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Truck/Equipment mechanic not sure what to do?

typ4

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
241
Location
oregon
Occupation
Equipment mechanic for a small company.
Big businesses. lol. Did 13 ish years at Evergreen Aviation as the only diesel MECHANIC. not tech, on the payroll. Travelled all over the system, everwhere except Hawaii, Pretty much loved it.
Not great pay but after one layoff they put me on call as the west coast roving mechanic. Pretty much on call, drove up and down the west coast, flew to other bases as needed. Was looking forward to retiring from there and then in 09 got "economically reduced" .LOL, what a bullshit description. then in 13 they went down for good.
Bottom line is ,being a diesel mechanic, i have never looked for work, it has always found me. If I had the opportunity to be at a municipality I would stick with just about anything for the benefits.
I now work for a small excavating company and its a fight to get any time off in the summer for sand duning, my only hobby.
One must pick ones battles.
 

Raildudes dad

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2007
Messages
411
Location
Grand Rapids MI
Here's what I told my daughter, you have to like what you do and look forward to going to work every morning. I'm 68 and could have easily retired 5 years ago. But I love what I do. I watched road and bridge construction at 10-12 years old. I've been a civil engineer for the local county highway dept for 46 years. I tell folks 50 years later I get paid to do what I did for fun as a kid:).
Could I have made more $$$ elsewhere, absolutely but the variety of what I get to do is great. (I'm assigned to the County Emergency Manager during disaster declarations - a whole different aspect.) Today I spent the day at the County 911 dispatch center working with the dispatchers (12-15) to handle trees down on the roads due to an ice storm.
There was a 10 year period where I supervised 125 drivers and operators at the road department. The last couple years I would feel like it was getting the flu on Sunday afternoons. It finally dawned on me I was dreading work on Monday morning. I decided it was time to move on as in interviewing with another municipality and a major grocery chain as a facility engineer.
I was very fortunate my manager knew I was not happy (didn't know I was interviewing) and gave me the opportunity to return to my previous engineering job.
Bottom line, life is too short, you need to enjoy going to work and what you do.
 

rondig

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Messages
517
Location
fort macleod alberta
Occupation
excavation
Well coming from the other side things....i always owned my own business...i worked for my dads farm equipment dealership....he had a big farm, two dealerships, and a small excavation business. So i got to learn a lot of stuff from him. As i worked at the dealership i got to take quite a few tech courses that JD offered..in my youth there were not many tractors with piston pumps back then. I took the 3000 level course on hydraulics and i was hooked...i started my own hydraulic shop and fab shop....i sold out about 10 years ago...and started my excavation business for my semi-retirement. It is an awesome adventure owning your own business....but the first 5 years of any business is brutal. No holidays, crazy hours, and always wondering where the next meal is coming from. Then things get better...once you get everything inline...learn about cashflow...credit management...personnel....life gets pretty good...now i only work summers....vacation all winter (which is kinda boring). But life is good now. Your young and depending on your debt load...could be a great option..line up all your ducks...and if your hands and nerves are not shaking too bad.....take the shot.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,421
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Have to note I got pretty well beat down early in my mechanic life, some bad choices on my part but still some nasty events that beat me up and down pretty well permanent damage. Gave up on the life of wrenching for the power station as I came to 40 years old, stayed there long enough to find a disregard for the rolling schedule even as was great money great benefits and came old enough to grab that brass ring to retire.
Initially bored to tears still do not regret not dealing with the alarm clock trying to sleep during daylight or the incessant training regimen had come to be the larger part of life. Still wrench on my own junk, do some local work but try to NOT step on the toes of those around here that earn their living in these parts. Enjoying life best I can for what ails me and working to get the wife to 62 so she can join me.
 

petepilot

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2018
Messages
2,167
Location
central shenandoah valley va,
If you go out on your own your most important job becomes "business owner", not "mechanic". A good business owner who is a mediocre mechanic will last. A good mechanic who is a mediocre businessman won't.
sounds good when you first read it but in this day & time you need to excell at both
 

Raildudes dad

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2007
Messages
411
Location
Grand Rapids MI
I was talking with an electrical engineer friend of mine yesterday at lunch about electricians going on their own. He worked for a big supply house and a couple electrical contractors. He said the electricians that strike out on their own that have business savvy will succeed. Those that don't usually fail. His comment was it's 2/3rds doing the electrical work and 1/3 paperwork, non work stuff.
 

Georgia Iron

Senior Member
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
871
Location
USA - Georgia
Occupation
Concrete building slab and grading contractor
Working for yourself doing something you find interesting and what you love is the way to go. Doing the same thing all day long everyday even if you love it will get boring. Money is second. But if you can figure out how to do multiple things that you like to do to make an income that is the best way. When something slows down you can do something else. Or when weather stops work you can move to inside work.

For me I work on old houses, i do grading and excavating, i do concrete work, i build smaller sized buildings. i do anything that needs to be done. Learn multiple things and you will have different jobs coming in to make extra money. Buying low and selling houses at a higher price is the best and most money I have ever made. Investing in real estate is something to study.. machines eat your money. working on them eats your body...

Guys that work for themselves have different mindset than a constant paycheck worker. You must be able to go long periods of time with no pay when working for yourself. I loose money in dec, jan, and feb. I try to do large repairs and non paying work in these slower months.

I would recommend keeping money coming in and slowly moving towards your next plan that way the move is easier and you slowly work into your goal. long term thinking helps better your choices..
 

Hallback

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Messages
2,306
Location
Aberdeen Wa.
Occupation
Gyppo tower logger
After all those things you listed off there wouldn't be any money left for the company. People need to realize that they need to still make the company money above and beyond what they take from the company.

Sounds like dam near every single person on this forum.!!
Take what u can get and slowly ease your way out the door..
Don't leave anything behind.. I'm talking vacation & sick time.. When it was time for me to go, I was intight w/ the girl who was like HR in most companies.. we didn't have THAT dept so it was informal..
I found out what "needed to happen" to make sure I was paid what I was owed.. like putting in a 2 WEEK WRITTEN notice,.. make sure ALL your uniforms & coats were turned in.. along w/ all your keys..
OH.. & then they came up w/ the rule u could only take 2 weeks vacation & 5 days personal time when u left..
So I started taking all my time to get to THAT #.. 3-4 day weekends.. u get the idea.
HAVE A JOB/or a PLAN, BEFORE u leave..
Just be prepared to get "the talk" after u turn in your notice.. and they'll probably/maybe try to get u to stay..
IF u like the place..think about it..
Remember, theres more to work than money.. like negot. extra pay for "off site" jobs, 2extra weeks of vaca..
a 3.00 raise, no overtime.. getting your health ins. paid.. company truck w/ fuel card.. u get the idea,,
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,535
Location
WWW.
I had my own business/shop that I rented then the land it was on got sold out from under me. I was also a owner operator which wasn't bad but got tired of the red tape.
I have always been a mechanic and have managed three fleet shops. Working for a fleet is the steadiest, refrigerated/frozen but those businesses run around the clock.
24-7 and holidays, most big fleets you get time off the smaller fleets it's here and there. I work 24-7 running the shop plus on call for the company tow truck and service
calls. I work like that because it cuts down on work seeping through the cracks and I hate do overs. I don't have kids myself-never wanted any, not with my work life.
I suppose if I didn't like it I would have quit along time ago, but if I wasn't working the way I do I would probably find reasons not to work and get fat like 48% of the
country. Mechanic work is just that-If your good you will always work if your work is poor then find another profession early. Like pumping septic systems-no one will
be vying for your job. Hell you might even start your own poop pumping business.
 

Mobiltech

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2014
Messages
1,680
Location
Sask.
Occupation
Self employed Heavy duty mechanic
I don’t think I could work 24 /7. When do you sleep?
Maybe you truck shop guys have 30 hour days.
Or is that a metric 24/7 which would be smaller.
 

Hallback

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Messages
2,306
Location
Aberdeen Wa.
Occupation
Gyppo tower logger
Find that right guy yet?
TS and I are alot alike, we quit looking for "that guy" long ago because it just leads to disappointment, frustration and more work for us redoing their phuck ups.

Hard work & long hours are not a concern as we love what we do and what else are you going to do with your life?
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,421
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Available 24/7 just means you learn to sleep light sleep less and sleep or rest in bursts of hour or two here and there. Still that way, down as get tired up as soon as mind wakes up usually three to five hours at most.
 
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