Job offer from US Concrete driving a Mixer.

[Watcher]

I just had an interview for driving a mixer truck locally for US Concrete today...it went well, said the job is mine if I want it. He told me to think about it then get back to him as soon as I can. Here's what they offered:

$12.50 an hour to start with full benefits after 60 days and evaluation after the first 90 days and every year there after. There will be plenty of opportunities for overtime. They also offer stock purchase, 401K, and a few bonuses. One is a quarterly safety bonus of $250 for safe driving and keeping the truck clean, and up keep of the truck. There's also one where the driver can earn another $1,000 a month based on the amount of concrete hauled?

I've never driven a mixer before, and let him know it. So I'm a bit hesitant about the job. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Watcher[/b]

[Mr. Ford95]

Don't wear nice clothes, they will get dirty when washing the barrel out after every load.

Being new, don't start adding your own water, only add what your batcher tells you to add. Nothing would piss me off more than to have a driver add his own amount of water and it would make the load way too wet to use.

Check your water valve each morning or if your away from the truck for a minute to make sure it's in the off position. Seen several drivers get caught by that. Someone goes and messes with them by putting it in the "On" position and when the driver pressurizes the water tank, water is steady going into the drum.

Loads are a different beast than anything you have hauled. Tighter loads(drier mix) like to climb the walls when your doing the slow turn of the barrel while going down the road. Can cause you to flip over. Not a whole lot you can do about it.

[millersod215]

It's probably one of the most boring jobs i've ever had, i drove one for a week, if you have a class A don't sell yourself short driving a mixer, i don't know what license type you have. Other than that, you'll probably find the job to be monotanous and downright boring, who knows you may love it, but i'd think about it for a while before you make that decission. 12.50 also doesn't seem too great, but i don't know the infrastructure in your area.

[RottsATruckin]

I agree, 12 bucks an hour is a joke, 5 years ago my friend was making 18 per hour, not including OT, heck even the guys spreading the mix make more, but then again you may have a lot of cheap labor available as competition. OTR or LTL should pay better.

[Ian Williams]

The pay is low. Keep in mind that like most things construction related there will be down times during bad weather and in the winter.

[townie388]

The pay is low. Keep in mind that like most things construction related there will be down times during bad weather and in the winter.

Ain't this the truth! My DH drives a mixer here in CT, he makes $18.50 an hour and during the summer works about 50-60 hours per week. In the winter, he averaged 20 hours per week. sometimes less! If it's raining, he doesn't work and doesn't get paid. Obviously this job isn't helping us pay our bills. But, his company is small & good, they have good benefits for the family and it's very close to home.

I'm curious about whether or not companies take into account the mixer experience when hiring for OTR? I know it's a different beast but at least he has learned the rules of the road. DH has a class B license but is hoping to go to school to get his A in the fall.

Edited to add: DH really likes driving the mixer, it would be great if it was full time all year.

[Double R]

Ain't this the truth! My DH drives a mixer here in CT, he makes $18.50 an hour

Your cost of living is also higher. Around here mixers start at $15.00. Not bad for this area.

I'm curious about whether or not companies take into account the mixer experience when hiring for OTR?

Doubtful. Hiring is now done by what the insurance compines dictate. Most of them donot count Class B driving as experience. He will start with zero experience.
BOL

[Watcher]

They have a 40 weekly guarantee, incase the weather prevents work. so no matter what I'd be getting $500 per week. working or not. The $12.50 is starting pay with no experience with a mixer or tanker. Their closest tanker facility is almost 90 miles away and I'm not doing that for 12.50.

I really appreciate your input fellas! I just looked at the guys card...it's actually "REDI-MIX CONCRETE" They must be owned by US Concrete.

Watcher

[Mr. Ford95]

Being in Texas, you may not have too much of a problem with winter weather. I emphasis the word "may." A lot of places pour concrete even in the rain, which sucks for the driver because he has to be out in it during the unload.

Around here, starting pay is around $15 an hour and veterans of the mixers are seeing about $18 an hour. Most drivers here don't find it very boring, your usually going to a new site every load. If your going back and forth to a job that is pouring a large slab, you will not get bored at all. Our guys are dumping 10 yard trucks in 4-5 minutes. Drivers are not getting a chance to get bored.

[silvan]

It's probably one of the most boring jobs i've ever had, i drove one for a week, if you have a class A don't sell yourself short driving a mixer.

It wouldn't hurt to try. People seem to love it or hate it. I was a trainee with a different outfit for nine days, so I beat you by two. I agree 100% about how boring it is. Oh my goodness me, I think I'd rather be a turkey masturbator or sewage tank diver than pour concrete for a living. There were guys there who had been there for 20+ years though, and they loved their jobs.

Different strokes and all that. $12.50 sounds good for here. I was making $11.25 to start (as a 10 year CDL holder) over here.

Prior experience doesn't really matter much. Everybody kept telling me "All your ten years of experience means precisely dick around here, New Guy."

Concrete is 1/10th driving a truck, 1/10th being a construction worker, and 8/10th standing around waiting on something.

Around here, they guarantee 80 hours in two weeks in the off season, and in the on-season, you'll be running around the clock, illegal as hell, 16, 18, 20, 24 hours a day, with all the overtime you can swallow.

Most of the 20+ year guys around here were reporting their average earnings for a year were about $30K. Work your ass off all summer, starve all winter, and wind up making a lot less than a class A job at the end. Waste the good weather working dawn to dawn to dawn to dawn.

Not my cup of tea.

[Cluggy619]

Well, I started out in a mixer over 6 years ago, and drove until I got my class A. Not sure what plant your working out of, but i did work for Redi-Mix long ago.

I wouldn't waste my time. None of it will count as experience when you go to apply for a class A position.

And don't fall for the "We can get you in a rock truck after you have proved yourself." Most concrete companies use that to get drivers to start driving, then you find out that the waiting list is over 2 years long for that position.

However, if you need a job, and running low on funds, you would be starting during the busy season. You will be getting up at 12:00 am to work for 14 hours, just to do it all over again. Just remember, things slow way down for the winter, so while your making that cash, put some away.

Good luck.

P.S. I do miss playing poker with the guys during rain days.

[kips41]

I drove a mixer for a couple of months last fall when I needed to be off the road for awhile. Drove for Transit Mix and I must say it sucked and I hated it.

From starting work at different times of the day each day to working every saturday to keeping the damn truck clean. All for $12 an hour !!
If I had not needed to be home I would have dragged up the first day.

Then the second week I was there a pretty new guy rolled his mixer and was killed...left a wife and a couple of kids...was a OTR guy who took the job to be home more.

If you are going to pay your dues do it in the LTL business, you will be a hell of alot better off in the long run......well in the short run too. Seriously, I would find something else to do other than drive a mixer.

[inmate1577]

Take the mixer job. If you can be home every night and have a guaranteed salary , go for it. And driving experience counts when you apply for a job being a mixer is considered heavy equipment.

But if anyone things a mixer is boring, I'd like to know what they find so downright exciting about OTR? Cuz OTR has all the challenge of opening paper bag but just not as exciting.

[Mr. Ford95]

The only boring part that our drivers find is when they are delivering to my company's curb machine. One bad load will screw the whole day up. With the machine, you sit in the truck and watch the mirror, if the truck is slow unloading, it can take an hour. We try to unload in 20 minutes or less, have done some in 7-8 minutes. When delivering for slabs, you back up to a pump usually, hop out, flip the chute and hit the unload switch. 5 minutes later your washing out and rolling back to the plant.