Where are the Mechanics?

[profrooky]

Screw HR............what's wrong is just wrong and should be corrected.

 

[RLU_tech]

Well, I interviewed at a neighboring county's fleet repair department. They are looking for a Heavy Truck/Equipment Mechanic. They had a lot of advantages like company provided uniforms and tools, a newer fleet, cleaner shop, parts counter clerk, and more. They ended up offering me the job with a starting pay at almost $4.00/hr more than I am currently making! Biggest downside is that it took me an hour to get there from my house (will be longer during rush hour). The distance is to far in my opinion, even tho I really liked the facility and staff. I think it is crazy that they offered me almost $4.00/hr. more than I make now, and my current employer won't even try and offer me more money to try and keep me. I may have to go back to a job in the private sector.

 

[repowerguy]

I know the feeling,I spent 30 years as a heavy equipment and truck mechanic for small contractors. I saw operators make good money and I was'nt making the same wage. I finally took a job as maintenance in a manufacturing plant for better money, but I do miss yellow iron, it gets to be part of you. But my family comes first and that's why I am where I am now. I still do some side jobs to keep in touch with the past, like I say it gets in you!

 

[fixou812]

Sometimes being a Mechanic is more of a Sport
than say like a hobby or occupation.

 

[theironoracle]

I know where this one was, last night on a fire installing track adjuster seals. Started at 7:30pm left at 10 pm. It was dark for most of the project so just a before photo. Customer said to expect a bonus!!!TIO

 

[fixou812]

Just say Mechanic and Poof...one appears Wish it was always that easy!

 

[lantraxco]

It is that easy....now a good mechanic is a whole 'nuther situation!

 

[fixou812]

"Back Off! I'm a Hammer Mechanic! "
They love that one Trax
Seen Brazenly sprinting across the job site. ...gas ax in one hand sledgehammer in the other. ...
wearing nothing but a dew rag and a smile. ...
and a loincloth and some jungle boots. ...
wait. ....he seems to be hollering something?
.....conStruction?

 

[tctractors]

I struggle to understand some of the comments as in the U.K. things are somewhat different, if you are working for a good outfit on Muck Shift of Demolition as a Mechanic, no driver on anything including a Flying Carpet would earn better coins than I could make, even on Pile Driving sites I would always make the good Coins, sometimes you need a few machines stripped out a good bit to make your worth of note, I have never worked on a site that a driver made more money than myself, if they did I would have been up in the pilot seat fast.
tctractors

 

[fixou812]

Seems Mechinics over there get more respect around here they act like their disposable.
Most drivers here make more than most of the mechanics.

 

[apetad]

I am a Truck/Equipment Mechanic for my county's highway department. When I started, it took 2 1/2 years to get to the top of the pay scale. Shortly after I started, the pay scale was restructured so that it now takes 10 years to get to the top of the pay scale (same pay range, only more small pay increase steps). In our shop, we usually have a laborer come in every day to assist with minor tasks, parts chasing, oil changes, tire repairs, etc. It's always a laborer who is already at the top of the pay scale. This being said, a laborer doing oil changes makes around $3.00 more than me per hour only because he has the "years of service" under his belt!! This really pisses me off, but the Highway Commisioner says he can't do anything to correct this. Pay the MECHANIC more money than the lube tech!!! Time to look for another employer!!

Move to Texas where we get paid the big bucks! (consider though it's 105 degrees outside today)

 

[caterpillarmech]

Yep. 105 is just getting started. Find a good place that takes care of you and you'll stick with it. I was an oilfield brat. Been work on pipelines and farms since I was big enough to. Kind of fell into the mechanic thing. Even in the army. I was a grunt/mortar man. My platoon sergeant knew my back ground. Every time something broke id hear "Shade Tree" yelled across the site. Now at 16 years today with a dealership, I'm in a pretty good spot. Might be turning in my truck for an office/shop bay but it's been fun. I still learn every day and that is what makes it interesting. Good pay and benefits make it an easy decision to stay right where I'm at. Respect is a big thing too. My company,boss, management know and see what I do and are always complimentary. I have offers from all over inside and out of the company to move. Makes a fellow feel good to be wanted.

 

[pburress]

Yep. 105 is just getting started. Find a good place that takes care of you and you'll stick with it. I was an oilfield brat. Been work on pipelines and farms since I was big enough to. Kind of fell into the mechanic thing. Even in the army. I was a grunt/mortar man. My platoon sergeant knew my back ground. Every time something broke id hear "Shade Tree" yelled across the site. Now at 16 years today with a dealership, I'm in a pretty good spot. Might be turning in my truck for an office/shop bay but it's been fun. I still learn every day and that is what makes it interesting. Good pay and benefits make it an easy decision to stay right where I'm at. Respect is a big thing too. My company,boss, management know and see what I do and are always complimentary. I have offers from all over inside and out of the company to move. Makes a fellow feel good to be wanted.

Yes it does

 

[kshansen]

Respect is a big thing too. My company,boss, management know and see what I do and are always complimentary. I have offers from all over inside and out of the company to move. Makes a fellow feel good to be wanted.

Where I worked for years felt respect from everyone from immediate supervisor to company president. Then there was a change in the company management and everything changed. Now instead of trying to improve the equipment maintenance every year it is lets see how much we can cut back on repairs every year. And they decided that doing any major repairs with our people was a liability. Better to let some fly-by-night outfit do the job then when there is a failure fight with them to redo it over again. Upper management looks at having a shop and mechanics of our own as only an expense, not as a way to have trained people with first hand knowledge of the equipment available the drop of a hat.

And training used to be where about half the mechanics in the shop each year would go to at least one week long class put on by a major company like Cat. Mack, or Cummins. Now the only training in the last 12-15 years has been at the most a one day seminar that is more of a sales meeting for one of the local dealers. Not that there has been any changes in technology related to heavy equipment in the last 15 years!

If we still had the management team in place or one with the same attitude as those from 15-20 years ago I would have had a hard time pulling the plug and retiring like I did in April, that was not a problem with what's there now. Plus the pay and benefits if anything have slowly eroded from where they were years back. If you took the starting pay I was making as a ground man shoveling spillage under conveyors back in 1968 when I started there and converted it to 2014 dollars I would be making about five dollars less than I was the day I retired. That's after 45 years of experience pulling wrenches for the company.

Guess my point is. if there is one, is enjoy the good times while they last as all it takes is one change in a management position the other side of the country or across the world to take what is a great place to work and turn it into a JOB! We went from a company where the president of our section of the company would stop by several times a year and shake you hand and show interest in what was happening in the shop to one where a Lincoln with tinted windows would at the most pull into the shop every couple years with windows rolled up sit there for a few seconds then leave.

 

[lantraxco]

Yep... I worked for an excavation company back in the late eighties when they were just getting started, grew with them for a few years. One of the owners sold out to the other at one point. A while later the remaining chief is sitting on a tailgate with me as we discuss repairs on a machine. He looks up, says straight on "Don, the shop never made me a dime, it's just a drain on the company". I pondered that for half a second and told him he might as well quit buying diesel it amounted to the same thing. Gave my notice on the spot but I lasted another year or so before we both couldn't stand it anymore.

 

[wornout wrench]

Yep... I worked for an excavation company back in the late eighties when they were just getting started, grew with them for a few years. One of the owners sold out to the other at one point. A while later the remaining chief is sitting on a tailgate with me as we discuss repairs on a machine. He looks up, says straight on "Don, the shop never made me a dime, it's just a drain on the company". I pondered that for half a second and told him he might as well quit buying diesel it amounted to the same thing. Gave my notice on the spot but I lasted another year or so before we both couldn't stand it anymore.

So many times I have heard this, still hearing it.

Yet when a production machine goes down, who is out there till the wee hours of the night making it run so that they can "PRODUCE" another day.

Boy, did that hit a nerve or what:spaz

 

[kshansen]

So many times I have heard this, still hearing it.

Yet when a production machine goes down, who is out there till the wee hours of the night making it run so that they can "PRODUCE" another day.

Boy, did that hit a nerve or what:spaz

Also as we were very familiar with quarries all across the state we knew who had what hid out behind their barn for that time you needed something to pull the "rabbit out of your hat save" at a critical time. Also we had a good handle on what components tended to fail and we tried to have simple things like starters and generator/alternators on hand so when we go the call we could walk out to the shelf and grab one or maybe couple different ones in case some one was wrong on what style might be needed. No need to call parts department at dealer and hope they knew what you wanted and they had it on shelf. Then maybe drive an hour out of the way to pick it up.

Now if something more than a simple component on a machine goes down need to call and get estimates from three places then pass this on to two or more layers of management people then wait for they to decide if or what will be done and by who. Then they get upset when the lowest bidder says it will be a week or so before they can get out there to start the job.

Then come to find out the bid was nice and low on the 3408 in the 769C because they did a "major rebuild" on the engine and did not rebuild or exchange the starter, alternator or even touch the fuel injection pump. They said if there was a power problem it would not be that bad to pull the pump and go through it later. But of course once truck is back together and production is started for the season no one wants to shut down the truck that just had a overhauled engine to tear it apart a second time So now we are stuck with a under powered truck for years! Me bitter? NOOOOO!

 

[fixou812]

Taking Another ride on a Ship of Fools!

 

[fixou812]

:"Let's take a stroll thru the shop while we talk!"

 

[caterpillarmech]

Well Fella's, my time has come. Customer called me out of the blue last week. Offered a little over what I make now on salary + production bonus + truck. Not a field truck which I have now but, a 4 door pick up. I have to bust my butt now and do 70 hours a week to make what I do now. I passed at first. Waited 45 minutes and called back. Great company. Great guy I will answer too. Figured it is time to move into a better job. Will be a field service supervisor and maybe if I have time turn a wrench or two. Lot of phone and driving time. There will be a huge void when I leave. I have tried to reach out to other departments to get somebody to fill my spot. They are short on mechanics as well. My hardest part was telling my crew. I run two separate departments shop and field. My guys will survive but will not have the goto that they have now. I am excited to move on to different role. I haven't burned any bridges and I WON'T get rid of my tools. Wish me luck.