equipment mechanic

tradesman

superintendent

risk analyst

technician

Port Houston

A typical work day when I get called in... from ship to the next ship can sometimes take 4-6 days. That means for me 4-6 days of no pay.  When I do work it's usually from 7am to 6pm and can be all the way to 11pm.  The hrs I don't mind, more hrs. equals more money.  Any hrs worked after 6pm is OT regardless of hrs worked so far that week.  I work as a dock checker or a hatch checker, depending on who is there and what areas need to be filled. That being said, I usually dock check and write up receipts for cargo being loaded on to trucks for various companies or to be stored either on dock or in the warehouse.  As a hatch checker I verify all cargo coming out of my hatch.  I have to check what company its for, verify p.o. number, size and weight.  If I'm working with pipe coming off a ship I have to know the bundle, piece count and the weight per pipe, and determine how many bundles and or pieces can be loaded safely onto a truck.  I can have pipe, flat steel, steel coils, of various size, weight, and for different companies coming out at one time.  Once I have verified what has been pulled off the ship and know what truck its going to go on and how many pieces, I write up that information on a hatch card and give to my dock checker, who then transfers that information on to a dock receipt for the driver who gets a copy for their gate pass, the company they work for also gets a copy, and our own ship clerk gets a copy so he knows what came out of our hatch, what was received and loaded for delivery and what is still left on the ship.

Hardest part of the job is being out in the elements, and around all the heavy cargo and equipment being driven around, it can be very dangerous if your not careful... however, that's not really difficult. 

The most enjoyable part is the people I work with, they are from all different areas, different walks of life... yet I make friends with everyone I meet, and I enjoy working with them and talking with them throughout the day.... that and working all week and getting a good pay check.

It’s a great place to work if you are a mediocre employee or lazy. It takes a lot for them to fire people which affects morale. Good employees having to pick up the slack of those terrible ones. Enjoyed my earlier years there but ultimately left due to the steady culture decline. Poor leadership only focused on bottom dollar. No care for work-life balance. Spineless leaders don’t go up to bat for their employees. Those unqualified leaders Make poor hiring decisions, hiring and retaining unqualified poor performing people. Pay inequity between genders and ethnicities is the biggest problem. Leadership followed the current govt administration and did away with DEI but will tell staff that it is still very important. Leadership only promotes those who look like them, think like them and act like them. Lots of lip service and pointless “anonymous” surveys with no action. Some salaries are decent, most people are overpaid for what they actually do. The benefits are okay. If you’re new to the workforce and want to gain some experience or looking for a place to retire, this is the place for you. But if you’re someone who cares about your work and has values, you won’t last here. 

I love being part of something that is moving forward. My job task is very repetitive, yet one of the key tasks of our day-today production. I love executing in what I do, and being able to learn as much as I can. It's is very interesting to get learn how our departments connect in order to produce quality work and satisfaction to our customers. 
A typical day at work for me is assisting Drivers with their incoming/outgoing equipment to/from our terminal. I talk to them by the minute. I keep very busy and ensure that the terminal traffic is in control. Our main priority is providing customer service and producing quality production.
Management is always understandable, and wants to see us succeed. I'm very comfortable and happy with our communication.
The most challenging part of my job is practicing and maintaining patience. The day can get extremely hectic, but despite the heavy workload, our priority is to communicate efficiently with our customers.
The most enjoyable part of my job is that i'm not micro-managed. Our goals are set, and we must individually execute them.

• Performed a wide variety of executive secretarial and administrative duties as required by daily operations for the Facilities Director.
• Composed The Port of Houston Facilities Update Report for weekly publication in The Houston Chronicle.
• Reviewed and summarized miscellaneous reports and documents.
• Received and distributed incoming mail; reviewed and evaluated mail to identify those items requiring priority attention.
• Received and screened communications to the Facilities Director including telephone calls and
e-mail messages, and provide assistance using independent judgment to determine those requiring priority attention; prioritize, channel, and facilitate communication from department heads, department coordinators and throughout the office.
• Independently responded to letters and general correspondence of a routine nature;
• Made travel arrangements; maintained appointment schedule and calendar for Director; arranged meetings and conferences.

A typical work day would be signing into the computer.  Greeting my drivers and obtaining the information needed to get them processed . I learned what  a container was, weights and the shipping process.   Through the 16 years of working for the Port of Houston I worked with a great bunch of people. Always willing to help and assist and I learned how to become a team player. The hardest part of the job was learning the overall process of shipping industry. From the time the container comes in on the ship. The overall process is  very detailed . Much information is needed to get the job of processing imports and exports. The most enjoyable part of the job was  just doing the job itself. Interacting with the drivers on a daily basis. Providing good customer service.

Depending on the department you work in, this job may be okay.  The work/life balance is good because it is a regular 40 hour week.  You get to work 9-80; every other Friday off is nice.  For the most part your co-workers are nice and supportive.  However, management is completely unethical and the HR department is even worse.  Poor managers are rewarded and protected, while employees are abused, harassed, and dehumanized.  For a government agency, the turnover rate should not be so high.  In one department alone, 7 people left is less than two years, with no ramifications for the manager.  Morale is very low since upper management will not step in and resolve the issues.

When i first started the hours and checks were good. But as time went by since there wasn't a clock to punch you got accounted for by our supervisor looking out the widow to see if you were there or not. so checks stared to come up short as well as misplacement of hours.I hung in as long as i could but eventually it was too much of a hassle arguing for money that i know i worked hard for,that was the hardest part of the job. What i liked about the job is i learned how a warehousing job operates and with handling all the 110 lb bags put me in good shape. I also learned how to unhook and hook up train carts and operate different type of fork lifts.

The worst place that I have ever worked, incompetent directors who look the other way when faced with doing the right thing. The saying there is "this is the Port, everyone is crazy except me." 

One director has this quote on his door "why hire smart people if you don't listen to them" that sums up the culture at the Port of Houston Authority. 

The underlining principle there is "some people are better than others". If you are a certain ethnic group and can talk a good game you can run around doing nothing all day. Why bother to work, just delicate your task to your peers and attend the executive meetings.

Luckily I started my engineering career as a consultant and had to always account for my time and what progress was being made for my clients.  At the Port of Houston you typically spend most of your time going from meeting to meeting discussing items for many months before someone will finally make a decision.  The thought process going into making that decision finally was no more than that of flipping a coin.  Very little thought went into making rather expensive decisions.  No accountability whatsoever, just cover up and move on!

Very productive and growing field. The Port Of Houston Authority is going through tremendous change and growth at this time.  The management team is very professional as were all the co workers that I had contact with.  A typical day at work was basic daily procedures, with special projects accordingly.  It was a very fast paced environment that I enjoyed very much.  I learned a lot about the types of cranes that are needed and used to unload cargo, and used daily on the wharf.  The hardest part of the job was leaving, I enjoyed the fast pace and challenges of the job.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Equipment mechanic 2 salaries reported	$39.44 per hour
Tradesman 1 salary reported	$43.74 per hour
Superintendent 6 salaries reported	$75,600 per year
Risk analyst 2 salaries reported	$68,825 per year
Technician 5 salaries reported	$38.67 per hour

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