Is it Worth it?

**jtilton** · August 25th, 2010, 10:13 PM

Hi all,

I was away from the business for several years, but now I'm back.

Here's the dilemma; given a wonderful truck with 202,000 miles on it, given a beat-up RD400 that locks-up from time to time, and chewed-out for putting in too much OT. Wow, just trying to do my job to the best of my ability, and get the tickets completed on time.

Not sure if I made the right decision with coming back. Suggestions for finding a way to not let this get me down?

Thanks.

**GreaseMunky** · August 25th, 2010, 10:40 PM

Do what you can, stay focused on your work, remember that each ticket is important and treat them that way. All you can do is one at a time and make sure they are done right. Being pushed to go faster is a setup for disaster. It will just let your morale get low and produce substandard work.

**2RUDE** · August 25th, 2010, 10:57 PM

Originally Posted by jtilton

Hi all,

I was away from the business for several years, but now I'm back.

Here's the dilemma; given a wonderful truck with 202,000 miles on it, given a beat-up RD400 that locks-up from time to time, and chewed-out for putting in too much OT. Wow, just trying to do my job to the best of my ability, and get the tickets completed on time.

Not sure if I made the right decision with coming back. Suggestions for finding a way to not let this get me down?

Thanks.

Welcome to USIC!

**nopaint4you** · August 26th, 2010, 12:22 AM

Welcome to USIC !!!!

**sprayandpray** · August 26th, 2010, 06:22 AM

Here's a simple tactic that I have used on several occasions: Hey Mr. Supervisor, if you don't think I'm doing my job efficiently, get off of your dead ass and follow me for a couple of days and thentell/show me where I can improve. But, until you do this, I will continue to do this job the best way I know how!
This is best done in an e-mail, if available, copied to the DM and HR .

**locatethis** · August 26th, 2010, 09:02 AM

Just do what I do .................................................. ...........

Threaten to win the Lottery!!!

**Mke** · August 26th, 2010, 09:38 AM

Nose to the grind stone. If you have just came back to the industry they should have a little bit of patience with the output. As for the Trucks run into the ground, and the outdated equipment... Welcome back to locating.

What always kept me going is not concentrating on what you are not doing, and concentrating on what you are doing. Don't concentrate on the fact that you have 40 more ticket to do, focus on the ticket you are on. If that ticket is 5000' long, don't concentrate on the entire ticket, concentrate on the location you are currently at. Don't get too far ahead of yourself, it only gets you into a negative mind set.

Good luck

Mke

**[HAF]Foxtrot** · August 26th, 2010, 11:55 AM

Sounds like you work for USIC

**jtilton** · August 26th, 2010, 08:59 PM

Hey, thanks for the great tips. I do actually find myself thinking ahead about the remaining tickets ...got to stop that.
I constantly hear the standard, "you should be averaging about 25 tickets a day". Yeah, that happens sometimes, but that's as long as you're not hit with a couple hour-long mark-outs, or an emergency call 60 miles away (my area is about 62 miles, top to bottom ...about 1100 sq. miles). The brass doesn't seem to care about these variables. Anyway, glad to be here. Thanks! BTW, no, I don't work for USIC.

**ProfessionalLocator** · August 26th, 2010, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by jtilton

Hey, thanks for the great tips. I do actually find myself thinking ahead about the remaining tickets ...got to stop that.
I constantly hear the standard, "you should be averaging about 25 tickets a day". Yeah, that happens sometimes, but that's as long as you're not hit with a couple hour-long mark-outs, or an emergency call 60 miles away (my area is about 62 miles, top to bottom ...about 1100 sq. miles). The brass doesn't seem to care about these variables. Anyway, glad to be here. Thanks! BTW, no, I don't work for USIC.

Okay, tell them that you agree, too much OT and you won't work it anymore. They will complain twice as much.
Do all the things you were advised of and just think that in today's economy you got a job. Then remember that without good locators that company and all those managers will not survive, they need you more than you need them.

I write my tickets out in a sheet of paper in the proposed order of their getting done, adjusted when emergency locates take me out of the planed order. This is partly what I learned in a stress management / job time management seminar. Plan your work and work your plan. By putting them down on paper you can forget about all those things and just do what is in front of you. Then without even thinking go to the next item on the list.

Take the OT you are making now and bank / save all that money. James Clavel had a character in one of his books who kept two years of living expenses in a savings account. He called that account his "drop dead" money, if one of his bosses demanded he do something he did not want to he told them to drop dead.

**yahoo** · August 26th, 2010, 10:33 PM

my advice>>> come tell us here at the vine so we can remember to laugh at the worst day that we had.......ha! good luck dude with your job..some seasons are bad some are good....enjoy the good ones!!!