electrician

maintenance mechanic

truck driver

laborer

laboratory technician

Lhoist North America

This company fleet has a reputation as the place where drivers want to retire. Company drivers used to be prioritized but today the management has chosen to use outside carriers for 50% or more of the loads on a daily basis. This is not information they share when a driver is being hired. They will sell you on an attractive income potential that is only limited by your work ethic and a "Fair Dispatch," but when you finish your training and are dispatched solo the reality does not live up to the hype. 
If you try to address this issue with dispatchers or management the response is always the same, "We have always used outside carriers at this level" or "This is the manager's policy." When that doesn't work, don't bother going to the HR department because they will just string you along and then refer you to the management that is misleading potential new hires and dispatching company drivers behind outside carriers. Dead end.
The upside to this company is that they have great benefits and the fleets equipment is second to none. The hours can be crazy but the work itself  is enjoyable.
I caution anyone considering becoming a driver for Lhoist in the Clifton, TX fleet, you and your family better be able to get by on the minimum pay they offer because that's about all your going to get.

Typically you work 12 hour shifts on the shipping side. Training is severely lacking as it all depends on if your team wants to train you or not. Hardest part of the job is breathing in limestone all day. Most of the co-workers are good to work with except management and guys who have been there for more than 5 years. Management seems to run on the philosiphy of it's my way or the highway. Supposidly its a small company with small company vales but I strongly disagree. They are know to terminate employees before their 90 day probation is over giving the terminated employee a excuse of we heard you say, from other employees, you wouldnt do this or that with no actual proof when asked to give exact details. Benefits are severely lacking as they use an in house insurance company that cuts benefits every year basically because they can. The materials handler position is 12 hour rotating shift work and when called for overtime you are expected to show up even if its your day off. They work the dupot schedule which basically you only work 14 days out of a 28 day work month. Lunch is never at a set time and most days you dont even get one. Basically unless you know someone high on the food chain, and they offer you employment, dont expect to stay there longer than 90 days.

Typical day was 12 hours and you were given the tools to make sure it was 12 hours.  A lot of high school cliquishness. Snitty secretaries and unreasonable expectations on learning curves.  They tend to compare your performance at a couple months to someone doing the job 10 years.  Upper management has little consideration for your off time and would commonly expect you to spend your time doing things for work.  Very little protection from your own supervisors and a lack of a professional environment.  Training lacked in the sense they would have you doing things that were advanced and expect you to immediately grasp the entire concept.  The people including management themselves are good hard working people as individuals.  The hourly employees were hard working and very diligent. If you don't have experience in "outdated" versions of SAP I would suggest you avoid the place.  As for the people most of them are very helpful but the company's lack of ability to train in any chronological manner is a very big hindrance to being productive.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Supplied uniforms . Lime is very hard on clothes and skin and everything. So having clothes supplied is nice. 


What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Very long hours usually 16 hrs .
Plus during busy times its a Very fast paced and crucial job . Making proper mixes and getting it ready to be loaded in trucks for delivery. 
Management that tries to disprove legitimate injuries. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The employees are generally pretty good to work with. But its harsh 8n the winter in alime coated work area EVERYTHING IS WHITE .  That makes depth perception kinda strange.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Early morning to late in the evening sometimes night . averaging 16hrs a day . Mixing lime slurry to meet the demands of the construction companies and take and login samples of each batch. Then load the trcks and send it on its way.

This plant is a diamond in the rough ,there was  a lot of he said she said going on , I see stuff turning around if a few people are coached or let go , one of the big issues is there isn’t a lot of advancement in this plant  once you become an operator you could possibly be stuck there for a while , i did notice that the operators have a lot of responsibilities, they are in charge of running all the plant and running crews , the assistant positions can be rough if you don’t wanna work , you will have to stack pallets and clean and load trucks so you are pulled many of different ways , if management and the guys in the plant could get on ball with each other this place would become a great work atmosphere , a majority of the guys there are like brothers , all and all I enjoyed my time there because of the guys I worked along side of. 

Lhoist is a limestone mining company with a great pedigree for its core business practice. Supporting functions and departments do not share this pedigree. Many business processes ought to be improved and aren't for one reason or another. Soft skills, while important, are over-emphasized in lieu of developing the hard skills of individuals. The benefits are good. Work can be left at work. And there's sometimes free lunches. Management is slow to react to change (there are benefits and consequences to this). If you're new to the company and have the experience to back up what you're doing, you'll have no problem. If you're just out of school or switching careers and starting at an entry-level position, then you're in for an uphill battle effecting change.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Plenty of Overtime.  50-65hrs/week.  

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Policies change on the fly.  You have a fleet director that likes to bring the hammer down and not only threaten but enforce days of suspensions without pay for minor things.  

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work is good as long as you are doing what is asked.  You are going balls to the wall almost every day of the year. They ask you to volunteer on your day off and if you don’t then they punish all of you.  Managment has stated that “it’s your job before mine.”  They are correct about that.  HR supports Management and not employees. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Up at 4:30am, pre trip between 5-6am, then you continue driving/delivering until the last load is delivered.

enjoyed the prompt and consistent equipment safety checks prior to officially operating various quarry mobile machinery. Also enjoyed learning new tricks (maneuvers) in regards to operating various quarry equipment.I rarely had to deal with immature (moody) co-workers which in turn made teamwork a synch.I did not care too much being pulled off various quarry equipment during the middle of my shift, to operate some other piece of equipment,although my official job title (utility) often required it to complete the mission for the day. My best part of the day of course was quitting time, not only to go home, relax and be with my family, but, it allowed my co-workers and I a short bit of time to  stand alongside each other to make jokes and laugh unconditionally.

Here's the synopsis, as a professional, you'll receive little training applicable to your role.  They'll gladly give you "Lime 101" which won't help you when SAP is set up incorrectly or you are asked to look the other way as they violate labor law.  A typical workday wasn't the same for everyone, but it wasn't abnormal to see people at work beyond 15 hours at a stretch.  Certain plant managers are on a rotating schedule.... if you don't like your current one, wait a couple of years, he's likely moving somewhere else.  Company is misguided (read:  greedy) and it gets them into trouble with the workforce and the market.

Working at Lhoist North America is a great expierience. It pays good out there, and the bosses are good to work with. I Learned the SAP computer system while i was the shipping coordinator. I get along with most everyone that I work with, i am very likable. The hardest part of the job is the drive out to work, that's why i want to relocate, the location is the worst part. It's a 60 mile drive to and from work, which wears a lot on vehicles and driving time. The most enjoyable part of the job is the work, currently i'm a truck loader and i absolutely love that job. I get along well with the truck drivers and they like me because i work hard to get the trucks loaded and on thier way to the customers.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Electrician 4 salaries reported	$42.26 per hour
Maintenance mechanic 1 salary reported	$29.50 per hour
Truck driver 1 salary reported	$70,000 per year
Laborer 5 salaries reported	$24.00 per hour
Laboratory technician 2 salaries reported	$50,000 per year

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