repair technician

laborer

rail technician

locator

cleaner

Harbor Rail Services

Doesn’t matter how hard you work, you start your day by being told how bad of a job everyone has been doing by comparing everyone’s billed  hours to this unrealistic made up number of “efficiency “ corporate has created.  Rain, snow, heat, freezing cold you will always be outside all day.  The supervisor will drive down to the repair track just sit in their truck and watch you work, sometimes for hours on end.  Everyone shares beat up work trucks so tools are always missing making most jobs hard to complete, the back full of old parts and scrap metal making it very hard to walk or grab anything you need. All equipment is usually in disrepair.  You will work your day shift then it’s mandatory you sign up for numerous “on call” weekend nights as well. If you don’t sign up nights are assigned for you. You will not be compensated for “on call” if you don’t get called in.  You will have federal and state inspectors showing up frequently to find anything they can write violations for witch can include personal fines.  Contract with railroad comes up for bid every 3 years, so no long term job security. Just one supervisor in the shop so no room for growth at all. Health benefits are expensive and 3 times they switched providers that worked out more expensive for employees.  Pretty much the only good thing I can say is a paycheck never bounced. Save yourself and look elsewhere

Balanced work place that stayed consistent with all regulations and valued hard work, persistence, punctuality, and the company followed all equal opportunity employment.  Management stayed thorough with all handbook regulation, being fair, and always stayed on top of work place production at all costs.  All management discouraged complacency and lethargic work mentality.  My co workers all seemed to be consistent with work mentality, attitude, and personality.  The hardest part of the job was meeting deadlines that were unable to being taken care of beforehand.  Our company coincided with many other companies that could not allow us to prepare for any curve balls we knew were going to occur.  Some programs were close to obsolete and rudimentary.  Some of the lower level trackmen were lacking in English and had trouble with penmanship.  The most enjoyable part of the job was being able to control and take charge of my objectives within my own means.  I enjoyed being responsible for all payroll and billing on a day to day basis while staying on top of all admin employee production.

There isn't enough nice things too say about Harbor Rail Services. They have been the most comfortable and understanding company I've ever had the pleasure of working for. 

A typical day at work includes data entry and auditing bills sent to us by our remote locations and overseeing new employees to make sure they are entering their work correctly. 

Management is caring and understanding, especially when it come to personal issues. They run a tight ship and know that their employees are giving it 100%. 

The workplace is extremely friendly and welcoming. Groceries are provided for all employees to enjoy and use for their lunch. 

Hardest part about the job is keeping up with the enormous workload. We do the best we can with the staff we have but sometimes the demand is just too high and we can't always keep up. We always pull it off though. 

The most enjoyable part of the job are the co-workers I have the pleasure of working with every day. Regardless of how stressful the work is, we always find a way to make the best of every day and try to have a little fun at work.

My specialty is welding and I thought this was a welding job but it really isn't although stick welding is required, even if it's pouring rain- which it often was.
  The job is a railcar repair technician which involves working outside all day: being wet, being cold, being dirty/greasy, working on gravel and once a week being on unpaid "oncall" meaning that you're required to work a few hours in the middle of the night if Tacoma Rail has a problem with a railcar block during off hours.
   While the manger was nice enough and my coworkers were friendly and the work environment was relaxed- It is a dirty and miserable job for relatively low pay compared to a Tacoma Rail switchmen or other similar companies. I wouldn't recommend it if you have other options.

The overall company sucks. It is very buddy buddy and will not jeopardize that. Many of the corporate management doesn't do the job they are supposed to and no one has a clue what the other is doing. It's a constant battle because one person wants something done one way then another person will come and get mad cause your doing it that way and change it. (You get wrote up over it 9 times out of 10) They don't follow their own rules, seen and fought a few times over employees caught doing drugs on the job but they were able to wait to take a drug screen. Also had one come in drunk after lunch and was left alone to work.The micromanaging is a joke. Until they make a huge change in the corporate management the company isn't worth the time of day. With all that said I do think that Mark the owner is a very nice man and is just blind to how his company is actually being ran

I would not recomend anyone to work for this company unless you enjoy stress and horrid management. My particular region is a joke, all 6 locations. Can not get the proper tools to complete the job! Management advises you to take particular short cuts in the job and then wonders why this horrible culture has been bred into the company. I Was promised a raise at 90 days and yearly on your annual evaluation. I Am continuously promised my raise is coming and has yet to come after years. I Have sat in on many Management zoom meetings and the higher ups in corporate have no clue whats going on. I am expected to use my personall phone for work issues with no compensation. Save your self some stress, Go flip burgers somewhere. They arent paying much more then the local Mcdonalds but expecting the world in return. 

I gave this company 3 years of my life.  Spent more time away from my family then I care to think about.  Loved the job and local management was great.  We were all like family and that's hard to find in the work place.  However just the other day corporate sent some folks in and they fired everyone from our regional down to my self and other guy for what they claim as performance issues.  Mind you I was never written up in my 3 years for any performance based issue or any issues.  Was told I had to contact the companies HR department and still have gotten no answer as to the reason for termination.  I would highly recommend looking else where for employment this is not the company anyone should work for.

Typical day at work alway coming in with a positive attitude.The company gave me the opportunity to grow and prove myself that I can take any challenges. Management is aware of issues and can give you the opportunity to hear your concerns or discrepancies your concern but it all depends on team work. The hardest part job is having team work and all being able to be an the same page. The most enjoyable part of this job is the good company benefits and company flexibility.

Do NOT work for or partner with this corrupt company. Their hiring strategy is to employ cheap labor for a "probationary period".  Meaning, for 90 days you will not be given proper pay or your benefits package. Then once they use you, they will discharge you on the 90-day mark, the VERY LAST day of your probationary period. This is because Harbor Rail Services does not want to pay 25% more for a GOOD employee to get their well-deserved benefits. After a couple of months, Harbor will repeat this dishonest cycle. When they inevitably begin to fall behind in their workload, they will look for another employee to exploit.

Your there to work & get paid for working.. simple as that.. A great place to work, great coworkers to work with, Administration is respectful, works with you & life happens, circumstances made me leave but have improved & I asked for my job back, I was obliged to reapply. My Boss & Coworkers are not just that.. they have become a family, Brothers in fact.
It will make you stronger!
Mentally & physically..
Emotionally too if you have those..

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Repair technician 58 salaries reported	$22.42 per hour
Laborer 1 salary reported	$19.50 per hour
Rail technician 6 salaries reported	$20.50 per hour
Locator 1 salary reported	$72,500 per year
Cleaner 8 salaries reported	$17.59 per hour

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