senior technician

heavy equipment mechanic

electronics technician

material specialist

data collector

Trax-International

TRAX for me was a great job to get into for some great reasons. Although writing sucks, and sometimes gives you hand cramps because you’re writing so much at once and keeping track of so much, sometimes you’d end up taking on a lot and it feels overwhelming. If you learn time and stress management though, this is more than a breeze for most people. 

Workplace and its people where I was however, was welcoming and kind. Customers(the people you mainly collect data for), Test Officers (the people you also collect data for), as well as lower management and other data collectors and Quality Assurance Techs were overall pretty kind with maybe an occasional stinker on a bad day. 10-12 hour days can be grueling if you’re not taking care of yourself though so be careful! Customers as well were generally kind as we all worked together for a project we were proud to be a part of. 

I personally learned a lot about these government systems and how government works on the testing side a lot. Learning what people mean in big government documents, test plans, and even Technical Manuals learning what these systems can do. 

Lower management and your coworkers are wonderful. Section Leads, and Section Supervisors have been rather kind and supportive people that I miss working with all the time. 

My problem lies in 3 things:

Upper Management: I’ve heard and even seen cases where people will want you gone because they don’t like you, or don’t like things you do, as well as cases of incompetence in these levels. They have done things like put telemetry in used vehicles of the section due to Commander requests without the consent of personnel or notice and waited til after they had the mechanic’s shop or telemetry shop(I’m not sure who does this) installed it. This made a lot of people within my home shop feel very uncomfortable with doing the job, as at the same time, they complained we both had to use the vehicles or else they get taken away, and that we used the general fund for when nothing was going on. 

Policy:  At this time, policies are changing and my shop is slowly improving even further than it was before. I’m happy for this. However at the time of now(1015 MST), policies involving car accidents were even then too harsh. Even if you’re completely honest and do everything by the book, if it costed the company over I want to say 10-20,000$, you’ll be put in a spot where even if you do it one more time and even if it’s before times up on your probation: you’ll be terminated immediately. Times for these probations were anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. Before me even,  the max was 3 years. This is unforgiving and is TRAX wanting to show the US Army that the company is willing to follow anything the Army demands, even if it is the most cutthroat anyone has ever seen. 
While most other policies I could understand, I couldn’t wrap my head as to why a company would put anyone under that much pressure. And the kicker is, even if you do everything right: they could still say,”Nope, you’re fired.” 

Communication between sections and personnel about praises and problems with employees, A.K.A The Politics Game: As you work with a lot of other team members, you’re bound to run into problems with leads and supervisors as well as other employees. It’s inevitable. However, Leads and employees are all constantly playing a game of politics. This alone can get absolutely tiring and frustrating. Even when things get boring or busy, this problem is still present. I could hear problems everywhere about,”this employee is really loud and annoying and gets in the way of doing the job”, or,”this employee is cool, if only they weren’t this or that way”. I was lucky I had so many people wanting to back me as after, I heard how many fought for me, and if you’re one of those people reading this review: thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea how much that means to me.  But this was everywhere. Other sections, customers, even actual government personnel say things like this that are strictly unacceptable. This here of all the things I listed was the one thing I had the most issue with. If this is one thing I can say needs to be improved: stop the politics, and be honest. So many people, myself included would respect you that much more if you did.  Until this alone is fixed, that will forever remain a blemish on your review from me.


I'm writing this to review as someone who isn’t from Yuma and worked very hard to reach my position in this trade. 

YPG is the largest civilian employer in Yuma County. There are a lot of people with a “big fish in a small pond” mentality, and it  feels like a literal “good old boys" network.

If you're considering moving here from out of state, I recommend looking elsewhere.

Here’s a quick rundown of a typical day at work:

The machine shop only has three CNC machines: a HAAS VF-4 (3-axis), a Mach Motion (retrofit mill), and a very old Daewoo Puma.

The shop is tucked away in a small, poorly designed space, as if the layout was an afterthought, with no windows or ventilation.

Your supervisor will have NO knowledge of machines, machining, or manufacturing in general, and you'll receive ZERO support from your supervisor and coworkers.

There will be NO investment in new machines or equipment.

The piezoelectric transducers are assembled by hand in a slow, labor-intensive process. Any mistake in the assembly causes a failure and wastes time. The machine they are tested in, is from the 1960’s and there isn’t any replacement in case it goes down. 

This was the hardest part of the job; 

Although some parts in production could be sped up and automated, you'll face resistance if you try to implement new approaches. Things are done there at YPG the way they’ve always been done, and it will never change.

In Yuma, job options for machinists are extremely limited. 

You're essentially stuck with what's available—and that comes with a lot of drama. 

The most enjoyable part of the job was working on one off productions, and there were a few engineers who could really make your day.

However, in my experience YPG was not the professional or supportive environment it appeared to be from the outside. I was full of motivation and ambition. I left demoralized, with a bad taste in my mouth.


Pros:

Challenging Work: The tasks assigned to me at TRAX International were both stimulating and rewarding. The nature of the projects allowed me to make full use of my engineering expertise and consistently provided avenues for growth.

Team Dynamics: The colleagues I had the pleasure of working with were skilled, professional, and supportive. There was a genuine camaraderie among the team members, making the daily grind more enjoyable.

Supportive Management: My direct managers were always approachable, understanding, and provided clear guidance. Their support played a significant role in my positive experience with the company.

Cons:

Upper Management Decisions: While I had a favorable relationship with my direct supervisors, I often found the decisions and practices of the higher-ups questionable. Their choices sometimes seemed out of touch with the needs and realities of the employees on the ground.

Transparency Issues: On several occasions, it felt like the top-tier management was not entirely transparent about company-wide decisions, leading to a feeling of disconnect.

Company Culture: The practices of the higher-ups sometimes overshadowed the positive aspects of my work, making it challenging to fully align with the company's overall ethos.

Overall:

While my direct work experience, colleagues, and immediate managers were highlights of my time at TRAX International, there were concerns regarding the practices and decisions of the upper management. The company has much to offer, but a more aligned and transparent approach from the top could make it an even better place for professionals like myself.

My typical day at work was different then most people who may have a CDL. I would go into work each day and test vehicles to support our troops overseas to keep them and our civilian personal safe. It was very rewarding knowing that I was able to do my part in helping do that. There were times that I would have to do physical labor with the track vehicles to replace track during testing, or some other labor that may be needed for the vehicle. We also did our inspections before entering the vehicles. Logs were kept during testing that we as drivers were responsible for our own. The people I work with were great and I was able to get along and work well with them, my management team was always good to me and treated me with respect. I don't think that there were any parts of this job that I really disliked, every once in a while everyone has a bad day but for the most part out of all the jobs I have had in my lifetime this by far had been the best and the most fun. I did not want to leave this job especially after 11 years of employment. I was laid off due to cut backs.

A typical work day at TRAX International was busy getting all your instructions from your Manager and others Leaders.
About where you were to be going or traveling in the Desert of White Sands  Missile Range. New Mexico, Amorgoria New Mexico, doing Test Events to support tests conducted by the United States Army Operational Test Command.
What I learned in this position as an Computer Operator is to be very flexibility to meet every changing schedules, and willingness to work loads of overtime, and to have the ability to quickly learn and adjust to new requirements and assignments as needed.
In management, I learned how to be a leader and be responsible of my duties that I was instructed.
I learned to work with all different nationalities of different races of color was a challenged, which was a positive thing in the workplace.
The hardest part of the job was to keep cool in the desert and watching out for strange predators, such as, snakes, scorpions, wolves, and etc.
The most enjoyable part of this job is working with each other as a team and supporting each other.

This job is alright for your first job in IT. They use a lot of different technology, so you'll be getting your feet wet with all of them, which is a good thing.  The management wasn't the best, and would lash out at the employees sometimes, and then apologize after, lol. Is it the worst place to work? Not at all. But I say get your experience and move on when possible. Sometimes, when you need help, the people above you start to act like they're doing you a favor. Is that everyone there? Nope, there are actually some people who are super helpful, and nice about it.  And i'm not talking about asking the same question repeatedly, i'm talking about a brand new situation that you need help with. Its insane.

I'm not sure how the on call rotation is now, but when I was there, it was brutal. 2 weeks on call, and then 2 weeks off. The 2 weeks you're on call, you kind of don't have a life, since when you're not physically in the office, you're expected to be on call. Maybe its changed, maybe not.

All in all, get what you can from here, and leave when you get the opportunity.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Work 4, 10 hour shifts, Mon to Thu

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Some times you will be required to work 5 or 6, 12 hour days

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very busy work environment and the company is diversified in all cultures

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
In the office checking emails by 0600 and then off to the test site to do a safety briefing and start testing shortly after that once all the additional test sites are manned and ready to go.  It all depends on if you're working 10 or 12 hour days.  About 30 minutes or so prior to end of day testing a call will come across a range radio and testing will be finished for the day.  The test team usually conducts an end of day hotwash to discuss the good and bad parts of the days testing and what the plan is for improvements or fixes for the following days training.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The company culture and leadership are exceptional. Many paths to progress in your career. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
You must be adaptable and have excellent time management skills to meet deadlines. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very supportive and opportunities for growth. Servant leadship allows you to work on your professional development and are very supportive.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day consists of managing your calendar,  assessing deadlines and assigning priorities.  Collecting data and scheduling meetings, prescreens, conducting interviews. Meeting with HM to discuss needs and vacancies and plans to fill. Monitoring pipelines to ensure quality candidate interactions and build relationships.

This job was on White Sands Missile Range. Typical day at work ranged from turning semi-trailers into mobile command centers to setting up impact sites for missiles to setting up training sites for military personnel. The missile Range is an experimental range for testing DoD missiles, equipment, etc. The work we did out of the fabrication/maintenance shop covered a wide range of work. Most of the people I worked with were top professionals.The management was great to employees and worked very hard to keep us in work. The hardest part of this  position was that it was union and advancement was through seniority alone. So, if you were more qualified or worked harder, it did not matter when it came to promotions. The best part was the projects we worked on and the wide variety of those projects.

A horrible place to work if your not related to someone or a manager is your mothers best friend. Most of the employees have never worked any other place and chances their parents had worked there. Most don't have any education outside of a high school diploma. One or two have degrees from community college. Most of the cliques falsify their time cards & pin the work loads on the non relatives. While I was there The program manager smoked like a chimney & had an affair with unqualified highly intoxicated secretary, that went bad and she would roam the hallways asking "where's that mother fu!ker".  If your looking for a professional career this company will more than likely fall below reasonable expectations.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Senior technician 8 salaries reported	$45.52 per hour
Heavy equipment mechanic 11 salaries reported	$33.78 per hour
Electronics technician 12 salaries reported	$33.44 per hour
Material specialist 6 salaries reported	$29.93 per hour
Data collector 10 salaries reported	$25.61 per hour

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