Enough is enough!!!

[CableDawg]

Well let me first off start by saying I just found this site yesterday and i've found it pretty interesting. I've been locating for about two years now and I actually like the job, hell outside of the perks we get, truck, gas, phone... etc. It is a whole lot better than being stuck in an office all day. Its all of the BS and expectations that I don't like. This becomes very stressfull when you see you don't have enough hours in a day and your told to do more more more. I did 26 tickets yesterday all of which were 3-5 way and I still didn't meet my expectations. When are the guys upstairs going to realize we can only do so much... They keep piling on more utilities to locate and expect more out of the veterans, the new people they hire don't stay because its too much for them to handle with too little pay. The only people in my eyes keeping us afloat are the Vets, I know a lot of them are getting fed up but they feel they are stuck here. What would happen when they finally decide to retire or explore a new career? I think we should worry about quality and when I pull up to a locate and have to look up prints for gas, electric, phone, TV, and water I just lost a half an hour of work. What about the good ol' days when there were nice bonuses and two utilities to locate, wasn't life much more simple?

[TheCableVine]

Welcome aboard, Cabledawg.

I'm sure you will find many here who agree with you. The work is unique and interesting but as you say, they always want more.

[UULC]

Welcome CableDawg, Glad you have joined the "Vine Family". Look forward to hearing from you.

:cool2:

:yahoo:

:ylsuper:

[CableDawg]

Well thanks guys, glad to be here. I actually found this site because I was looking to see how much the company makes off the tickets we do... Anyone have and idea on this?

[UULC]

PM me

:yahoo:
:ylsuper:

[frostypeters]

Welcome Dawg,

Keep your chin up...

...so the MAN has a better target!

Just Kiddin' We've all been there & felt your pain.


:ylsuper::crying::scold:

[sprayandpray]

Dawg , you have to assume the attitude that your Supervisor knows when you are overloaded and let him/her do the worrying. Put in as many hours as you feel comfortable doing and then go home. If you need to take off - take off. If your company is short handed as most are, they are all afraid of losing their good people but are too cheap to do much about it until their hand is forced.
If you are putting in a lot of overtime , remember that the time you do get to spend with your family is even more precious so don't take the job home!
Good Luck!

[Goldenboy]

What about the good ol' days when there were nice bonuses and two utilities to locate, wasn't life much more simple?

When I started with SM&P all we located was telephone and tv. Them were the days. Most road projects,gas service, and sewer water lateral tickets were just cleared out because we didn't locate the gas. Only one color of paint in the truck. I think our rev/hr was better back then compared to now when we locate everything.

[big boots mcghee]

Well thanks guys, glad to be here. I actually found this site because I was looking to see how much the company makes off the tickets we do... Anyone have and idea on this?


Seriously, does anyone have any factual information regarding actual cost per ticket for each customer? All I've ever heard is ballpark figures through unreliable sources and have always been curious to know how much our companies actually make off of our hard work.

[TBONE]

Welcome and I think you will find many answers to questions you have here got one just ask. :drinks:

[sir_marks_alot]

ha ha i only locate phone. but in a rural area and we cover 3 counties .... lots of windshield time but they expect 30-50 tickets a day like we are working in the city. 300 miles and 17 out of 47 tickets was what i got done today. not one ticket within 2 miles of another. and management says we don't need another person :Crash:

[underground quester]

Well let me first off start by saying I just found this site yesterday and i've found it pretty interesting. I've been locating for about two years now and I actually like the job, hell outside of the perks we get, truck, gas, phone... etc. It is a whole lot better than being stuck in an office all day.


hEY THERE CABLEDAWG.

Wow, I am not the youngest locator anymore (3 years) wah hoo!

Welcome aboard. Lots of fine information here. I am learning tons so keep posting and ask lots of questions.

Good luck!

[Wingfoot]

Welcome Aboard CableDawg! I am a Die-Hard MOPAR man! I LUV your Avatar!

Does anyone have any factual information regarding actual cost per ticket for each customer?
I'm sure you meant revenue per ticket. All locating companies provide a valuable service of protection that is much more than a line item expense to their partnered utility providers.

Revenue varies per opportunity due to the utility type, ticket type, marked or un-marked lines and contract agreements. Routine, Emergency & Non-Compliance tickets get the high revenue. Renewals, Bad Locates and Dig-ups can get less or no revenue. And then you get the utility companies (usually CATV) that cull through the completed tickets and decide which tickets they will actually pay at their discretion.

I am aware of $15.00 contracts, $7.50 contracts and freebies for school district private utilities when asked for marks. Average everything out to +/- $12.00 per utility per ticket. Utility companies want that number around $8.00! With $4.00+ fuel a reality, it's my opinion all locating companies need to re-negotiate revenues before their contracts expire to remain healthy in these uncertain times.

[yahoo]

welcome to the vine dude...........Godspeed to ya in your journey.....pm me for client prices and i'll let you in on some info for my state prices....

[LocatingAngel]

Welcome aboard. In the years that I have been doing this I have seen many, many changes ie: ticket expectations, number of utilities added to the workload, managment that understands and those that don't. Just hang in there and as Spray said, do what you can do in the hours in the day and go home to your family. Just remember one thing...all that we are is a warm body to do the work and if you leave they will always find someone new to do your job. I have heard in meetings many times "If you don't agree with what we ask then find another job and we can fill your spot with another person that will do the job." I guess the one thing that keeps me doing what I do is the fact that where else can you find a job with the perks we get and the money we make per hour?
Keep your chin up and keep vandalizing everyday with the best effort you can put forth.

[yahoo]

now that was well said.......

[underground quester]

Well let me first off start by saying I just found this site yesterday and i've found it pretty interesting. I've been locating for about two years now and I actually like the job, hell outside of the perks we get, truck, gas, phone... etc. It is a whole lot better than being stuck in an office all day. Its all of the BS and expectations that I don't like. This becomes very stressfull when you see you don't have enough hours in a day and your told to do more more more. I did 26 tickets yesterday all of which were 3-5 way and I still didn't meet my expectations. When are the guys upstairs going to realize we can only do so much... They keep piling on more utilities to locate and expect more out of the veterans, the new people they hire don't stay because its too much for them to handle with too little pay. The only people in my eyes keeping us afloat are the Vets, I know a lot of them are getting fed up but they feel they are stuck here. What would happen when they finally decide to retire or explore a new career? I think we should worry about quality and when I pull up to a locate and have to look up prints for gas, electric, phone, TV, and water I just lost a half an hour of work. What about the good ol' days when there were nice bonuses and two utilities to locate, wasn't life much more simple?


I hear your pain cabledawg! We are constantly short staffed. We do 7 way tickets, so our locates can get quite "busy" with flags and paint, not to mention the drawing.

Some time ago, the utilities that form the 1 call consortium here got together and decided to plot their utilities onto a computer software package called Field View. So, we do not have to leaf through paper prints, etc. One lap top and away we go. That said, there is so much building activity here that most of my locates do not have the new stuff plotted on screen yet. Kinda sorta like private locating some days. :(