New Forum... NULCA

[TheCableVine]

You can find the new NULCA forum here: http://www.thecablevine.com/forum/f44/

[yahoo]

what does that stand for????? just curious

[TheCableVine]

From their website

NULCA stands for the National Utility Locating Contractors Association. NULCA's formation represents a concerted effort by leading companies in the field to establish the highest standards to guide the industry's growth in both size and importance. NULCA members feel that their participation is important to maintain a connection for industry insight relating to a critical national service!

[advanceMan]

Good acting, like a puppet show.

[OVUS1]

Always count on a ray of sunshine from advance...........

You ever get tired of being a walking minus sign? Is there anything positive in your life at all?

[ifinditunderground]

Always count on a ray of sunshine from advance...........

You ever get tired of being a walking minus sign? Is there anything positive in your life at all?

Only his drug tests Ovus......

[advanceMan]

ovus, u seem good hearted, I won't dis you even if you do me. However, what makes you think I"M a walking minus sign? You don't like my opinion? My lifes good, I'm all the things I say i am, more than enough friends and aquaintences, steady work, respect noticed I've NEVER complained about my company?, beautiful kind hearted loyal woman, buddies to jam with, how am I a minus sign again? whether you people believe it, I don't give shit. Seriously, what do I got to prove to YOU fu*ks?. I'm glad to be that.

Ifeltgayinitundergound I've Never taken a drug test in all my years of locating, nor will I. I Would encourage all locators to fight against anyone who wants you to hang your dick out to inspect your pee like ifeltagayinitunderground. Do you taste it it? How's that done?
I would guess my experience and knowledge trumps your whether you own a company or not. You 've read a fraction of what I know, I'm sure you know it too.
If diminishing me by weed is the only thing you can think of have at er'.
Glad to play along. I'd still blast one, out locate you, out guitar you, outfight you. FU*KIN' A ....EH! I make it fun here don't i? You guys should hire me on full time instead of ridin' on my freebies.

I read about NULCA years ago. are you going to ever do anything useful, and for that matter, all the locators or just the owners?

[Mke]

Advance... I have no issues with you. Your right. Your posts makes this forum a bit spicier. I guess my confusion comes from your statements that you don't need our appoval. The heavens have opened up and the light has shined down upon you. If you don't need our appoval, why do most of your posts list all your attributes?

I have no idea what half of the people on this forum do for fun, and I don't need to.


As for NULCA, to me it sounds like another back patting session for people wo state they want to revolutionize the locating industry.....but don't know how to start.

Are they Regional? or do they stretch all the way out to the west coast?

In their title it states Contractors association, So locators from Utilities can't be part of it?

Just curious.

mke

[OVUS1]

You know, I think most of you like the locating industry just like it is. If it was any better, what would you have to complain about? If things in the locating industry were better, that would mean, since complaining is out, you would have to reinvent yourselves and find some other purpose to fulfill your lives.

Don't like low-ball contracts? WORK FOR SOMEBODY ELSE OR GET INTO ANOTHER INDUSTRY! YOU empower your company to continue unacceptable practices by working for them. As long as there is somebody there to walk out the door and paint a $6.00 locate, there will be $6.00 locates (supply and demand folks.....)!! If it is as bad as most of you say, then ANY job would be better (and pay better) than locating, right? As for NULCA setting prices, I believe that price-fixing falls under Federal RICO statutes (Racketeering) so don't hold your breath expecting NULCA or the locating industry to go in that direction. The Operator ultimately sets prices - it's up to the locating company to get that price as high as possible by convincing the Operator to see the value of the service and not just focus on the price of a locate. There are several utility operators (CATV in particular) that have become notorious for accepting low-ball prices. What if no contract locating company chose to bid their contracts? Hmmmmm.... I'll bet that would spark some immediate action and debate. However, the reality is there will always be some "company" out there working under "marginal" insurance, working "off the back of a truck" that will think they can get rich off of a $6.00 locate. Bad thing is they possibly will make some money through skimming, but at great expense to their employees.....

I would like to see NULCA be like the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" in the locating industry. If a company meets ALL standards of NULCA then NULCA would provide them with their seal of approval. In the past, other than putting out a great set of Training Standards, NULCA basically took your money and sent you a nice certificate. We hope to make the new NULCA much more than that but it will take three things to do that - industry participation, good strategies through good input, and money. As for locators being on the Board, I worked my way up through the locating ranks over the past 20+ years. I can locate with the best of you and can certainly speak as a locator regardless of what my position or title is. I didn't forget who I am simply because I became my own boss!

Finally, why send your grocery money to NULCA? Don't send your grocery money to anybody!! Send your smokes money, your lottery ticket money, your "nukum sammich" money, your penny jar money, or other expendible money to join - don't take food off your table to join NULCA! We will represent you whether you are a member on not! We need membership monies to be able to move the industry forward, but each Board member volunteers and doesn't get a dime for serving. We pay our own travel to meetings, pay our own hotel, food, etc. The only time we allocate NULCA funds to be spent other than on operational support of the organization is when it is agreed that NULCA needs to be present at an important function to lay out our agenda and perspective. No pats on the back here I assure you - we all know this is an uphill battle, and that's why we volunteered - TO REPRESENT YOU - the very people who tend to villify us every chance they get! Why become a member of NULCA? Look at it like an investment. I have never won the lottery - you want to know why? I NEVER BUY A LOTTERY TICKET! If I bought just one ticket I would have a chance, but if I never buy a ticket it is absolutely certain I will never win. Invest in NULCA and you have a chance to help shape this industry. But if you don't invest, if you support those companies that skim money off the top and make everybody a sub, if you walk out the door every day and paint a $6.00 locate, YOU have no right to complain because you are the one that is making it happen! Make an investment in NULCA, MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD - BE CONSTRUCTIVE, OPEN MINDED, and most all, stop waiting for somebody else to change this industry!


%@$#*&#@*#, just fell off the damn soapbox and busted my head.....that's going to leave a mark.......

[advanceMan]

My weed money ?

LOL!!!!
That was a mouthful man, I'm going to read it again today. don't think you've ever said that much. Personally..., I have no use for NULCA, I am not a contract one call locator. I did at one time have the same stories and complaints many of you have. Ovus is right, you wouldn't do it if you didn't WANT to. He also sounds sincere, but cmon Ovus, once you own a company and become a boss, you've crossed that line no matter how experienced you are. Surely you're prepared for that. This brings me to something else..... one more post this morning.

[OVUS1]

My weed money ?

LOL!!!!
That was a mouthful man, I'm going to read it again today. don't think you've ever said that much. Personally..., I have no use for NULCA, I am not a contract one call locator. I did at one time have the same stories and complaints many of you have. Ovus is right, you wouldn't do it if you didn't WANT to. He also sounds sincere, but cmon Ovus, once you own a company and become a boss, you've crossed that line no matter how experienced you are. Surely you're prepared for that. This brings me to something else..... one more post this morning.

I've ALWAYS been my own boss advance, even when I worked for somebody else.......and I will ALWAYS be a locator, I paid my dues in full.... there is no line with me.

[headcipher]

I would like to see NULCA be like the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" in the locating industry. If a company meets ALL standards of NULCA then NULCA would provide them with their seal of approval. In the past, other than putting out a great set of Training Standards, NULCA basically took your money and sent you a nice certificate. We hope to make the new NULCA much more than that but it will take three things to do that - industry participation, good strategies through good input, and money. As for locators being on the Board, I worked my way up through the locating ranks over the past 20+ years. I can locate with the best of you and can certainly speak as a locator regardless of what my position or title is. I didn't forget who I am simply because I became my own boss!

Finally, why send your grocery money to NULCA? Don't send your grocery money to anybody!! Send your smokes money, your lottery ticket money, your "nukum sammich" money, your penny jar money, or other expendible money to join - don't take food off your table to join NULCA! We will represent you whether you are a member on not!

Please tell me what NULCA has been doing in it's over 20 years for locators.

By the way I don't work at a $6 ticket rate, I work for an awesome company that backs us for whatever we need as long as we need to get the job done right.

Gold Seal of approval, huh?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've read the best practices endorsed by nulca, thier best practices as put forth through the CGA doesn't allow for induction. I know, Ovus, that your company locates Gas, will you move to change this?

As for the best practices, or any real info, on NULCA's site you have to plunk $100 to even view what you want to know. That's why I had to read it in the CGA's Best Standards 6.0.

Represent me without the money? That would be great, since I can't go to any of these events being set up by the dues.
I don't smoke, play lotto, or waste money, that's why I would have to see a clear benefit to joining.

The structure sounds a lot like a union to me, and I can see there could be some use for a union with some of the contract companies, but that's not where I am.

I think having reps from the upper management of a huge corporation(USIC) that many techs feel takes advantage of them is conflicting with the claim that that person is interested in the doing what's good for the locators.

If someone has less than 5 years in the field to thier credit, I don't think they can possibly understand locators point of view.

My opinion, I'm open to changing my mind, though.

I'd like to hear from past members as well to hear what they've experienced.

[TheCableVine]

There has been more discussion about NULCA since I've opened the new NULCA forum than there has ever been on this site. The irony is that it isn't taking place in the NULCA forum.

[ifinditunderground]

ovus, u seem good hearted, I won't dis you even if you do me. However, what makes you think I"M a walking minus sign? You don't like my opinion? My lifes good, I'm all the things I say i am, more than enough friends and aquaintences, steady work, respect noticed I've NEVER complained about my company?, beautiful kind hearted loyal woman, buddies to jam with, how am I a minus sign again? whether you people believe it, I don't give shit. Seriously, what do I got to prove to YOU fu*ks?. I'm glad to be that.

Ifeltgayinitundergound I've Never taken a drug test in all my years of locating, nor will I. I Would encourage all locators to fight against anyone who wants you to hang your dick out to inspect your pee like ifeltagayinitunderground. Do you taste it it? How's that done?
I would guess my experience and knowledge trumps your whether you own a company or not. You 've read a fraction of what I know, I'm sure you know it too.
If diminishing me by weed is the only thing you can think of have at er'.
Glad to play along. I'd still blast one, out locate you, out guitar you, outfight you. FU*KIN' A ....EH! I make it fun here don't i? You guys should hire me on full time instead of ridin' on my freebies.

I read about NULCA years ago. are you going to ever do anything useful, and for that matter, all the locators or just the owners?

Advance, you aren't worthy to carry my transmitter around. You can fight better than me? Yeah, I have little doubt, I haven't been in a fight since Jr. High School. You can play guitar better than me? Yeah, probably, but I can make my Martin sing when I want to. You can locate better than me? F*CK no bud, never. I have forgotten more about locating than you'll ever know.

Don't think even for a minute that you can hold a candle to me. I regularly problem-solve for 20 year locators. I am the boss, not because of family or friends hiring me, I got my job on my resume, experience, hard work, and dedication. I also didn't get stock handed to me....I bought my way in with my own money. I'll take your word for it that you are a better fighter and guitar player than me, but when it comes to locating ability and experience, (and my paychecks) forget about it, you've got nothing on me.

[advanceMan]

Go work on as an advanceman/locator on a plow crew findit, then you might get my respect. Until then....I don't OWN a company cuz I was never interested in that or being a locator as long as i've been for that matter.