Greetings all, I'm looking to get back into running heavy equipment when my trucking contract expires in a couple months. I'm currently full time otr so I don't have any roots anywhere and I'm looking to settle down in the idaho panhandle area preferably. Montana and utah wouldn't be out of the question either. I used to work for municipalities and have experience running a vast array of equipment but very little grading and blue top experience. I've also done flat bedding, dump trucking, roll offs, etc and have a full class a license. Pretty skilled welder and machinist as well. Trucking is boring and I'm tired of living on the road and out of truck stops. I used to live in the southeast and went to trucking because the pay there was so miniscule. 15 an hour was about as much as I could expect without 20 years of raises. Also not a big fan of the south in general due to the heat and crowded nature of it. A lot of the operating jobs in my area were also 70+ hours a week paid under the table or on a 1099 for like 10-12 dollars an hour no OT or benefits and it was cut throat to get those jobs. Not looking to work 100 hours a week anymore, I'd keep trucking if I wanted to do that. Looking for input from members here. I tried getting in with the iuoe back before I went into trucking but didn't have much success there. I don't really know what the job market in my desired areas are like. I could swing it somewhat comfortably on about 20-22/hr as a minimum if that is attainable or realistic. I've worked govt operator jobs and liked that because you'd change up what you were doing often but the pay was terrible for a single income household and mainly why I went into trucking. I'd like to go union but I've heard that usually you run the same type of machine pretty much endlessly and stuff like a cdl or welding/maintenance is territory for other workers and you have to sort of stay in your lane.
Local 3 halls are Dispatchin from the C list. Quick way into $50 an hour
Damn, at 40 hours a week and 50/hr I'd be making considerably more than otr trucking where I work 80-100 hours a week. Didn't know operators got that kind of pay. That almost makes me want to buy my contract out and jump ship over night lol. I used to blade roads with a motorgrader and then go back and tailgate spread with a dump truck for 10.75 at one place. I'm going to look into that for sure.
The State of Alaska LIUNA Public Employee Local 71 always has wage grade 53 operator jobs posted for the state equipment fleet. Mostly for Airport operations. Especially Anchorage. The pay is low, but the benefits are above average. The remote places offer more money. In cold Bay, you even get paid to carry a gun! Or, maybe just the heavy equipment mechanics do.