I have been in the concrete pumping industry for a long time,I have never seen it so hard to find people to get to run a pump.Are we a dying profession,or is it that so many companies treat there employees like dirt that they lose faith in the industry.I know early mornings ,late evenings,isn't your dream job but its a decent living.I just wonder if we inflated pumping prices like everything else and paid operators what there worth would this make a difference.Everthing else goes up but payscale,we as a industry need to get with the times pay our operators and stop losing the good ones to other professions.

If you need operators find qualified people and build some.

I went to a safety meeting today with a bunch of operators that like to pump concrete. They work for a company that treats them well and gives them nice equipment to run.

What did the operators do for that company?

THEY WENT 6 MONTHS ACCIDENT FREE!!!

It is hard in these uncertain times to leave that type company and go to (???) an unknown.

By the way..... WAY TO GO ATLAS!!!

bob has an answer for everything,i think he likes to read what he writes.we have top of the line equipment,treat people like people not machines, pay well ,.Now bob tell me something else you can read.

Believe me Bob was not cutting you down. He works hard and for free. You know all the time he gives to this site is all for free. He has helped more people in this industry than just about anyone I know. If you new him you would know he was not giving you a hard time.

where are you looking for operators? i work for a company that pays average, not enough compared to what the other companies pay around this area, my problem is the equiptment i run a 1996 36 meter putz. Before that i ran a 1999 37 meter kline. any how i'm sick of getting these pumps in good running order and than they put oporaters in them that don't give a rats ass, then I have to get em back to the way the were. I feel like a babtsitter that has to clean up after the kids and have just about had enough of it. Will I be given independance? I don't want to work somewhere where they watch over you all the time. I'm very independant and like it that way. I don't want to go to work for someone and be micromanaged. send me an e-mail and we'll talk.

  You are correct,people generally avoid pumps like the plaque.I know a number of ex operators and they are glad that they no longer operate a pump.Their reasons vary from too much responsibility to not caring for the nastiness that comes from operating pumps.In comparison,a ready mix driver does handle a dangerous load,but if the truck breaks down they generally call the plant and wait,not their problem.A finisher places a slab slightly off grade or lets a slab get away from them,oh,well,whatever,they can patch it later.A pump operator,well  if he is 5 minutes late to a job,coronary time,we are truck drivers,mechanics,boom operators,safety monitors,concrete technicians,diplomats,maids....Why would someone want all this mess when they can do something else that pays comparably.Respectfully pudg,do you run a pump every day?

Pudg,

That was not a slam at all, sorry if that is what you thought.

My point was that many ops are (understandingly) staying where they are. Many companies have seen that they need to take care of their troops and are doing a better job of it.

You have been there & done that; you know the best way to have good troops is to grow them. If you, or your company has opened up a new area it is tough to train your way to full strength, I understand.

Besides that, I wanted to give that particular bunch a shout out due to their great safety record; they earned it.

Pudg,I hate to say it but Bob did make a good point.Alot of the seasoned operators already have homes and family,established in there own community.They also look at benifits and future retirement.To find and train a capable operator is a monumental task,but you must endure.Bob and I worked together a day or two ago,he always took the common sense approach to problems.