materials technician

explorer

geotechnical engineer

engineering technician

test engineer entry level

Terracon Consultants Inc

This review is of the Lufkin, TX operation:
     The structure, from the top to the bottom, is filled with unreliable, irresponsible, and uninformed "managers" that could not care less about their subordinates -- only that the bare minimum or status quo be fulfilled while the underlings are at their appropriate sites AND that the insufferable receptionist is kept "not unhappy."  The office is horribly maintained and the equipment is not well-kept nor cared for..even though the company requires documentation on calibrations and equipment statuses.  The custodial crew hardly ever shows up, because they are never held to account by a lazy, indifferent management, so the carpets are moldy, the air vents are filled with dust, the bathrooms are never cared for, the trash is rarely removed, and the kitchen sink is full of used silverware and plates and coffee mugs next to the dirty coffee machines.  Office repairs are done by personnel with a total disregard to municipal and safety standards.  The office personnel are more interested in daily rumors than the inhumane standards the field workers endure.  The receptionist is ornery and ill-tempered, but as she has been with the company the longest she is not held to standards of professional courtesy or even basic human greetings.  Workers' employment are held at gunpoint by the emotional disposition that she should suffer from that day.  Whereas most companies that guarantee certifications and worker training, these office managers prefer not to employ those who are able to obtain the proper certificates, due to the fact that once certifications are obtained then said employee is obligated to obtain higher pay...and apparently that is a horrible thing to the managers.  The managers company spending habits are not reviewed properly so they spend the excess funds on their personal wants and needs, instead of focusing on base company standards.  For the blood, sweat, and tears that the field technicians give to this company, they are rewarded with the grand option of attending a Christmas party at a manager-chosen restaurant with a limited menu and restricted drink count.

This is the review of Terracon Consultants -- Corporate office:
    The corporate office is different, however.  They do abide by company standards and try to see them implemented throughout their offices, but the amount of so many offices is hard to maintain efficiently.  They have some very caring personnel that are extremely knowledgeable and ultimately helpful.  They keep their satellite offices well-informed of company activity and new regulations.  They are always able to be contacted, during office hours, and will return calls if they are unable to talk to you immediately.

A typical day consists of multiple site visits, usually within the metro area. Some days are long, and some are hard, but if you get a good training regimine going and put out effort you will find your work gets easier, and the pay increases.
I have learned many things through Terracon and other training. They want you to learn and grow, but they don't usually "hold your hand" so to speak. You must show initiative. Which I personally am fine with.
Management is usually just great, and only not when you deserve it. We are all human and mess up, but our position is very important to the safety of many people down the road so it is important to do your job correctly. The people who go a little above and beyond have it better off than those who show up and kind of do the job. The ones who don't do it right do not stay around long. That's not to say you do not get chances to learn and better, but you have to use those opportunities.
The hardest part of the job for me is the fluctuating hours, but again, if you do your job well and train in different segments of the job you will have far better opportunities to receive chances at "better" hours/job sites.
For the most part, the people at the Omaha office are great, caring, and knowledgeable. Most are willing to drop what they have going to help you out with questions etc. And even better for a person like me, I don't have to be "one of the boys" to be treated with respect.
Overall, I really think this job (materials) is better suited for younger people. As you progress, in life and work, opportunities will become available to better suit your life etc.

I truly loved the work I did at Terracon. A typical day involved fieldwork—collecting and testing materials like soil and concrete, driving to various job sites, and ensuring compliance with engineering standards. I gained valuable hands-on experience and learned a lot about construction processes and documentation. The work itself was rewarding, and I took pride in being part of building real-world projects.

Unfortunately, while I was passionate about the job, the office culture eventually drove me out. As a female and a single mother, I faced a lack of support and flexibility. The accommodations that were promised to me when I was hired were not upheld. It’s important to note that my departure had nothing to do with my performance—I was reliable, hardworking, and committed. The problem was systemic: a lack of understanding and willingness to adapt to the needs of working mothers.

The hardest part wasn’t the physical labor or long hours—it was the feeling of not being valued or supported. The most enjoyable part was being in the field, seeing the impact of my work firsthand, and knowing I was contributing to something that would last.


What is the best part of working at the company?
Safety is priority. Some coworkers are fun to work with. They pretend to care about your job growth. They will give you the ability to work higher than your current position, however they resist to increase your pay when you are proficient in that new higher position.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
They pretend to care about you as an individual. The better you are at your job, the harder they stretch you. They will lead you with a carrot, the stick is the inability to get a pay raise to match the value you bring to the company. The wokeness in this company is those people get a pass on accountability and are given more opportunities then the hardest workers.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Lots of corporate speak where higher ups are constantly padded themselves on their backs for how good of a job they are doing.  This is because nothing is ever their fault. Everyone in management position is never at fault when things go wrong, its always someone else's fault and often is the lower workers who are blamed. Causing the lower workers to be under more stress to try and prove themselves.  However no matter how hard you try they always keep the goal just out of reach.  The worst part is the chargeability demands.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Spend too much time questioning my life choices while forcing myself to get to work. Battling the voices in my mind to stay focused on the task at hand. Once my coworkers start showing up I finally get into a groove. Finish out my eight hours, update my supervisor, and head home.

I’ve found the management to be very phony and act like they care about the wellness and advancement of their employees but actions prove otherwise. You can be one of their best employees, but the moment something goes wrong you are looked at as the worst employee. Managers never review your work by having meetings at intervals to tell you how far you have progressed or things to work on. They take on more than they can chew and expect their minimal employees to cover for their greed. Other companies pay more for the tasks and amount of work you have to do. Due to their poor planning and short staff, they expect you to work 60 hrs/week for months on end while also earning certifications for the job on your own time so work life balance is non existent. They expect the client to pay for everything and do not believe in investing into their employees. Their training is pathetic and they expect more seasoned employees to take on tasks for other employees that they fail to train properly. The only way to get a raise is to get certifications that you have little to no time to actually study for due to your work schedule. Then they have the audacity to ask what you’re doing in your spare time as if you’re supposed to take what little time you do have and also dedicate that to your job for free. Sometimes things are planned poorly and they blame you, the technician for their poor communication and unorganized planning skills. Management will lie to cover themselves so clearly it’s all about keeping their job not about actually being great at it. 

To work for Terracon at the Las Vegas office was an eye opener. Management could care less about you and the work that you do. Scheduling is a nightmare and the one running it couldn’t pass his P. E. exam if given all the answers. The Materials Manager appears to upset most contractors because he lacks the general understanding of engineering principles. The office manager is a stress case! He has experience, but lacks the knowledge of how to run an office and/or manage people. Most of the time he has no idea what others are doing, because he is often out of the office. Laboratory personnel are stressed because of the large influx of materials brought in each day. About half the work this office completes each day is from other offices around the country. The Laboratory Manager will tell you it’s because she is greater than sliced bread, but she lacks experience and doesn’t know how to delegate or schedule priorities. She has a chemistry degree, but very little knowledge of soils engineering. With all being said, Terracon, Las Vegas is Not a great place to work. In Vegas the county has to approve everything and Technicians have to pass a board with them to even do work in Clark County. And they wonder why they can’t find Technician to work in Vegas. The board disapproves almost all that attend as they think every Technician should be an engineer. This can be verified by the large wage offering from $20-$70 and hour. Most employees in the office are snobs and look down on those without a degree. 

If you’re considering working for Terracon in Las Vegas, look elsewhere. 

I will begin with the positives. They pay quite well, even at an entry-level. If you are salaried, they have a lot of options when it comes to benefits packages and even several services that are provided for free. They take their safety culture very seriously. If you are coming from a less safety-conscious position it will take some getting used  to.  My managers were easy to work with when it came to using earned PTO. They were cognizant of how our work schedule effected us. 
As the title of my review states, you may have many different experiences with this company. All of the branch offices have a different character to them. The teams at other offices for the same service line were also very different. The work I was doing required a large amount of travel; often to fairly distant locations. This made scheduling in-person appointments difficult. That is simply the nature of the work. What made it a problem was the management often kept a lot of the scheduling to themselves, sometimes giving us only a week or so of warning before we would be gone for extended stays out of state. This attitude also applies to your employment. If there is an issue with your work or conduct you will have a coaching or meeting with your supervisor so you can have a chance to improve. The tone of our discussion gave me the impression that I could have remained employed if certain conditions were met, but I wasn't given any feedback in the period following the meeting as to whether I had met them or informed that I would be terminated after a certain amount of time. It seemed that meeting was simply a formality before I was let go. 

I did not know much about Terracon or the position I was interviewing for (Assistant Geologist). After almost a year of working for the company and in this particular position, let me shed some light for anyone who might be interested in applying to this company.

It is a dumpster fire. I have never before worked at a place with so much disfunction. I am not angry, nor do I hold animosity for this company or its management, I am just simply dumfounded at how this company is still in business. Here's why:

Constant schedule changes, lack of work vehicles (be prepared to drive your own), lack of equipment, last minute additions to work while in the field, managers not responding to emails (unless you put the read-receipt on), being underutilized, being overutilized, pay that does not match the market wage, managers scheduling over appointments, being gone for long periods of times (sometimes multiple weeks), constant emergencies (not your own, of course), and breaking work protocol/rules (not by you, of course).

I would stay that this is the perfect job for someone fresh out of college with no spouse, children, or pets. If you choose to work at Terracon, it will give you exposure in the field of geotechnology however, you will essentially be married to the job. 

I would highly recommend working at Terracon to anyone. Depending on what you are doing, it can either be fairly physical or very intellectual depending on what things interest you and what they can teach you to specialize in. I worked with concrete almost every day and it's easier than being the guys putting the concrete in the hole, but you're stil moving around and lifting things constantly. There is plenty of room for advancement here and they will pay for and send you to get more training in the downtime that you have over the winter. Management can vary somewhat but is great for the most part. There's plenty of opportunity to voice your opinions to managers and have them address them. This is a very safety concious company so if you have an issue with getting things done by the book then maybe choose a different field. You will regularly work long hours and the most hours I ever put in for one week was 70. Depending on how quickly you learn things will decide how quickly you get out of doing the hardest work to be honest. I learned how to perform inspections on fire protection substances and this allowed me to be more flexible on the job site and allowed me to do easier work every now and then.

Leadership does not allow the time for proper training before throwing you to the wolves, so be a fast learner.

 Management always say what you are doing wrong but never how to fix it.  Don't expect your voice to be heard. 

Office personnel will speak of "how they have so much upcoming work" but yet everyone struggles to even get hours most weeks.

They will not pay a living wage. The competitors are paying 5-10$ more an hour for the same position which is why I left. Expect to get paid between 18-20$ an hour and laughed at if you ask for more. While salary and engineers are getting paid close to if not more than 100$ a hour and you may see one come to the jobsite a year for half a hour.
 You'll be breaking your back and waking up at odd hours so they can sleep on their pillows filled with security and money. They would rather replace you, than pay you a living wage.

I'm not saying the grass is always greener on the other side, but this office could be very profitable and a good place to work... 

If they cared about their employees, the companies they work for here locally, and had a change in the management team that have been there a long time. They do not care about their employees and how they treat them. 

Lastly there is absolutely no room for growth. When I worked there, new hires, would last about 2-4 weeks before quitting due to how they were treated.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Materials technician 127 salaries reported	$24.14 per hour
Explorer 1 salary reported	$26.00 per hour
Geotechnical engineer 1 salary reported	$74,500 per year
Engineering technician 4 salaries reported	$20.63 per hour
Test engineer entry level 2 salaries reported	$23.25 per hour

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