driver

truck driver

automotive technician

local driver

test operator

Kett Engineering

You work as a contractor for a large tech company. Alongside permanent employees of said tech company, who get paid more than you do, have better work perks, benefits, and are first in line for advancement. You are doing mostly the same work that they are, sometimes more so.

Expectations and responsibilities increase, while your pay remains the same year-to-year. Reviews aren't given.

The allure of graduating to the ranks of the permanent employees is ever-present, but never materializes. This didn't happen even for longer-tenured (5+ years), crucial employees. Never will either, because contractors drastically reduce costs for the tech company.

Work processes are improving, but they were awful to begin with. When I was hired, it honestly reminded me of startups scrambling to streamline.

Interview was the easiest I ever had. Not an exaggeration. However, many people are let go during the probationary period. Fairly relaxed day-to-day work atmosphere. I like most of my coworkers, but management is otherwise obstructionist.

Don't move to work here. Getting the job guarantees nothing. Also not a livable wage for this area. Work/life balance is never harsh because overtime is very rarely approved.

Loved the people that I worked with and the work we were doing, but the management was an entirely different animal that killed the culture and ultimately ruined the daily enjoyment of this job. 

Many of us who were wanting to advance in the company were routinely blocked off by management suddenly deciding that the role we interviewed/were interviewing for was suddenly unnecessary and eliminated it. 

Or another instance where other divisions were requesting for a person to be moved over to that department for advancement, suddenly “there were plans” for that person’s career path, though nothing ever materialized on that front for months before the sudden termination of the project by our client.

Not to mention that there was a whole harassment issue that made people feel unsafe that HR completely dropped that ball on until we had to complain as a group to our client’s HR and Vice President of our company to get anything done about the problem.

In summary, great work, great co-workers, and horrifically mismanaged.

This job was a fun good paying, and amazing job that turned into a nightmare scenario at the end. The unfortunate part was that it was up to the company who had the contract to keep me employed. Kett was just a middle man, but their severance and paid leave payout policies are a joke.

I lost my job due to budget cuts and after working there for 5 years, didn't even receive so much as a dollar of severance or even a mention of an offer to transfer to a job elsewhere in the country, of which there were some available at the time. It was pretty much 60 days notice (which thankfully my boss fought to get me) and don't let the door hit you on the way out. Oh yeah, they also don't pay out vacation days either. They are given, not earned benefits, so they don't have to pay you for them when you leave.

I thoroughly enjoyed the people I worked with however. They were all nice and fun folks. I have nothing bad to say about any one individual.



You are not valued at this company. They treat you like a disposable object, which is true as most work is on a project basis and once that work is completed your services are no longer needed. They pay as little as possible, good luck getting benefits or pay increase. They always claim they don't make a lot of money but all the managers are super rich with company cars and they  have the market cornered and buy out there competition by paying the workers the lowest salary. The job is stressful and repetitive, and if anything goes wrong it's always your fault. Also if you make a mistake they will get rid of you without hesitation. Most people don't want to do this work so those that get hired are usually down on their luck. But if you're retired or want a job where you not around other people or in the office then it may fit. However you are still monitored when you are working. You get contracted to work at other businesses so it's hit or miss if those other people in charge are good or not.

It’s a cool job. Nice people to work with. No one really bothers anyone. If you don’t need much compensation wise it’s worth it. Low hours 40% of the year. Always talk of advancement and high expectations of work loads that never get fulfilled. If I’m being quite honest it’s a throw away job. As much as I liked it I never felt like I was there for anything more than just to get them what they need. You’re only there for them. Once you realize that the fun is sucked out of the job. They tease you with being able to go to full time but it rarely happens no matter how much you do for the company. The third shift manager will make you want to leave the second day. Ask anybody there. Other than that. Direct management is nice but upper management doesn’t care much for lower employees unless it’ll Benefit them. It’s a fun job and you’ll learn a lot but it’s nothing more than an experience.

Fun job, driving some nice cars and testing new features. Unfotunately they go through drivers faster than VW lied about emissions reports. No benefits, no PTO. Hours fluctuate depending on if they like you and what is available. They also lay off drivers by the handful randomly and for no real reason. Hardest part of the job was finishing 400 mile drives in an 8 hour shift and you HAVE to really try to make it in time and not get any OT, they hate that. People were nice, but unless you were with a partner (which is rare) you'd only see them at the start and end of the shift. Management seemed to not really care since drivers are so easily replaced, except for the lucky few that kiss the right a**es and then form their own "boss' favorite" group that he will pull aside to talk and get the benefit of being laid off last. Fun for a while, but nothing long term because its hard to get in with the bosses and if you dont, well, count your days. 

I was looking for a job that can give me a supplemental income with my steady pension.  Kett Engineering offered that kind of job as a part time driver. The  job is on a as need basis so you're not hired as a permanent full time employee that can get health benefits. The pay is minimal and the work schedule can be sporadic.  So I don't recommend applying to this company if you are looking for a permanent full time steady work. The positions as driver is a good fit for maybe a college student or anyone who is looking to supplement their current steady income.  Kett has been very accommodating  to me in assigning  my work schedule. 
I like my co-workers that I drive with. And  I like this type of job that does not have to deal with the public on a daily basis since that is what I did at my previous job.
Keep in mind that Kett Engineering is a good company with work that can be flexible but can be on a temporary basis.

1) the pay is $9.50 an hour. Even if you've worked there for years. No raises. Bonuses are $25 for 500 hours of safe driving, then another $25 for 500, etc. However, since most of us have been sitting for nearly all summer, those checks are few and far between. There is a drawing for $50 after 45 accident free days, but this also includes the mechanics and engineers who aren't on the roads. Depending on the project, there MAY be overtime, but it's not encouraged. 
2) safety issues with the vehicles are not resolved. Kett is too worried about their bottom line and keeping the customers happy to look out for their (contractor) drivers.
3) Morale is extremely low for the above reasons. Even the actual Kett employees are burn outs (borderline reportable comments to the drivers)
4) it is not uncommon for hours to be incorrectly input for paychecks. 
5) you will be driving for 7.5 to 8 hours a day in LA traffic. If you cannot stand that, don't apply.

For 3 years work was plenty. Last year slowed for 2 weeks which doesn't sound like much but it's scary because they don't guarantee anything unless you're a supervisor and above. They keep hiring people and seniority isn't considered at all when handing out work. They are responsible for the turnover rate because if you had less people getting a decent wage people would stick around. Raises have been dangled in front of us forever. The company needs to tell the clients the truth rather than bending over backwards for them. Especially when the client is  European and they don't understand why the drivers would be disgruntled and not want to go out of their way for them. You give the minimum you get the minimum. And the regular employees of the client are aloof and don't respect the contracted drivers. Which is why I laugh about the client moving most of their operations out of state and all these jerks are looking oh so sad..

I was asked to create a new Gmail account on my phone so that I could receive messages via Slack, their preferred method of communication.  This is pretty 'Mickey Mouse'.  Next, the free version of Slack that they were using is hackable and not encrypted.  Then, they sent me for training at a special testing facility in Chelsea, MI (supposedly cost them $1,000) and then summarily fired me eight days later.  During the second day of training, we had three hours of training, then after lunch was over, we were given no further instruction, so we sat for TWO hours with no further instruction.  By the way, why was I fired? I was fired because I brought to their attention the above issues, and also most likely because one of the fellow drivers was rude to me. Since I was taught that it is better to keep quiet than say mean things, I shut my mouth during our test drive.  She probably complained that I didn't talk to her for four hours, and that also led to me being fired.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Driver 206 salaries reported	$19.79 per hour
Truck driver 41 salaries reported	$26.88 per hour
Automotive technician 9 salaries reported	$34.39 per hour
Local driver 31 salaries reported	$27.21 per hour
Test operator 26 salaries reported	$23.13 per hour

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