Hey folks. I am looking @ merrick gold corp, & am wondering what the wages are for the 180 & 300 ton haul truck operators. I drive class A tractor trailer for 2 years now (only got my class A cause I need it for the crane school at OE3). So, any one know much about it...or much about Merrick? Thanks in advance.
I've never heard of Merrick Gold, are you sure your not asking about Barrick Gold? If not, could you tell us where Merrick Gold operates?
I was gonna ask that ....
DOH! Yeah it is Barrick, sorry.
No idea of what wages are like but I can find out. I'll enquire and post back. I assume you are talking about their operations in Northern Nevada. Like all mining companies they are totally anal about safety. Think whatever you know now about construction and multiply it by a factor of 10, maybe even 100 .........
Haul trucks in taconite mining operations up here are getting $27 and benefits, but it probably is much different in Nevada.
Entry level - around $23/hr. Experienced operators a little more than that. Hope that helps. see commentas above above safety, etc. Make your own mind up.
Thanks for the info folks :drinkup
My haul pack operators are on 130 k to 145 k but this is in Australia, actually poorly paid compared to other companies. They are on salary obviously, on a two on one off roster, driving 830E's
AU$145,000/year - roughly US$24/hr, same as Nevada.
Be more than $24 a hour mate, dont forget our tax systems are totaly different.
Sounds a bit out of whack. $145,000 AUD is about $153,000 USD. If you take that at straight time...and I know it's not all straight time, but just to give it some context......that means you'd have to work 6375 hours a year at $24 an hour. The average person works about 2200 a year, so that makes 6375 hours about equal to 17.5 hours per day, 365 days a year. Now, if you figure in overtime....let's say at double time after 8 hours, then it works out a bit less. So, if you worked Monday to Friday, paid at regular time for the first 8 and double for the last 4, and weekends at double time, then you'd have to work 12 hours a day Monday to Friday, 11 hours on Saturday, and 10 hours on Sunday.....365 days a year. I know there's more to it than that, but those are some rough numbers to get the point across. I know here, wages differ from company to company. Top wage where I am is going up by 4% next month, and we only work around 2200 hours a year unless we want to do overtime. Base wages without overtime for the top pay category.....of which some are truck drivers......is right around $160,000 a year. Of course, that doesn't include benefits..........benefits pretty much double it.
Makes me think maybe I should give up on contracting and just go drive a truck or pilot a shovel or something for a few years.
You and me both Jerry. Those are some impressive salary numbers...:cool2
wow, Shure makes what I am doing now seem like a waste of life. Maybe moving down under would be worth it for that...get me a dingo, drink some fosters...box with a kangaroo! Seriously though, those are some pretty high numbers (Over 3 times what I'm making now), so I'd imagine getting in is pretty hard. I am shure there are some companies to try for & to stay away from down there, any insight? just looked @ the exchange rate. $1.00 australian = $1.06 us.
Dont forget rio tinto have a habit of including your super into your package.
I think you may be jumping to conclusions a bit prematurely. The US rates in $/hr will not include benefits, bonuses, etc, etc. Upside of a hourly rate is that anything & everything over the top of the standard week is overtime. Aussie drivers are on a staff salary package. I'd hazard a guess that the Australian rates are "all-in" and includes the benefit package. Also remember that income tax rates in Oz can be up to 45% .............I know the US is less but suspect Canada may be similar. A fairer comparison would be what a haul truck driver gets in his pocket per month in the US or Canada vs Australia. Just remember the biggest downside of all ......... you'd have to work with Australians ......... :tong :tong
My question would be what is the cost of living? do you just spend all the dough to survive, or is it reasonable. CA used to be a high cost of living, but good paying jobs were abundant. Now the high cost is still here, just not the high paying jobs.
I think you just tore the lid right off the can-o-worms with that one!
Don't worry, I have plenty of ammunition to back it up with, even though it was a bit tongue-in-cheek ....
You aint lying there! Not to mention here in modesto 1 in 4 people are unemployed. (the 16% you hear about is only folks on unemployment!) I got no problem with aussies. I was a wildland firefighter from 94-02 & there was an exchange program where our folks would go there in our winter & vice versa. The folks that came here were hard workers, though a little off their rocker...so they fit right in with my group.
guswa, how far are you from Perth? Just researching the area. As for me a job in Elko, NV (origional question in thread) might as well be austrailia. So, I am looking @ local economy, jobs (for my wife), education (I have 2 little ones yet to be in school, so now is the time to make a move), quality of life (Perth seems to be pretty high on the global list). When you are talking a 2 on 1 off rotation, is it 48 hours on & 24 hours off (like some EMT/ paramedics operate on), or is it more 2, 12 hour shifts, then 24 off?
Because of the distance that the open-pit mines in Kalgoorlie and Mount Newman are away from Perth (look it up on a map), pretty much everything is fly in-fly out. So it would be 2 weeks on, one week off living in the mine camp while at work.
what he said....
I think I like our schedule better. 3 days, 3 nights, 6 off and home every night.
No sense of adventure, eh Alco .....? My first fly-in fly-out job was 6 months on, 1 month off. On the upside it did pay well.
I can only really comment on the Queensland mining industry, but most of our mines are even time now. 4 on 4 off, 7/7, 8/6 etc... It depends on the company regarding super, some advertise "including super", some its + super. Even though its a salary, you could get overtime offered, like work an extra day of your roster, and you in fact get paid at overtime rates. Here's how our Tax works: 0 - $6000 = no tax $6000 - $35000 = 15% $35001 - $80000 = 30% $80001 - $180000 = 38% $180001 + = 45% Example if you earned $150k per year: first $6000 = no tax, next $29000 taxed at 15%, next $45000 taxed at 30%, remaining $70000 taxed at 38%. So your not getting all your money taxed at 38% (like I used to think years ago!) West Oz mines usually pay better, but mainly because they're still doing 2 and 1 type rosters. Good thing about that, is your stuck in the middle of nowhere and don't spend much money for 2 weeks! Queensland coal mines pay pretty good too, one contractor I know starts green operators at $113000, 4 on 4 off roster. Then there's word around that Clive Palmer is gonna start his greenies on $160000, so he doesn't have operator shortages at his new Alpha mine. Makes me wonder what he's gonna pay his fitters... Might be worth goin home!