Got A REAL Job Guys!!!!

Bryce Frazier

Well-known Member
Got a call from a friend last week, said he was talking to the owner of a VERY well know local excavation company, and he said he was sick of "worthless, useless, whiny, late, drugheads!".

Long story short, I talked to the guy Sunday night, and he told me if I could be at the shop in town at 6:30, I had a 4 x 10 (at $15 and hour) job through the rest of this month, until school started, then I could work WHEN EVER I WANT! :)

Showed up yesterday at 6:15, HIT IT OFF with the guy, really went well!! Him, and one other guy (so three of us) are all that make up the company.

We go to finish up a job. I am kicking _ _ _ in his excavator (320 Cat). Moved his dump truck, already knew how to check grade, etc. He is REALLY impressed, as is the other worker.

We stop at 10:30, (waiting for health inspector, septic lines...) And we get to talking a little bit, and he asks me, so how old are you? I said 17. He got a very bad look on his face and started shaking his head. The other guy just said "sh1t....".

He then explained to me that his insurances policy will NOT insure anyone under 18, period, no exceptions, so, he "fired" me! :p

Told me to be there at 6:30 June 11th, 2016 for my first day of work, I said I would be there! ;)

So.... Back to laying carpet for now! Thats okay though, I really like that job too!!!

I have to say I am quite disappointed.... I was VERY VERY excited to have scored such a job, as was mom! Should have seen her face when I came home at 11:30, and told her he fired me..... priceless...... :p

Just thought you guys would like to here about another one of my adventures! ;)

Bryce
 
Just understand things went the way they did due to your age. Go back next year when that will not be an obstacle. Good jobs are hard to come by so give every effort to make one work out. I could use a good off farm job but jobs are very scarce around my area. I am not sure it would be much different if I did not have the farm to consider to know how many hours during the busy times I could work.
 
Bryce, when I was still running my own companies I could not find an insurance company that would insure me for anyone under 18. But as said he did offer you a job the day you turn 18 and if it is something that makes you happy than take him up on it. Stay in contact with him and maybe even ask him to work with you on weekends to teach you what you may not already know and what he thinks you should know.(Highly recommended) By showing this kind of initiative the chances of him still having a position for you in 11 months goes up dramatically. And if nothing else it adds to your base of knowledge and skills. Hopefully it all works out for you!!!!
 
It can be decent work, you'll learn quite a bit in different areas. An experienced operator can get top wages, something to look forward to if its a decent company, or elsewhere if and once you have established yourself.

You have a year or so to do some preparation and if you are interested in pursuing this line of work, there are some things you can do to excel at it. Great thing is, this owner knows the value of good workers, if he's dealt with what you describe.

Learn blueprint reading and be aware of 02300 specifications for earthwork, (construction specifications institute) it may come up in contract documents in work your boss or future boss does at a larger company. Just having a good aptitude and ability to read and accurately interpret this kind of information is very helpful, more so if you ever want to be a superintendent or foreman one day. More responsibility, but that can also mean higher pay or advancement.

Safety Learn all you can, get an OSHA 10hr or better, focus on site safety, excavation/trench safety, equipment operation/safety, underground utilities, gas/electric, confined spaces, etc. etc. etc. It can be dangerous work, take this seriously, its important and the more credentials you have here, the better you will be in many ways.

Layout, elevations, grades, and all of what goes with it, including pipe lasers, GPS what have you, this will help you advance. You may not need it all at once, but if he's a busy contractor in this field, you need to be able to take a blueprint, layout a job once known reference points are established by the surveyor.

Materials, know the technical details of materials used, gravel, crushed stone, crusher run, concrete, pipe, mortar, block, brick, asphalt, anything you install, use or even haul.

Estimating - know how to read blue prints and do a quanity take off, or just know how to quantify materials like the above. You will benefit from learning how to estimate cuts and fills from a topography map of existing site conditions, to what a site plan calls for. Sure the company may typically do all that prior to bid and your just a worker bee in the seat of a machine or laboring with a pipe crew, but if you learn estimating for this work, that is another asset to any company in this business.

CDL A or B, having one of these licenses goes hand in hand with site work, excavation/foundation, every company in this business will ask if you have that, because they all have trucks and trailers. I assume you'll have to wait til your 21, so thats a ways off, but a clean CDL is going to win you points with any company in this business.

Never balk at hand labor,(probably unlikely for you anyways but goof to know) you'll shine if you can jump off a machine to help with a pipe crew if needed or similar, there's always hand labor in this business, more so with a sloppy operator, but you'll shine with the attitude it all pays the same.

Equipment, be glad to run the oldest they have, again, it all pays the same, also use your knowledge to check fluids, grease, look for problems and be known for taking care of everything you use down to the shovel needed to clean the tracks at the end of the day or labor on a crew. Any business owner in this kind of work will welcome that and then some.

Well that's enough for you to consider for now LOL ! its a good field to work in. I did it for 5 years full time. I have seen plenty of what your boss describes as lousy employees, its relatively easy to stand out if you apply yourself. One of my first jobs in this field was for someone I knew, a friend, and one of the first things that stood out, was that I could do everything he could, drive his tandem dump with a trailer and a dozer or backhoe on, run equipment etc. That freed him up to go after other work and further the business, he did not have to worry about me at all, was pleasantly surprised as all he dealt with was low life's that were like your future boss described. I could work on my own and did for quite some time there and the next outfit I went to, the owner used to send me on one man jobs all the time, truck loaded with material, dozer on the trailer, go put in this driveway, finish back filling a leach field or finish installing a new leach field though it was easier with 2 people, I did it when needed.

Working in the weather can be tough, so prepare, but there's a blessing there too, we could get laid off in the winter. However, many outfits will keep their best people working somewhere, in the shop, snow removal, and often times prefer to avoid those who look forward to the layoff if they can work during winter. So, it can be a nice break, just don't advertise your desire of it, always be interested in working, that will stand out.

Sounds like a good opportunity for you!
Sample 02300 Specfication
 
Old federal law. Can't be hire to run equipment under 18 except for farm work. Then a few years back they put restrictions on that too. IIRC have to be 16 to operate farm equipment unless it for a family farm and between 16 and 18 as a hired hand have to have parents written permission to operate and cannot operate on a road.

Legally you can't hire a kid to mow your lawn.

The only enforcement I've heard about is A. someone calls social services and turns someone in B. OSHA checking a job site C. kid gets injured. So it's not like people are out there like a "jack booted gestapo" checking every kid they see pushing a lawn mower down the street.

Rick
 
Like Billy said, get all the certification you can through the next year. Then you can do some negotiating on the wages when you come back!
 
You know about the kids that want to sell lemon aid and some jerk inspector shuts them down!
 
Bryce, it looks like Billy NY has laid out a pretty good blueprint for you. I'd print out a copy of that if I were you.
 
I have run construction all over the country and what Billy said is all true. You seem to be a nice guy, and one of his suggestions heeds remembering. Don't be afraid to jump down off the rig to help with hand work. Sometimes you work with a variety of different trades, cement guys, laborers, etc. Some of the skilled trades kind of look down on some of the other trades which I disagree with. Be friendly and helpful to all. They can often help you when you're in a jamb. Sometimes they need to move their stuff out of your way, and if you have been uppity or unfriendly with them, things will not go smoothly. Treat all like you would like to be treated.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top