Plant Operator For Hire

[lynchy]

Originally Posted by wee_gus

Yea the plant game is a joke with these bloody cards! But I remember trying to get an apprenticeship in Glasgow as a plant op! No one would take me at 16! So I said if I can't do driving then the next best thing is to fix them!
The only advantage I have is my uncle owns his own quarry/plant hire company and I've been watching guys drive machines all my life and been driving on and off in the quarry for the last 10 years since I was 12

'the only advantage'? lol,seems quite a reasonable one really?

[strott]

That would be quite a good 'only' advantage to have - unlike me who spent alot of time when I was young watching utility guys 'drive'

[jcbjs220]

Originally Posted by wee_gus

Yea the plant game is a joke with these bloody cards! But I remember trying to get an apprenticeship in Glasgow as a plant op! No one would take me at 16! So I said if I can't do driving then the next best thing is to fix them!
The only advantage I have is my uncle owns his own quarry/plant hire company and I've been watching guys drive machines all my life and been driving on and off in the quarry for the last 10 years since I was 12

That's the same kind of story as me, come out of school at 16, always wanted to drive them but couldn't at 16 so went and did my apprenticeship for jcb. Now, at 24 I'm just starting at the bottom again as an op in a waste recycling site. The jcb experience has helped, given me a good reputation where I work as I look after the machines, and fix them when required. As far as being an operator goes, I have so much to learn and am keen to, but the experience I require I will never get where I am! I'd love to get into demolition or earthmoving, my next goal is to do my cpcs red card again on shovels and 360's and then work towards my blue card and get my nvqbut to do that I need to get into the field I want to do my nvq in, but with a red card I know that's going to be difficult! CPCS has made it so difficult let a loan expensive for young people to get into the industry!

[Lord-Sean]

Originally Posted by jcbjs220

That's the same kind of story as me, come out of school at 16, always wanted to drive them but couldn't at 16 so went and did my apprenticeship for jcb. Now, at 24 I'm just starting at the bottom again as an op in a waste recycling site. The jcb experience has helped, given me a good reputation where I work as I look after the machines, and fix them when required. As far as being an operator goes, I have so much to learn and am keen to, but the experience I require I will never get where I am! I'd love to get into demolition or earthmoving, my next goal is to do my cpcs red card again on shovels and 360's and then work towards my blue card and get my nvqbut to do that I need to get into the field I want to do my nvq in, but with a red card I know that's going to be difficult! CPCS has made it so difficult let a loan expensive for young people to get into the industry!

Arrrrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhhno no no no,not more lambs to the slaughter

[conorcx130]

Originally Posted by Lord-Sean

Arrrrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhhno no no no,not more lambs to the slaughter

i think the best way to describe plant machinery is as an addiction! yes its hardship, not great money, having to deal with a lot of w@nkers but at the end of the day you put up with it to get youre daily fix I went to college to try become an engineer because there was no work, yet for the summer holidays all my classmates want to find work with engineering consultants, and all i can think of is where can i get some work for our 13 tonne like i said its an addiction!

[D a n n y]

£10 - £14hr? Highly experinced blokes at the moment arent even getting that! Maybe people arent phoning you back as they cant believe what a 18yr old is asking for!

Dont take that the wrong way. Just think before you go moaning your on £7hr same as the labourers!.

[JD450A]

Originally Posted by D a n n y

£10 - £14hr? Highly experinced blokes at the moment arent even getting that! Maybe people arent phoning you back as they cant believe what a 18yr old is asking for!

Dont take that the wrong way. Just think before you go moaning your on £7hr.

I'm not moaning danny, (well kinda) but when your working on site and groundworkers are on about £10hr, and the 360' drivers on £12 it starts to wear. £7 seems good then factor in i'm having to supply my own tools, disc cutter, insurance etc and you soon see that it's like treading water.

I'd take less danny but when a agency decides to offer £11hr i will go in at that. for one it's far from home and secondly two weeks can mean a day in there terms. Simple fact is that if someone local offered me a seat on a machine I'd take less, but from past and present experince there not up for it.

[D a n n y]

Yes Rory but how much experince does the groundworker have? Alot more than you.
Machine drivers aswell. I wont disclose my rate with anyone on site thats down to me and my contracts manager. Stop worrying what other people are on, there will always be people on more than you and people on less!


Why are you supplying a disc cutter? Things like that are hired in or supplyed by the groundworks company. Leave it at home!

[JD450A]

There is one disc cutter on site aside from mine, and it belongs to the bricky, hence why I have my own, groundworks gang has one but there not on this site atm. Unfortunatly supplying your own gear is the way on this site.

Groundworkers range in experince, the one on £10hr has a year and abit. Don't have a problem with it but when your doing the same work.... Been building soakaways, hedging and landscaping the past week. Turfing and planting next week.

you get the jist, I'm not jelous but when your treading water it's not good news.

[Eddiebackblade]

Rory just take what you can when you can get it and forget this wanting 10 to 14 quid an hour?

Straight up no offence, you're only a pup yet and despite having more tickets than a raffle and tools than B and Q it'll be hard for a few years yet to get taken seriously.

Nothing personal it's just the way it is? You could be the best operator in the world but in this game it's all about adding value to your name?

You'll get your break and grab it with both hands, then keep quiet get on with it and let the machine do the talking.
It's the clients who decide who's any good or not? and when they start to call and ask for you by name you start adding value to yourself?

It then turns into the cat and mouse game if you want to play it of jumping ship for more money and taking 'hires' with you to another company.
Plenty play this game and get their arse burnt, others chip away and end up basically finding the company their own work from clients requesting them by name.
When you're at this stage Rory, you'll get your big money and hopefully pretty decent security.

Stark truth is there's nothing much about at present and decent guys with nothing?
Take my example I've got to fill between now and August 1st and would probably turn out for 8 quid an hour rather than sit in the house?
You've probably got more tickets than me but if we started on the same site I reckon I could turn the 8 quid into 12 faster than you?

Keep plugging away you deserve a decent break somewhere and I'm certain you'll get it.

Last piece of advice don't tell others what money you're on and don't always believe what others tell you?

Eddie.