The Crunch

Status
Not open for further replies.
BackInTheHabit said:
I've put in over 12 appplications this past week. Not many EC's hiring right now. I have a Class A CDL with Haz-Mat and Tanker endorsements so I am leaning toward driving once again. Waiting on DOT records to come back on some recent applications.
Click to expand...

Except for the 10 year waiting list for harbor & port transportation, CDL's historically pay less than most trade journeyman rates in the western region. Employers seeking Haz-Mat endorsement in my area show no employment bonus commensurate with the added risk. This does not pay unless you own the rig, operating costs, and have secured contracts.

I have giggled at worthless offers for my CDL for the last 5 years. Besides, CDL experience can't count toward Contractor-license testing in any state. If you must do something drastic, visit another trade, which all qualifies towared a GC license.

Many on this forum have remarked how busy AC guys & plumbers are, but painters make a killing also (ie) $300 per hour with sprayers & equip.. And, we all know GC's clean up by exploiting both ends of the food chain.

I wouldn't waist my time back on the hemorrhoid wagon. If my local ads were not providing me enough customers, I'd call an employment agency, go back in construction, or be an apprentice for another trade. The beatings will not last forever.
 
BackInTheHabit said:
Thank You.

I've put in over 12 appplications this past week. Not many EC's hiring right now. I have a Class A CDL with Haz-Mat and Tanker endorsements so I am leaning toward driving once again. Waiting on DOT records to come back on some recent applications.
Click to expand...
Sign installers are usually journeyman electricians with at the very least a Class B CDL, some of the big rigs require Class A.
 
I got my CDL last year. The company I went to drive for required a Haz-Mat endorsement. I only got it since there were so many layoffs in my field and was trying to go a different route, not because I needed it to continue to be an electrician. I was tired of getting laid off in this industry. I drove a semi for 6 months, but between the down time (not getting paid for) and mileage being cut I couldn't afford to stay on the road. I was lucky to be home for a day before I had to go back out. Needless to say it was rough on my marriage. I got back into the field (hence my username) and have been laid off twice since.

My CDL has benefited me. I have experience now on several trucks and equipment. I plan on adding the passenger and doubles endorsement shortly. Have an interview tommorrow.
 
BackInTheHabit said:
I got my CDL last year. ..I was tired of getting laid off in this industry... My CDL has benefited me.
Click to expand...

No argument for avoiding frequent layoffs. If its any consolation, all people in the states pay for layoffs. Expecting an experienced workforce to remain on call, sustained thru unemployment compensation, is an ugly exploit of public policy, frequently abused by corporate institutions.

There is another place in the electrical trade where a CDL has leverage for retaining employment. Outside lineman that complete an apprenticeship need CDL's to operate bucket trucks. High voltage & lighting danger is part of being a wide back, but there's usually a shortage of labor and longer tenure than inside shops.

In all fairness, venturing into any indentured apprenticeship also risks cancellation. Regardless of fault, failure to complete these programs is a permanent record at your State Dpt. of Apprenticeship, and accessible to any public works or agency considering your employment.

During the last 5 years, getting passed up for felons after being told my test score was among the highest, became the necessity for my invention as a handyman. The handyman thing with proper signatures and direction can lead to licensing, but is certainly not the common route to success in this industry.
 
Things are still slow! May have to move in a direction away from ECing! :rolleyes:

Drop from a good number of calls per day--to one call per day--to no calls!! :rolleyes: All my work was from referrals, and a little advertising. None of the listed is working!! :mad: :rolleyes:
 
We have been doing better than a some of the other ECs in our area. We have a lot of general contractors we work for and many high end customers (they never seem to feel the pinch). Although slower then years past, we are steady. The ones that seem to be hurting the most are the ECs that have started up within the past 5 years.
 
For the first time ever (15 years), it is tight for me in AZ.

2 out of 5 trucks parked and laid off two apprentices.
 
Business is picking-up! We have one job that will save us from going out of business--- Thank God! Now we need 100 more! :)
 
ramsy said:
During the last 5 years, getting passed up for felons after being told my test score was among the highest,
Click to expand...

There is most likely a reason you where passed up, perhaps some soul searching would be beneficial.

From reading your posts here it strikes me you would be a problematic employee. Of course that is just my personal impression from 3000 miles away.
 
I have never seen a drought like this summer .... not even over the holidays!

Oh, my regular customers have work to be done ... but they're sitting on their wallets, waiting for things to look better. Everyone is afraid of coming hard times ... with the effect that hard times are created.

It's kind of like the 'loaves and the fishes' story. One commentator thought the miracle wasn't that there was plenty of food to go around - but, rather, that Jesus inspired everyone to open up, revealing the prosperity that had always been there.

Of the local EC's, but one was actively hiring, and he could be choosy. One customer of mine - a restaurant supplier - opines that he's seeing all of his customers ordering a fraction of their usual goods.

I am seeing some signs that folks are loosening up a bit, and work is developing. I sure hope so.

Oh, and Redsy .... don't despair. I can think of two folks whose only way into the trade was to form their own firms, then sponsor themselves for the necessary courses, tests, etc. I'm not quite sure what the apprenticeship committees are looking for, but you're not the only diamond they've missed ...
 
iwire said:
From reading your posts here it strikes me you would be a problematic employee. Of course that is just my personal impression from 3000 miles away.
Click to expand...

If this impression is related to my colorful record of being occasionally deleted and even banned from this forum, it ignores the good company I keep.

The best characters on this forum are known only by those occasionally disciplined by having their most intriguing contributions deleted. ;)

renosteinke said:
Oh, and Ramsy .... don't despair. I can think of two folks whose only way into the trade was to form their own firms, then sponsor themselves for the necessary courses, tests, etc. ..you're not the only diamond they've missed ...
Click to expand...

Thank you. Necessity was the mother of my invention.
 
ramsy said:
If this impression is related to my colorful record of being occasionally deleted and even banned from this forum,
Click to expand...

You can tell yourself that if it makes you feel special but actually my impression is from the comments you have made over time here at the forum.

A typical example:

ramsy said:
Public service alerts are valuable, and we need more whistle blowing in our industry.
Click to expand...

For better or worse most employers will not find statements like the above comforting. :grin:

Now it's fine you want to stand up for the 'common man' but don't cry about getting passed over when the establishment strikes back at you for it. :smile:

By the way, how is your forum going? :grin:
 
You can still excel in this slow climate. Good customer service will always sell. Put yourself in your customers shoes and you will grow. People want someone that they can trust.

We came out of no-where just a few months ago and we have alot of work, in the midst of this slow resi times. We have not low-balled any one, but I do see some contractors now and then that is low-balling us, which tells me we hurting a few in this town of 50,000
 
I started in business in 1974 and this is the most cut-throat that I've seen. My company is doing ok we have a strong customer base. (Michigan)
 
SEO said:
I started in business in 1974 and this is the most cut-throat that I've seen. My company is doing ok we have a strong customer base. (Michigan)
Click to expand...
I'm glad to hear buisness is going well, I hear that the economy is bad up there in general.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top