Operator's Wages

[Squizzy246B]

What do you mean Squizzy??

Are you wondering how much we get paid??

Depends on wether you are an "operator".

Job we are on at the moment is getting to the rather difficult stage. We are going to have to drill holes 16 feet deep to pour concrete pylons and there is no room for a big rig. Client, who has observed and conversed with us for a week is starting to get the hang of some earthmoving terminology, turns to me and says "this is starting to sound like an ankle grabbing experience"

 

[CAT245ME]

Thats good money. Is your province still looking for and hiring heavy equipment operators as much as they were, or has it slowed down? I know a lot of operators from down this way has packed up and made the move to your province to seek employment.

Just recently in the newspaper there was a company from alberta that was holding job fairs in this province for experianced operators to go out west, I cant remember the name of the company but the ad said they where one of the largest in alberta.

 

[Grader4me]

Yes I heard they were around awhile back. Did you check out the links that Bozoloaderman gave? The place is booming out there...something to think about:yup I know a lot of guys that packed up, sold their homes and headed west. Did you read the post from Bozo about standing around for a few minutes...he wasn't kidding....

 

[Wulf]

There is still a shortage for all sorts of operators in this province. We hired 12 last summer and 3 more this month. Oilsands operators are all looking for people. Couple hundred will be hired for CNRL for 2008 fly in fly out. www.cnrl.com look under Horizon project.
www.albiansands.com
www.suncor.com
www.syncrude.com
www.nacg.ca
www.kmcmining.com
www.iuoe955.com
www.luscar.com
www.gccoal.com

Check out these sites as they will all be hiring and are hiring right now.
No sign of things slowing down any time in the near future. Read an article last week which said this province will need 100,000 workers( all kinds) over the next 5 years. If you want a job in alberta just come here and stand around for 5 minutes and someone will put a shovel in your hand, stand around for 10 and they will hit you with it!!!

Bozo

Opportunities are there for skilled heavy duty mechanics as well... Private owners are having to wait for days in some cases for dealers to get their machines fixed whilst the dealers understandably give preferred service to the bigger guys. BC is doing very well but other provinces are pretty hot too

 

[Grader4me]

Opportunities are there for skilled heavy duty mechanics as well... Private owners are having to wait for days in some cases for dealers to get their machines fixed whilst the dealers understandably give preferred service to the bigger guys. BC is doing very well but other provinces are pretty hot too

So in your province is there more of a need for heavy duty mechanics rather than operators? Another question...for a young fella eager to work and learn to operate equipment would your province be the land of opportunity? Just thinking of CAT245ME and his posts.
Hope these questions don't put you on the spot. Sometimes I ask for to much

 

[Wulf]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wulf
Opportunities are there for skilled heavy duty mechanics as well... Private owners are having to wait for days in some cases for dealers to get their machines fixed whilst the dealers understandably give preferred service to the bigger guys. BC is doing very well but other provinces are pretty hot too

So in your province is there more of a need for heavy duty mechanics rather than operators? Another question...for a young fella eager to work and learn to operate equipment would your province be the land of opportunity? Just thinking of CAT245ME and his posts.
Hope these questions don't put you on the spot. Sometimes I ask for to much

I'm not in the operational side myself. Bozo could correct me here but skilled operators with mining experience on shovels and loaders and are in greatest demand. Re mechanics many equipment dealers are offering referral bonus of $1000 if staff find a suitable mechanic, the referrer gets the bonus if they are hired and another grand or so if they last a year.

 

[bozoloaderman]

Operators of all types are needed here both in the mining end and in the construction. A lot of the mines prefer to hire inexperienced people for heavy hauler as they don't come with bad habits and are more easily trained, as I can attest to. I am the trainer where I work right now and we recently hired a dozen truck drivers with no experience. My wife who drove schoolbus was hired to run 195 ton hauler. Construction here is going like mad with over 10,000 guys working in the oilsands construction alone. Not to mention all the highway and housing construction. I guy I know is looking for crusher personel, starting wage is 15.00/hr for a labourer to start working 12 on 4 off 12 hr shifts. It is like that everywhere here. For all lines of work, not just construction. Perfect place for a young family to move to. Walk in the doors of West Edmonton Mall and there is a big sign saying 1000 jobs available here right now! Grocery stores and fast food places are offering hiring and relocation bonuses just to get people( they hide applications in your bag of food. If you want a job come here and stand around for 5 minutes and someone will put a shovel in your hand. Over the next ten years Alberta will need 100,000 more workers in the province. Over 80 billion in oilsands construction coming up. Yes billion!!!! Feel free to e-mail me 245ME if you want, I can give you a list a mile long of companies


Bozo

 

[daledubois]

What is involved if you are from the USA and want an operators job in Canada? There are lots of Heavy Equipment Operators in the USA that are not working at operating equipment because in some areas like Florida the fast food joints pay as much as companys pay operators. And Arizona is not for behind Florida for the paying part. Maybe its just that people want to work where the winters are mild. I think maybe the pay for working the oil sands is the only good part of it, it would be mighty boring if there was nothing to do except work. Also its cold up there, maybe this is the reason they have to pay more.

 

[Dwan Hall]

I can tell you the reason here is because no one wants to work in the rain everyday. I am certinaly not here for the sunshine. Good money and I can get a new job everyday. Wait a minute I am self employed and do get a new job everyday.
We will have close to 300 day of rain this year, do you want to dig ditches in that?
Ware everything you own just to keep warm?
Have fungus growing between your toes?
Come home after 10 hours of work and find the furnace has quit or the water is frozen or sometimes both?
Have to find a new women every fall just to keep you warm through the winter?
Picture this. Today I was out running a street sweeper in the snow. Yesterday I was suspose to paint a parking lot with the tempature below freezing.

I think I will spend the rest of the day on the grader. (indoors)

 

[Grader4me]

Holy crap Dwan...That is not painting a very good picture...fungus growing between your toes??:bouncegri
New woman every fall? Hummmm.....nope couldn't afford it

 

[Countryboy]

Bozoloaderman, are all the figures you have given in US dollars?

 

[tylermckee]

started a new job today, making $41.85/hour :thumbsup

 

[Grader4me]

started a new job today, making $41.85/hour :thumbsup

Wow! good for you! Nice to see operators getting good pay.

 

[tylermckee]

Wow! good for you! Nice to see operators getting good pay.

Well, i should say that its a prevailing wage job we are on, so i'll only be making that when on this job, when its over i'll be back down to $20. Lets see how long i can stretch it out, if our engineer keeps it up we will never be done :thumbsup :crying

The messed up thing is that while our laborers are making $33.xx an hour, dump truck prevailing wage is only $15.xx

 

[Speedpup]

41.86 in wages and then an additional 76% of that for bennies.

 

[guss]

39.73 here in southern ohio.

 

[cobraguy]

41.86 in wages and then an additional 76% of that for bennies.

wow that is vvvvery nice. I can only hope to make that kind of dough once I am done school ,and put in my time of course.

 

[cobraguy]

41.86 in wages and then an additional 76% of that for bennies.

how long have you been operating?:notworthy

 

[Speedpup]

how long have you been operating?:notworthy

I am an owner operator for my masonry company and try not to hire other engineers at those prices ointhead

got my first machine in 1978 and my OE book in 80-81

 

[dirt digger]

i made $18/hr for operating/truck driving....then government jobs I was making something like $38 running a backhoe