Clearing tickets?

**6feetunder** · October 12th, 2011, 08:27 PM

I've heard rumors that the almighty big giant may start clearing tickets on a large scale. I'm not talking about screening clear tickets remotely but actually clearing out tickets that have buried utilities in conflict. Anyone heard anything like this?

**Paint'n & Flag'n** · October 12th, 2011, 09:09 PM

what works for one may work for another.

Its a practice that was done by CUS from what Ive been told and with success. They were in the black and thats after paying out for damages.

Personally I would love to not have to worry about another drop,fence, dog fence, aerating, deck, tree planting, sodding, and the list goes on type of tickets.

**sprayandpray** · October 12th, 2011, 10:13 PM

Haven't heard anything like that but have heard some of the restrictions on Newbies will probably be eased or done away with sooner.

**Bad Robot** · October 13th, 2011, 05:55 AM

Originally Posted by 6feetunder

I've heard rumors that the almighty big giant may start clearing tickets on a large scale. I'm not talking about screening clear tickets remotely but actually clearing out tickets that have buried utilities in conflict. Anyone heard anything like this?

Wow, just when you think that their business model could not get any stranger. They have been shortcutting in IL and WI worse this season than in anytime in recent memory. If they are going to go all in now, it sure would explain an awful lot of the recent developments. I hope not. I run on way to many 2nd and 3rd requests as it is every day!

**6feetunder** · October 13th, 2011, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by Paint'n & Flag'n

what works for one may work for another.

Its a practice that was done by CUS from what Ive been told and with success. They were in the black and thats after paying out for damages.

Personally I would love to not have to worry about another drop,fence, dog fence, aerating, deck, tree planting, sodding, and the list goes on type of tickets.

True, but here's something to chew on. What if the utilities catch wind of this practice and they too figure out they can stay more in the black by instituting to the one-calls that no longer is a locate ticket required for such types of work? What if they no longer require the contract locate firms to run on these? Similar to how some utilities have caught wind of the remote clearing process and now screen tickets themselves before sending them to said locate firms, therfore eliminating the easy profits? They may be able to get away with it for a certain time but what happens when the cash cow is taken away? Greed is the problem here, and ultimately it will result in less profits in the long run but huge payouts in the near immediate future. Also keep in mind fellas this is people jobs and families at stake here, they are simply taking everything they can from you, including your work to line their pockets. They have decreased benefits, increased benefit costs, no bonuses, no oncall payouts and now threaten to take away the very work that pays your bills to turn a bigger profit. What's next I ask because even this will not be enough to fill the bottomless pit of greed they have. It will not stop at this and next year it will be something new when this has become old news.

**ugloc8tr** · October 13th, 2011, 02:25 PM

Sorry to hear this is becoming the norm rather than the exception. Having spent more than 2 decades in this business I have seen and heard many a horror story regarding "CLEARED" tickets. Although certain "TYPES" of tickets ie. Dog Fences, may be ok to clear (only going 5-6inches at best)...regular fence jobs, decks etc. are just begging for a damage and possible injury. Unless the utility drawings are 100% accurate (HA HA) , the risk is too great to take the chance. What if it were you putting in the fence or deck or a loved one and hit an electric line or gas line and was caused severe harm either to your property or person???
Corporate greed has really caused grievous harm to this industry that I have devoted my life to. PRODUCTION OVER QUALITY!!!!! I THINK NOT. BAD BUSINESS.

**locateman2011** · October 13th, 2011, 08:17 PM

I'm with Utiliquest and in md they are complete opposite. They require us to mark the whole ticket as called. no deals, no screening as work complete. We are required to pull every plat, hook to every facility and mark 100 % of the ticket. Wasns't always like that but they preach this everytime they talk to you. Talkijng to friends in other states, they are the spreading this everywhere. used to be do more tickets, now its do any many as you can, but do them correctly. Seems to be paying off.

**rockiesgirl** · October 14th, 2011, 02:18 PM

Yeah and the tickets that they will clear will be front easement- joint trench, not those Fricking encap back easement nightmares!

cablehound · October 14th, 2011, 09:39 PM

Good Luck to anyone who thinks this business model will work! With the National 811 campaign we have a lot of first time callers who have researched the process and lots of money has been spent educating the contracting community on how to prevent damages . If the giant clears tickets then the caller will only call in second and third notices until the property is marked. This will be so easy for the utility companies or regulatory employees to quickly identify those who are trying to "not do what they are supposed to do". Hey Locate Executives- price the contracts so that you can make a profit by doing exactly what you are supposed to do. That would be one heck of a model to consider, unless you don't have time to actually evaluate the profitability of each contract!

**HalfTracK** · October 19th, 2011, 02:44 PM

The gas company where im at tried to screen tickets that were no conflict by using the prints.. Just trying to save a dime..
They found out real quick that didnt work..

People have a hard enough time not cutting the stuff that is marked..

**sprayandpray** · October 19th, 2011, 07:46 PM

Time Warner told their drop burying crews not to call in tickets several years ago. Of course they seldom go more than 6'' deep. On another note I was told thru the grapevine that we were supposed to increase production by 8% but most of the effort would be directed at taking reasonable short cuts, not wholesale ticket clearing. Besides, our contract with AT&T allows them to fine us for repeated audit failures and they audit our pre-digs as well as performing site audits.

**paintitnow** · October 23rd, 2011, 09:14 PM

I am hearing not just the locating companies are clearing ticket. It is more like stripping. I have heard that century link is not paying if their code is not on the ticket and the locator marks it out. The thing i am hearing is that century link is actually stripping their codes in areas so that they do not appear on the bottom of the tickets so the do not have to pay the one call centers. So now you have to read the bottom of the ticket even if you know there is century link in the area.

**The Big-E** · October 24th, 2011, 06:28 AM

That does not make good sense at all.
I had to fight with a certain power co. in the midwest (power and gas) about them screening or stripping tickets because they were banking on the fact that our locators went there anyways because we located the Verizon also... and if we didn't mark their buried facilities because they screened it, they would say that we were there and did not do a proper visual scan of the area...

They should not count on the fact that we would be there at all... what if we didn't have the VZ contract... we would have never seen the ticket!!!!

**big boots mcghee** · October 24th, 2011, 09:32 PM

Management in my neck of the woods is saying there's a good chance this will happen. Just caught wind today of some bad, bad stuff about to happen to USIC employees in the coming months.

With regards to screening tickets, isn't a non-response to a valid one call request, regardless of work being done, a violation? And can't each one of those violations be fined?

**6feetunder** · October 25th, 2011, 05:20 PM

Just found out some more on this today. We will be letting go of a number of people here based on production. In addition we are being forced to increase production a certain percentage district wide and were told if this didn't happen more heads will be cut. We also received news that a bunch of employee benefits programs are being cut. So all in all they raped some more benefits, increased our health care costs and want more production out of us or else!!! What a raw deal!!! It appears dark times are upon us. So it was just as we thought, the bigger they get the more than can and will abuse their employees.