diesel mechanic

cashier

shop manager

assistant restaurant general manager

assistant general manager

TravelCenters of America

This site 362 sits on 40 acres and is pretty large, has 4 profit centers and a lot going on always. The lot houses 150 trucks, travel store has 14 dispensers, 16 showers, movie room restaurant and public bathrooms. Fuel island has 10 dispensers for trucks for a total of 20 dispensers. The lube bay has 5 docks where trucks can go get worked on. This is a large site. My name was put in for a need of a maintenance tech because the former was leaving. I was a journeyman iron worker and didn't have any work, so I took the job not knowing how overwhelming and stressful it would be but I agreed to full time for less than what I thought was adequate for the the work involved. And since I had no experience with underground storage tanks and gas pumps, I was pretty much thrown to the wolves and told to watch some videos and get certified.
     After a couple of months of figuring things out I got a system down but nevertheless A SITE THIS BIG REQUIRES 2 MAINTENANCE TECHS MINIMUM if not a team of techs to be communicating with each other about happenings, speaking of which they did hire another maintenance tech during my full time term there, he was a kid that didn't own a single tool and had no experience but they paid him more than me and gave him a senior title over me. That was the work of the regional director that comes through every other week. I was done dirty but continued to play team because I did my job well, I took care of the pumps,showers, and bathrooms before moving on to other projects needing attention.
     A typical day consisted of checking underground storage tank levels, inspecting pumps, checking showers, bathrooms and movie room for any repairs needed, as well as game room, and laundry facilities. Then move to the restaurant area to check on all of their repairs or work requests and stop in the boiler room to make sure all is operational and we have plenty of hot water for the customers. then would move onto going over to the fuel island but before even getting to the lot vehicle, not only is there a list of things that need to be prioritized and addressed but a call on the radio for assistance on a pump or something, never fails. Anyhow, by the time id leave that area to go look at the fuel island, I can see that there are pumps blocked off and I have to go find out why, as I do all my other inspections of pumps and bathrooms I'm told about other repairs needed etc. so Id write them down and move onto the next profit center, the Lube bay which for the most part hardly ever needed repairs because they house mechanics, not much they cant fix.
    By the time I'd get done with inspections and looking at repairs to prioritize id be overwhelmed and stressed out. This is too much work for one man to do and so I did as much as I could in a days time and leave the rest for the next day where the cycle would start over again
    What I learned is that I have the ability to multitask and keep a calm demeanor even when I'm expected to be at 4 places at once.
   The benefits here for a maintenance tech suck. Seems like the only ones who are taken care of are upper management and the rest of us are bare minimum. I went in for a Dr visit to get tested for cancer and insurance wouldn't cover it after policy said it would and since it was scheduled on a weekend not covered under regular Dr visit. So they sent it collections and hit my credit etc.
     So after all of that and working 40-50 hrs a week raising a daughter by myself I end up with $100 to spare after rent and expenses. I don't know about you but nowadays one cant make a living on less than 2 grand a month, and that's where I ended up so I went part time in order to do side jobs and get the money I need elsewhere. I guess I got the experience in underground storage tanks and stuff but I would not do this again for less than 50k per year.
    If you made it this far and If I had to do it all over again, Id make sure my expenses and health were taken care first before I signed on with these guys.

An ok company to work for excluding lack of compensation for extra job requirements, and cost of health benefits. Local management excellent, but higher level management lacks concern for lower ranked employees. Higher level management makes decisions that have a very negative effect on customer wait times, job performance, and overall customer satisfaction. Improperly trained attendants such as TSA Truck Service Advisors, and new assistant managers fail on customer service and as a result customers leave because of bad first experience or unnecessary wait times. In turn technicians loose work. Inexperienced technicians with repeat problems that are not willing to learn slow experienced and well seasoned technicians down. This has a negative effect on flat rate work. Example: Technician A performing a trailer D.O.T. inspection approx. 25 min. job. Technician B with little electrical experience asks technician A for help with a trailer light electrical problem. Technician A spent 15 minutes instructing technician B the electrical troubleshooting schematic for the complaint and technician B still fails to fix the problem. Technician A proceeds with a 25 min. job that just became a 40 min. job. = Tech A could not give adequate attention to his customer. Customer waited extra 15 minutes. The next waiting customer is mad because we are now 15 minutes late on a promise. Technician A is loosing money trying to help technician B. Technician A will loose other money making opportunities throughout the remainder of the day because of that 15 minute loss. I don't feel like the corporation as a whole values my time. I clean and maintain company facilities and equipment regularly, but am not properly compensated for the work I do. My general Mgr. compensates me for maintenance and repairs to our road service trucks. But under company policy it's expected that even if we don't work on a truck or trailer all day long in 8 hours, that we still push a broom and perform shop maintenance without compensation. I value my time more than this. I value my family more than this.

While I can't speak for every TA, the one that I worked in was horrible. The employees had their ups and downs and they were especially rude to the night shift crew. Management wouldn't enforce chain of command. Products were always going empty which resulted in very angry customers. The daily job tasks were unorganized and some are very time consuming. (A much more efficient way could have been used when counting DVDs, Cigarettes, and CDs.) 

There should have been a manager for the night crew to handle customer affairs and disputes that required manager attention and there was not. 

We essentially worked for free a lot of the times because TA doesn't believe in overtime- thus resulting in you having to punch out and then finish what was left. Some of these things were unavoidable due to another shift getting up to relieve the other shift in time or a lot of customers. 

The only thing I really enjoyed about this job was stocking and front and facing. Those were very nice parts of the job. 

The hardest part was dealing with angry customers and the constant harassment from the employees telling you what you didnt do- the management should have been in control of that.

A typical day at work is that youre the jack of all trades. One minute youre a fuel clerk, the other you're a customer service rep. The next you're accounting and another youre a barista. 

It's harder than heck to get full time. I was promised full time and was never given full time status. Instead i was given 40 hours under part time title and wasnt able to collect benefits. Then my hours were severely cut. Days you worked were horribly planned having nonconsecutive days off. Scheduling was a joke- at the end of one weeks posted schedule the new one wouldnt be posted until the day of or the day after the last day marked which allowed zero room for planning anything for the following week outside work such as doctor appointments, medical things, family things etcetc.

. As a truck service advisor I have faced my fair share of challenges. I first started out in the Denton store, but I transferred about 5 months later to the store in Weatherford. 

A typical day at the job involves doing routine chores like taking trash, cleaning toilets, doing cashier duty, making sure the shelves are stocked, pulling parts from the back parts room, keeping technicians on task, and making sure that I am very accurate when I'm writing up a work order. The management has been excellent. But the hardest part of the job is dealing with the low pay. 

It is competitive, but you still might run into situations where you might have difficulty paying for your own survival, especially with minimal discounts on food, and no discounts on gas. 

It is great for someone who is trying to get their foot in the door into the automotive service industry. I have learned quite a bit since I started this job, including how DOT inspections are performed, how to deal with customer objections, how to safely dispatch technicians to a road call, and, how to deal with an old building that has lots of issues. 

The most enjoyable part of the job is the people I work with. They're often facing the same challenges, but they do their best to ensure we get paid and everything works out. 

The best part about this job is that it is a predictable work week. There are lots of common issues that trucks encounter, and, in many cases, most of the drivers that come to us already have an idea on what is going on with their vehicle. 

The service advisor role at TA truck service has been a great stepping stone to a better career. There are some things that TA, and their parent company BP, can improve when it comes to pay, technology, and training. But overall it is a decent place to start out, and I still highly recommend that someone considers them as an alternative to a dealer, or to an independent mechanic, if they are going into a service advisor role. 

ROAD SQUAD AGENT: this job is fast paced, you will be paid decent. All shift management is TERRIBLE & if a promise has been made for the awful shift availability to be temporary...I doubt you will actually get it, people have waited years and still no schedule change. This is because they hire new classes monthly and give them better shifts than those who work there. If you’re not liked on the shift by management They will start vigilantly looking for errors or mistakes in your performance or character in order to start a paper trail to get you fired... that’s if you don’t decide to leave on your own (hence the high turnover rate). The environment is very high school, people gossip & start drama ALL DAY. They set expectations so high and expect so much of their agents but there is little to no support from the poor choices of management they have. You’ll hear only from management when it’s time to get written up or warned about something you’ve done, they’re adding more work to the work you already do or if they’re having free food... LITERALLY!!! Attendance is the quickest way to get fired, if you don’t like to work...don’t bother applying. I do not recommend 2nd or 3rd shift, really none of the shifts to be honest but those are the worst in terms of drama and poor management. 1st shift is super uptight and you will be monitored aggressively by your team leads. If you need to make some cash, take the job for a year or less and leave ..They are working from home Temporarily  so that’s a plus. But This is not a career environment and you will have to work a few holidays or more due to the 24/7 operations. Please, review your options before committing or if there are openings you may qualify for in corporate APPLY THERE FIRST. I was literally wrongfully discharged from my job and constantly harrassed by shift leads and management until they found a way to fire me. I do not reccomend this job and I’m not just saying it to write a bad review.. this honestly is a terrible place. 

Salary employees are only as good as their last P&L statement. They preach advancement & career paths & internal promotion, however to move up from with in you are expected to stand out & this means take on extra tasks & responsibilities for an undetermined amount of time with no additional compensation & hope that you get noticed for it. Then upon being noticed you have to interview for an MIT position & if offered the position you must then take on even more work & responsibilities still with out additional compensation. As the MIT program is an opportunity not a promotion yet they don’t disclose this until the MIT interview. There is limited training & no one except for the staff at your home location if in a good location ever views you as anything more than your 9 digit employee ID number. I spent 12 years with this company & in that time I have only known 2 people to retire with them one field team member & one HQ. Otherwise it seems that as soon as you work yourself up to making a decent wage with them they start looking to get rid of you & it takes some time to work up to that decent wage. Since raises are only given out once a year. During your performance appraisal not performance review it’s a performance  appraisal as if their assessing property & not an individual. Then even if you score perfectly the max increase allowed is a 3% increase of  current wage which usually amounts to pennys for most hourly staff & just a few dollars for salary. Lastly work life balance is non existent & job security for any position outside of hourly is practically non existent as well. Benifits go up every year & the 401k matching is down to 0.5% when I started they matched at 5%. It apears to only be getting worse over time & My  biggest regret was not leaving sooner than I did. 

As the FMT (Facilities Maintenance Technician). I had extensive responsibilities ! Which varied daily along with regular scheduled routine , I Was required to obtain a UST (underground Storage tank) Operators License. as well as complete Many online tests for Electrical Knowledge, Carpentry Knowledge, Plumbing Knowledge, HVAC, Knowledge Roofing Knowledge, as well as complete daily weekly monthly and semi annual as well as Annual checklists. Also responsibilities included documenting any fuel spills caused by drivers which were very frequent and sometimes very time consuming as well as documentation for the DEP. Main responsibility was to make sure Diesel Pumps remained  operational and efficient on a regular basis and they were constantly breaking down. Facility was constantly having building issues as well as the Showers for the Drivers and Bathrooms always needing maintenance Mechanically. I was also told I was responsible for the Janitors which were staffed to Clean all the Showers and other common areas of the facility. Many of these responsibilities were not explained at the time of the hiring process. And hence the starting wages I Iater found  were about 20% below industry standards. THe facility operates 24/7/365  and the staff gets very poor benefit package.. This position was considered to be the highest hourly paid position in the facility for non salaried or Diesel Truck Mechanic. Many of the part time staff were poorly treated and often looked down on by management as disposable part time employees. None of Part time workers were paid much over minimum wage.

Ive worked at three other major truckstops and this is by far the worst one.  Its really sad and discouraging tbh. They could be so much better and make way more profit and better revenue if they had higher ups that actually cared about any of it.  There is no structure for training, no concern for providing even good customer service.  Three way they do things and even the system is all so out dated that it just waists time and money and makes things more difficult. District manager treats evryone like they are below him,  its very rude.  No sort of support or feeling as if we are all on the same team.  The store could easily be way more successful and keep employees if they got new mangager to run it. She is constantly rude to employees,  micro manages, yells at you for trying to be team player and help different area but will turn around and make you do the same exact thing when it benefits her.  She is sole reason ppl keep quitting but upper management don't care enough to figure that out or do something about it. The easist changes would make the biggest improvements if they just cared a little bit.  Im grateful for the job experience its given me and would love to stay, if manager was replaced which is everyone else's view.   They are an embarrassment to truckstop industry. They don't care about truckers,  just making money which they are even losing out on at this rate.  Absolutely no conern for health standards and procedures. Not allowed to help other positions unless manager isn't there. No way to excel or advance. No pay increase for being cross trained. Raises are rare and a few cents.    No shift leaders . No real training or support for new hires or any employee.  Its pathetic. 

I very much enjoy working with the public until I got this job, which in all fairness might just be location based. My coworkers were not friendly with each other nor customers. Some would get livid over the smallest things and cuss at customers. I had a coworker threaten me and when I told management, they said “they’d talk to them and I wouldn’t be on shift with them again.” Shockingly enough, I was working with said coworker all the time after that. Coworkers would always call in, rarely was there a day someone didn’t call in, and I don’t blame them. Management sucked. I was constantly called in to cover shifts, even when I’d tell them I was busy I’d get guilted into taking the shift. I was working so much that I was going into overtime, so management without informing me sent someone in to cover my regular schedule shifts and told me to leave, because they wouldn’t pay me for my overtime. Truckers had no problem telling they also didn’t like the way things were being handled around there, also saying management sucks. The job overall is not a hard one, it’s easy to learn. The amount of disrespect and disregard for your personal life was shocking. I’m being very serious when I say some man told me he’d wait in the parking lot for me to get off work and when I told management and asked to be walked out to my car, they refused. The turn over rate here is astounding, I’m not surprised it’s like that considering everything. Toward the end of my employment, I was tasked with training 3 different people. One didn’t make it through training and another didn’t even bother to show up after hearing about some of the people already employed. 

Pizza Hut Express is a part of the food service industry, so the tasks at work are oriented with customers and food prep. That involves food prep and cooking, taking orders, handling money and register, busing tables and cleaning, and so forth. The management aspect of the job involves interviewing, hiring, and orientating new employees; inventory tracking every week; ordering trucks twice per week; paying bills; making up schedules every week; communicating with other managers; and delegating tasks to employees, along with a few other small things. Low-volume store, but we do have buses a few times a month, so be prepared! Staffing is very small; at any point in time there are between four and six - seven at the very most - employees, including the shift lead and assistant manager. An easy job, especially when there are good and reliable employees working there.

As my first job so far, and being there for almost four years, I have learned many things about work ethic, management, communication, and plenty of other aspects involved. I hone the skills I have now to take to my next line of work and down my career path.

Overall, a good place to work with its pros and cons like any other typical business.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Diesel mechanic 845 salaries reported	$20.63 per hour
Cashier 623 salaries reported	$15.12 per hour
Shop manager 266 salaries reported	$66,174 per year
Assistant restaurant general manager 69 salaries reported	$52,338 per year
Assistant general manager 46 salaries reported	$51,328 per year

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