Thread: Hi

**advanceMan** · January 27th, 2009, 01:44 PM

I've been a locator since 97, worked for all the douchebag companies like Promark/Consolidated, Canadian locators, and others. I also worked in B.C. which is another story worth relaying sometime.
Having done 1st call in various facets for most major utilities, my perspective was changed after working on a telephone plow crew for 4 years. My job was to troubleshoot/ relocate all respondants markings, as well as all prep work prior to the arrival of the plow train. ("Sniffing" out culverts, pound signs, flag crew in, pull the temp(do this with a 100pr that's been sitting in the grass for 2 yrs for a few miles..=muscles), meet hydrovaccers, drillers, oilfield reps, land/homeowners, locators, and much more), as well as locate ALL utiliities in the plow path, and know everything else about the plow operation and more. The advance man also calculate # of drills required, utilities to be crossed, makes 1st calls, secures agreements etc. We were a rural highway crew, taking jobs 1km or more. we plowed new fibre runs, new cable routes, road moves, overlays, and picked up a few BDO's (homeowners) along the way. If anyone else has done this work i would be interested and more than happy to elaborate.

Having done this, I would be hard pressed to ever work for any of those kinds of companies again. They probably couldn't pay me enough, nor would I have the patience for the buls$#t.
I worked for the most meticulous foreman ever and there was no
bullshi#$%ng him(do I have to censor myself?). For the first year I didn't enjoy quite the freedom we're all accustomed to, but once I picked it up, I was running the show, and the foreman and owner would ask me what we were doing. Contrary to what many of us are told, the locator is only a necessary nuiscance, and most construction personnnel requiring one expect them to be lazy idiots. We are the bottom of the "tech" level, if even.
Even the idiot hoe swampers thought they were better. This is why my boss hired his own to do it their way(they were also obligated per the Telus contract)
Many "locators" applied for this position over the years, but the only other guy other than my predecessor who actually worked out was a guy I had ironically enough been put in the uncomfortable position of "supervising" (he was later fired for no good reason, not because of me) at a previous company. Many locators think it sounds easy but might change their tune once they got there. Thers no fuc%&ng around. If any of you have the "one metre buffer" or employ chevrons in your markings, that s#$t wouldn't fly on the crew. Perfection is expected and having seen most of my locates dug up I can vouch for my own accuracy. I can say this experience was invaluable with regards to locating. I like many of you just found myself in a job with toys and money, i never got the experience though in all my years of 1st call that i did on the crew.
I took another job this year, my old boss lost some contracts to a cheaper outfit, the economy etc..As invaluable as the experience was, there is no future for a young guy in this old school work. i work for a company that builds, engineers, and maintains a fibre optic system throughout the province. We run about for plow trains, have our own drilling and vac crews, and offer geomatic services. Most of our locating is contracted out, I am the only company locator covering a large area, with a small but consistent amount of calls. they call me when the complaints about other locates come in. I am the SU****ET locator now. Traditionally the dumbest, stupidest laziest, and latest locator of all. I took a pay cut to stay in town, I'm not nearly as important as my last job, and when i show up on site I have to deal with the same superiority and condecension I used to enjoy, but I don't have to give up karate for 6 mths to go on the road, I can still try and get a metal band together, and for once I'm "comfortable" in my job. I've earned it.
I have no interest into going into business for myself locating. I'm learning how to splice fibre among other things and soon locating will be something i used to do.

Thanks for reading

p.s. I would like to hear from the New york guy(or anyone else in some place neat) I always thought that would be neat place to locate what with is it 9 stories underneath the city?

**underground quester** · January 27th, 2009, 05:19 PM

interesting resume

welcome aboard advance

**RoadMap** · January 27th, 2009, 06:21 PM

Yo AdMan. Welcome to the vine. What are you going to tell us now. Hell you could of slowly gave us info a little at a time. Instead all at once. Hell if USUC would have done that he would nothing else to talk about!! But welcome to the vine anyway!!!

**advanceMan** · January 27th, 2009, 07:29 PM

Apologies, I've been getting paid to play on the computer for the past month and a half. Mind was wandering. Will try and be less verbose in the future.

Lots more tales. Maybe I'll have work tomorrow, hope not.:Todd
Thanks Roadmap and UGQ

**TheCableVine** · January 27th, 2009, 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by advanceMan

Apologies, I've been getting paid to play on the computer for the past month and a half. Mind was wandering. Will try and be less verbose in the future.

Lots more tales. Maybe I'll have work tomorrow, hope not.:Todd
Thanks Roadmap and UGQ

Welcome aboard. You sound like you gained 10 years of experience in 10 months. Hope you didn't age 10 years.