shop FULL OF'M.. & everything got shoved to me.. I got sick of it..
BUT I did gain A LOT of experience fixing other guys mistakes.. & to this day, as u can see by some of my posts, just by a decent description of a problem, I can usually fix it via the web..

thepumpguysc said:

just by a decent description of a problem, I can usually fix it via the web..

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Whole lotta truth in that statement!!

https://www.ksnt.com/news/local-new...uwaqZug7TVwl9ZWiJ8lXB064F6ZXZrVFGlXscPwlXAdZ0

So, I just happened on this story in another forum. It's a tragedy that someone's family has to deal with. Just remember Darwin is lurking around every corner with his good buddy Murphy. They are waiting for you to make a mistake, hell, it might not be your fault. You could just get caught up as collateral damage. As much as it's "not yet job or mine" watch out for the other dummy. He may be too stupid, in too much of a hurry or just plain uneducated to safety in general.

So a NEW Wrinkle as I buy parts for my old junk, guy with a local Road Service HE and AG service route looks at me and asks if this retiree is ready to go BACK to work, SERIOUS as a Heart Attack. He then looks e over said I may want to lose some weight as dragging all my physique around big machines would hurt a lot. All that and I had stated NOTHING about going to work.

Finally waved him off, explained No intent to work full time and nothing open country other than my own will i lay wrenches on, he shrugged and left the parts house. Desk worker at the parts house stated he has been looking for a second or third mechanic for FOUR Years, can find No Help that will stick with him and the money is good just too much work and not enough bodies or hours or trucks or parts.

BTW
Since this last posting there have been four more small operations locally closed up due to lack of personnel or buyer to keep the business open. One was not even asking all that much for the shop/large old tooling and client list, had two full time kids to do the small and less money work. All went to Auction Sale last weekend that I missed and is gone, had been for sale for a year.

That's a shame to read. I'm seeing quite a few younger folks getting in. I'm on the dealer side of things though, much different from independent owner operators. A lot of our youngsters are coming through apprenticeships and trade schools. CATs think big program got quite a few into heavy equipment. Its a shame more don't invest in the younger generation (that are worth it), so we'll have a future. I think Deere offers something as well as CNH through vocational education programs. But at the independent level, you get guys that are chemically dependent, drinkers, fugitives etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking those shops, those are the places I got my training from. But you get a different group of candidates.

Mostly the ones that work independent shops don't want the regimented/political crap that goes with
dealers, plus being a walking advertisement. I know I hated working in that group for that very reason.

The best place to start a career at what we do is at the dealer. The best place to finish this career is anywhere else.

John C. said:

The best place to start a career at what we do is at the dealer. The best place to finish this career is anywhere else.

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That depends on the dealer, most around here are pretty poor. Whether it be truck or tractor/ag repair 80% of the ones I know are not too happy. Common question asked-
{you know any places looking for a mechanic?} I've about had it around here.

But when I started {first shop} owner supplied the tools, I used his tax number to buy parts, I could use the shop anytime/weekends to work on my own stuff. I will be damned to
find a dealer to do that.

Truck Shop said:

That depends on the dealer, most around here are pretty poor. Whether it be truck or tractor/ag repair 80% of the ones I know are not too happy. Common question asked-
{you know any places looking for a mechanic?} I've about had it around here.

But when I started {first shop} owner supplied the tools, I used his tax number to buy parts, I could use the shop anytime/weekends to work on my own stuff. I will be damned to
find a dealer to do that.

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I think a lot of these changes were brought about by insurance companies. Insurance companies are notorious control freaks. They're almost quasi-governmental agencies now. They dictate so many policies we have to follow.
You work for a large organization you work in a world of policies and procedures and safety, safety, safety, even if it isn't safe, just as long as you follow those procedures to the letter.
If you're the kind of guy who likes to do his own thinking and make his own judgement calls and take his own risks, a smaller outfit is for you.

I got laid off from a dealer when all this covid BS started. Found a nice, small shop to work at. I tell ya'll, dealers can suck it. Its easily 10x more enjoyable working for a smaller shop than a dealership.

Most of the changes were brought about by bean counters.

Bean counters also run insurance companies but that is a mute point because the bean counters that work for the dealers here have destroyed any real service

I cant even talk talk to the service writer and or mechanic directly anymore at our cat dealer unless I stop in and see them they have a service account manager who sits at the corporate office not the dealer branch and if I talk to the shop directly he still has to call me at least 4 hours later to get my approval before work can start it's crazy and nothing but a waste of time and resources and because they have all this redundant overhead they have to charge ungodly rates

What would the world be like if bean counters quit justify there jobs and just did the work how much would these corporations shrink

It wasn't mute, bean counters are just that bean counters. They pull the same tricks no mater the business. CEO's like'um because the bean counter makes them look smart until it goes
upside down then it becomes the bean counters fault. CEO's always have a fall guy. Corporations shrink? The business model today is expand til it goes bust, collect the golden parachute
and sneak out when no one is looking and to heck with the workers-that's today's business model. The bean counter and CEO meet up at the golf coarse to play 18 with the new top of
the line golf clubs the parachute bought. This garbage has crept it's way into every type of business, no mater the trade guy at the bottom is just used. And the customer may or may not
get the service he wanted. Probably not.

Can attest to that golden parachute crap
22 years with Utility saw four CEOs two CNOs (Nuclear) bail when they thought time was right
The CEO would receive stock options for his years at the helm that were then sold to cash out and become a big money lecture presenter to the classes at UMSL and SLU
The CNO was handed a plate load of goodies including some options
All got converted to cash where they opted to disappear to AZ other one ended up in HI where the golf game is better.
Whined of our bonus packages costed too much so Ended program, pensions too expensive so now a Cash Balance program for the newbies, insurance was too expensive to provide the few hundreds of retirees so we now foot 75% of the premiums on just supplemental plans.

What I can see is the inevitable run out of programs and policies to steal from sell all and end up the employees that held it together during tough times get screwed.
Most of the corporate major share holders are company execs these days, few are sold percentage wise to outside buyers. My old employer was 80% self owned management and employees as the use of shares for added $$$ value placed in retirement accounts instead of actual financial funding.

I had a Cat field mechanic last week tell me about some of the new corporate policies going down where he worked. The biggest gripe he had was that the field techs could no longer drive their field trucks home. He said when he was hired to do field service, they had highly touted that as a BONUS to being employed there. He told me 3 field service techs had already left the company, 2 through early retirement and one just wasn't going to go for the new policy. He told me they were irreplaceable with the experience they had and that management just didn't give a dam. That dealer has had a difficult time hiring qualified people for several years now and their customer service really shows it. He said moral within the company was at an all time low and management wasn't trusted a bit. He told me that nothing gets done in their shop and that even simple repairs can take weeks. The turnover in employees is severely high. Management had also raised the field service rates to DISCOURAGE field calls....WTF?
At this point this field tech is considering self employment.............which got an hour long conversation going about my experience with it. He told me I was living his dream LOL

I cant even imagine working for a dealer under those conditions and lack of support. Im not sure I could even get out of bed for that.

Used to see the FABICK trucks around in personal home driveways, techs said made life easier as they could get to jobs faster. Was wondering why all are now parked at night at the work centers. Someone else I asked of that stated the guys are not allowed to take the keys home or lock the trucks boxes, are complaining of others using their tools when at the yard.

When I did field work, I refused to take the truck home. I didn't want that thing anywhere near me after hours lol.

Recently the company I worked for changed the way we get paid for travel time. Since this Corona virus stuff hit we have been restricted to 40 hour weeks. It used to be that your house was homebase and you started your time from there and ended your time when you got back. Unless you were to pass the shop on the way to the job or coming home. Basically you started your time at whichever was closer to the customer( the shop or your house). So some of us were hitting 40 hours by Wednesday. Texas is a large state so the customer can be couple hours away. They change the policy to however long it takes to get to the shop from your home is when you would start your time. For some guys that presented a problem because they live couple hours away. For me it didn't change much because I live close to the shop. However the guys started to complain about it. That's when I got the email telling me that it's a benefit to me that I drive their truck to and from work. I didn't much care for that. I look at it as it's a condition of my employment that I have to drive their truck back and forth. I then out of protest told my boss that I didn't need his truck to get to and from work, and started parking the truck at the shop. I actually find it inconvenient to have this truck at home and the only real benefit is that I have more tools at my home. I have just about everything in the garage that is on that truck. So I really don't need it at home.