Hello from Houston

**Red_Spot** · August 21st, 2009, 07:33 PM

Hello, I am new to locating- recently hired by USIC after leaving the Trucking Industry. I was a Class A CDL driver for near ten years until my dedicated position along with alot of other people's jobs dried up. So, I thought that I would try something new.

**locator1** · August 21st, 2009, 07:36 PM

I am not sure you will like this much better.

**Goldenboy** · August 21st, 2009, 10:33 PM

Welcome aboard.

Locating is an art of it's own and if you give it a good honest try I think you'll love it.

**Red Dawg** · August 22nd, 2009, 05:36 AM

Red

I am just the opposite. I have been locating for 20+ years and was discharged by USIC for MOR. I am now going OTR for my new career.

It was not USIC fault but as a supervisor there is not enough time in a day to get the work completed that needs to get done.

**USIC1** · August 22nd, 2009, 11:04 AM

YEAH TRUCKING!!!!

When will it come back???

I was this close, until the economic time bomb went off and stayed put...

Oh well!?!?!

I may be getting a few to many miles on this model to contend with the rigors...Know a few OTR s that hearts have locked up once or twice...

hhhmmm??? Whats ones life worth to oneself anyway???

Nowadays, its wherever, and whatever it takes to survive...

All this screening these outfits are doing being particular about who they hire- good possibility its all about the hot air delivery...

No one can be sure...

Well good luck... Keep us posted...

**Red_Spot** · August 22nd, 2009, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by Red Dawg

Red

I am just the opposite. I have been locating for 20+ years and was discharged by USIC for MOR. I am now going OTR for my new career.

It was not USIC fault but as a supervisor there is not enough time in a day to get the work completed that needs to get done.

When it comes to OTR, stay out of the truckstops= otherwise you will go broke. Get yourself a Refridgeator, inverter (min 1300 watts) and a microwave. Keep your all your logs for tax time. Sat-Radio makes a world of diffrence to the drive. Do not let dispatch make you do anything illegal...and they will try.

**ifinditunderground** · August 22nd, 2009, 11:03 PM

Welcome to the show Red. I debated leaving Locating for OTR trucking, glad i stayed put.

**yahoo** · August 23rd, 2009, 08:55 PM

welcome to the vine and remember to post often and ask questions !!!!!

**Red_Spot** · August 23rd, 2009, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by yahoo

welcome to the vine and remember to post often and ask questions !!!!!

Appricate the welcome from all, I will ask questions as they come up.

**RD_Wrangler** · August 23rd, 2009, 10:38 PM

Salutations. It can be a great career if you let it be. Ignore the nay-sayers, and learn the skills. You'll either love it or despise it...kinda like OTR

**USIC1** · August 23rd, 2009, 11:39 PM

Originally Posted by RD_Wrangler

Salutations. It can be a great career if you let it be. Ignore the nay-sayers, and learn the skills. You'll either love it or despise it...kinda like OTR

Now come clean- its a handicap job that most dont want to do...

The constant turnover and job openings speaks volumes to the above statement...

Utilities contract locating out( like our outsourcing to China) except it has to stay in the U.S... So you know the standards- bodys with limited brain and much braun... Ride the bull (if you can) until you get tossed... The corporate ladder is limited to a whip and a laptop for number crunching...The goal is to meet expectations beyond that which a major corporate utility would expect from their personnel (thats why its outsourced anyway)... Front line guys and gals must be willing to sacrifice themselves through questionable executioning of job functions... Alot of times that is the norm, and knowing that they did there best but are still just shady signal away from the end of the barrel is the pledge they must make...

Sometimes reality bites so lets not avoid the facts...

**Mke** · August 24th, 2009, 09:25 AM

whoa... I... I think I agree with USIC.....

I know I'll get some flak for agreeing, but to clarify some points.... Calling it a handicap job is a mis-nomer(sp?). Most good locators do not fit this, I believe what he's refering to is that if you need to fill locating positions you do not need to be too picky. Security companies have similar hiring practices. The profit margin can't take the hit that will come if you hire seasoned professionals. You have to Pay for experience.... or you can half the pay and double your insurance....which is cheaper.

I've worked with some of the contract locators around here, and they are not given reliable equipment let alone an understanding on how to use it efficiently.

I only differ from USIC in the fact that I don't think "The goal is to meet expectations beyond that which a major corporate utility would expect from their personnel" I think that contract locating companies are not driven to meet or exceed expectations on utility employees... it is solely based on Profit. Locators are not held to an industry standard for this reason. I've seen people locating that couldn't tell the difference between a telephone ped or a TV ped. I know of a locator who didn't know how to turn on a computer..... this is solely for the purpose of keeping profits high and wages low.

But other then that its a great field to get into..... really......no, really it is.

mke

**GPGrasshopper** · August 24th, 2009, 11:04 PM

Welcome to the Vine Red. Jump right in, the water is fine.

**USIC1** · August 24th, 2009, 11:05 PM

You made me laugh MKE... Reminded me of a meter reader chick that transfered over to locating yrs back (she was hell in a Tshirt to let me tell U anyway) so she got trained, didnt have much time, but this other locator working some tickets in same area, had gone behind her on a few locates and said- get this - she was frikin marking red lines designating power services to meter bases on new houses- okay well there was no riser yet (conduit ) the meter boxes were screwed on the sides of the houses by the electrician but that was it... So this chick is wingin marks across the lots from transformers and Jboxs to these meters on the houses...He had said it was multiple homes... But I dont recall what the locates were for...

I was like holy shit!!! And laughed just imagining what contractors or whomever thought that was all about...

Additional note "handicap" I had meant- a job most anyone can do with limited credentials, no experience and brief training... In other words a laborer...

Thats why we can't locate for years and walk away into a more prestigious position...

**Mke** · August 25th, 2009, 09:50 AM

"Thats why we can't locate for years and walk away into a more prestigious position..."

uhhhh....its difficult...but do-able. I'm officially an Engineering Tech II and your right, when you start working for "the man" they don't care about ticket count any more.

Mke