utility line locator

meter reader

gas leak surveyor

technician

recruiter

USIC

The interview process is relatively easy, but I was given a start date for training and gave my two weeks notice at my precious job to coincide with my start date. They then changed my start date to a month later, leaving me without an income for four weeks.

The training was okay and I went into the field confident to accurately locate infrastructure. 

They push having a company vehicle as a fringe benefit, but you can only use it for company use. They'll also say that having the ability to take it home is a benefit, but you're not allowed to clock in until after you've reached your first job for the day unless it's over 60 miles away. The team I was loaned to was 58 miles away, so I was expected to burn 2 hours a day travelling without pay. The vehicle is GPS monitored and things like braking too hard or spinning your wheels on ice and snow reduce your driving score which will give them the excuse not to give you a raise during your review.

The Field Supervisors are good at showing appreciation for your efforts as a team, but will give props to all employees regardless of the disparity between excellent employees and incompetent employees.

After a few months, I was voluntold to be loaned out to another team which was behind on tickets. My workload increased dramatically and nearly half of my daily tickets were already late each day. I was only supposed to be on loan to this team for two weeks, but was left there for three months until I resigned. You'll be thanked for volunteering, but you're kidding yourself if you have any say in it.

The Field Supervisors are good guys, but have no influence on company policies and are forced to pass down poor decisions and bad news from the Distict Manager without explanation. The chain of command protects the District Manager from having to address any complaints even though he is the one employing policies that negatively effect employees.

I asked for a raise as I had over 3200 locates without a single damage, had never been late, gone above and beyond for the company, my metrics were significantly higher than all my teammates, had a continuous maximum driving score of 10, voluntarily worked on the Safe-Life Committee, had multiple compliments from contractors and the public submitted about my professionalism (none of which were acknowledged by the District Manager even though I had people call in my praises right in front of me), had trained new employees which slowed me down etc., but I was ignored for 3 weeks. When I submitted an email pointing out these facts, and that other employees that had damages and worked slower than me were being paid more, I was told "No" by the District Manager through my Supervisor. When I asked how they justified their decision, I was told by my Supervisor that he wasn't told why by the District Manager.

After I initially asked for a raise, I was soon hit with a "Late to Locate" damage, which is a damage on infrastructure that becomes your fault because you didn't have time to mark it. Keep in mind, I'd been put on loan to a team that saw my daily workload start with around half of my tickets already late. I sent in a formal objection to the damage on the grounds that I had been told to clock off the day before and the day of the damage, that it was their responsibility to ensure that there are enough employees to make sure we don't fall behind, and that many of my tickets were late before I even saw them appear in my daily bucket. Their reply (a week later and after I had to send a follow-up email) was that this is new company policy, and I have to accept responsibility! This is when I realized that the District Manager was sabotaging my excellent record. With a damage on my record, and a review coming up soon, it was the perfect excuse to not give me a promised pay raise from when I sign on with USIC. Late to Loacate damages are apparently and new, and coincidentally convenient, policy.

They pay less than any other locate company, they'll change the rules to protect their corporate greed, and at the end of the day, there is no room for advancement unless you're in tight with District Manager, you're just a number that can be replaced. I wish I could add screenshots to this review to show you how bad they really are.

Don't apply for any job with USIC unless you love poor medical insurance, broken promises, being exploited, and being treated like a child.

I cannot accurately assign a score as I was let go before I could begin field work. On the 4th day of field training, my mentor was very stressed out, perhaps why I was let go (more detail) later. On this day the supervisor came out and asked how I was doing, but decided to tell me rather that I should have learned the prints (blueprints etc) by now and it wasn't good for me) I really was puzzled because I had them mastered. I explained to him that the adobe PDF grid has to be turned Counterclockwise one time after opening and nobody had told me and he quickly changed the subject- I decided to leave it alone though. So the next day he had me do a ride along with a more seasoned and young man who was known as an over achiever of sorts in the district. He actually showed me within five minutes a few things that were helpful. I was really quick to assist him, call contractors, find utility lines, termination points etc. He acted like he was lost a couple times but I knew better and just played along. He told my I was doing pretty good and even commented that he didn't understand why he had heard different. The fact is I knew I was good and I was now excited about doing this even more. So he asked if I was ready to ride alone on Monday and I said yes. He didn't hesitate to agree. The next morning the supervisor called me and told me to just sit tight because they have to certify me so I waited by the phone all day preparing to leave at anytime. Nothing. Tuesday morning he calls and ask me to meet him at hotel- this is the hotel where I picked up truck originally. I get their early and the district manager arrives, When I get out he asks me how I'm doing etc and than says " well that accident you had the other day was not good and you've became too much of a liability". I was just out right confused as to what he was referring to. I asked "what accident"? You were nearly ran over and I'm not going to allow that to happen, we have to let you go. (((okay, now I will talk freely now that I have reviwed everything)))  
The intersection he referred to, actually the locator handled and I never once walked in or left sidewalk. The locator never once either mentioned any errors I made or illusions he thought he perceived. This company has a high turnover rate and they are always hiring. I turned down other offers and one in particular was six figures while I was in training, but I told myself USIC was a for sure thing. I even  have the e-mails proving and showing me explain to a recruiter I had to go with a "for sure' thing. I'm so disappointed as this just happened today and I'm very much in debt. If I felt I was in the wrong at all- I would not write this but my intent in doing so is to prepare anyone who can benefit and not slander anyone, however I'm at a loss as to how you could prepare for this. It can take weeks to get correspondence from employers and I don't have that luxury. I can't review the entire company because of one persons actions within but I was told training was to prepare me, and I basically wasn't even given a chance. I managed a crew covering an entire section of NE Oklahoma for the major power company their and my ability to open a small lightweight app in windows XP was actually an issue? This practice will not keep good employees and perhaps their infrastructure is growing quicker than their ability to adapt to customer demands. Now I'm really kicking myself that I gave my 100% in the classroom when recruiters were here in west Texas were offering exciting opportunities that seemed very promising. Some might think this is a lot of material for a review, but it's obviously complicated and I've emailed the company but I haven't and don't know if I will hear back. Thank you

This job allows you to work independently, meet new people every day and help others stay safe while keeping utility services uninterrupted. You work closely with contractors and homeowners every day to successfully locate utility cables for small to large projects and construction developments.

Utility locating is a very important role, and can help build the necessary skills for advancement to other areas or positions within or outside of the company for those seeking career growth.

The role of a locator technician is very independent. In-person crew gatherings at USIC are held twice a month. Other crew meetings may take place once or twice a week through the Microsoft Teams application, but it’s mostly  Crew Supervisors relaying messages from the upper administration. With that said, you can expect a good deal of support from fellow technicians while you’re out on the field, whether you need supplies or assistance with with a work related problem.

Some Supervisors oversee multiple crews, and can be overworked and full of responsibilities. They are supportive at times, but often come off as standoffish and aloof. Any issues of note are out of the Crew Supervisor’s hands, and usually resolved by the Field or District Managers. Administrative promotions at USIC seem to be carried out from within. This can be seen a good thing, but can also have its drawbacks. I have noticed that most individuals in the local administration lack professional and educational backgrounds, resulting in a deficiency in administrative maturity. It is highly recommended that you follow procedure to a tee, and become well aware of company policies to avoid any issues. 

In my opinion and experience with USIC, the management style is autocratic. Giving honest feedback for improvements or calling out disorganization is frowned upon, which can lead to frustration and an overall feeling of isolation if you do not conform to the way that things are run out in the field. Employee concerns are often disregarded. 

The hardest part of this job is being a self-starter and working on your own all the time if you don't enjoy working independently. You will have to keep a safe driving behavior at all times, and perform your job carefully to avoid damages due to improper utility locates. Initial training will come in handy, but most of your experience will come through time spent on the field. Some days can be more hectic than others, but if you organize yourself accordingly the job is easily manageable. 

The locator technician role is rewarding if you enjoy driving, troubleshooting and keeping organized with detailed notes and communicating with contractors and ticket contacts. Working outside is a huge plus if you like the outdoors. You're always somewhere different, and depending on where you live you can end up working in some pretty interesting places.

Overall, I am somewhat satisfied working with USIC, and despite some of the shortcomings mentioned, I would recommend this career to others who would be able to balance out the pros and cons.


As the title says, this job is for the desperate. Easy enough to get the job since the turnover is constant here, though they mainly look for people with outdoor work experience, since your job will be 100% outdoors. You won't have to work in extreme weather, but be prepared for working in the cold and heat. Dress appropriately. 

Your first week will be classroom training in which safety and proper technique will be stressed, and by the end of your first week of classroom training, you will be issued a vehicle, a tablet and a company phone. You will be assigned to a field crew and paired up with a trainer by week two for your on the job training. Remember all the proper technique you learned in class? Forget it, because your trainer is going to shortcut pretty much every ticket. You'll only need to remember proper technique for your field certification. Once you are certified, you'll be assigned a route and begin to watch tickets pile up in your queue. Don't worry if it seems like you won't be able to finish all of them, because there are too many tickets to complete on time, especially following protocol. You will attend a conference call every morning where your supervisor will complain about not meeting unrealistic production goals. 

Production is a word you will hear a lot, because it's all that matters. If you're not hitting your numbers, you will not hear the end of it. That is until you take a shortcut on a ticket and miss a line on the scope and the excavator hits a live line, then you'll be dragged in front of a tribunal and told how you need to follow protocol and safety is more important than production. Rinse, wash, repeat. Speaking of, good luck reading prints because they are garbage, and your lines will rarely light up as easily as they should even if you are taking all the appropriate steps (unbonding, correct frequencies, hooking up to good access points). 

The typical work week is Monday through Friday, working 8-9 hours starting from 7AM. Most weeks will require mandatory OT on Saturday because the crew has too many tickets. Clock in when you arrive at your first ticket, clock out after finishing your last ticket. The only exception is on-call. When you are added to the on-call rotation, you will need to answer your phone after work hours and head out to the location, no matter what time. In this situation you can clock in from home, and clock out when you finish the job, assuming no other calls have come in.

Overall, the best parts of the job are getting to work outdoors (if you like that kind of thing), always busy so the day goes by quick, and a steady paycheck with plenty of OT. The work is kind of interesting, and it's like solving a puzzle putting together the location of the lines.

The worst part of the job will be unrealistic production goals, arguing with homeowners and contractors, micromanaging supervisors who will claim to always be a call away but treat you like an idiot when you call for assistance on a site that you have no experience working.

I started working at Usic of February 2021. I worked for 2 years. My first year I left and had enough and the second year “2022” I have it one more try, Before you went to Grand Rapids but they train in Appleton now. In training they give you experience on how to use your computer, ticket pro, and how to efficiently use your equipment and truck “ how to find a locate with your receiver” in our class I was never told that I would be headed off six different construction projects that are high priorities and needed to be done within a very short time frame I was never told that job security is promised or that one mistake cost your job. Right out of training I was handed off to complicated projects, 1 specifically over 100 miles is to be marked within two months and a single locator can only locate 40 miles in two months, as well as that you are given ZERO help, i’ve requested six different times on recorded phone calls begging for help and my concern was not in their best interest which cost us two separate damages. Does companies management is completely wrong and backwards managing how people can physically accomplish something that’s impossible. This job is also not meant for people that have families they will not accommodate you if you have a situation that happens as told in your morning briefings that you will have daily you are required to work 10 hours without any exceptions. After your first 10 years or over your accommodate to two weeks off after your first five years you’re giving three days off and for your 1st to 3rd year you are only given 72 hours off, you do not get PTO until after your 1st year, every winter they fire a certain amount of people to cut back cost on workers USIC is very understaffed and you are mandated to work weekends for eight hours, if you are on call you do not get paid until your phone rings, you will absolutely get criticized if you have to takeoff, current managers for this valley and district managers complain about not having efficient workers and the turnover rate for people quitting or get fired is higher then they’re hiring rate. I DO NOT recommend this job for anyone… you will not be trying to go into the field and be comfortable and understand your task at hand. Last year we have had over 30 people quit and this year we’ve had well over 15 people quit and more currently getting fired for a simple mistakes that could be corrected. Getting a raise is extremely hard, I’ve personally talked to techs that haven’t gotten a raise in years and if you do it’s a 25-50 cent raise, you have to do a daily drivers course every day on your computer and if you don’t your driver score goes down which could also terminate your employment and effect your salary, you’re only allowed 10 points. this is a very stressful environment and you will be asked to do the most ludicrous task at hand without question or help. There is serious issues with this company and before starting this job I would talk to construction workers about their experiences and do your research online about this company

A typical day at work: 
You start off driving to your first ticket for the day, clocking in when you arrive at the location. Look at the prints and details for the ticket, then start locating. Find the proper places to hook up to utilities, track the signal and mark it out. Make sure all utilities are marked, take pictures, mark it as done and race to the next ticket.

What you believe you learned:
I learned a lot of interesting details about each utility company we work for, the quirks of each as well as the places each one likes to hide their access points. The different stats to read for each utility on the receiver, there are plenty of small differences to make mental notes for.

Management: 
Very supervisor dependent, however the overall company itself and the higher ups really press down onto the supervisors whenever they want, and for any reason. The whole mood can change abruptly. Our instructor showed us multiple emails from higher ups that showed how they operate.
Seems welcoming and supportive at first, emphasizing the importance of safety and their "TIME-OUT" principal (If you arent sure about something or if you're feeling tired, take a 5-10 minute break whenever you need.)
However after the first few weeks they quickly turned on their beliefs. In the first weeks you're told repeatedly that you can take their certification exams multiple times with only a days break in between each attempt. However if you fail it once they've already decided you're not worth keeping. They will give you more challenging tickets to try and get your certification, on top of that they will give you a 1 hour time limit when none of the work prior to that has had any sort of time limitation. In the earlier weeks the instructor mentioned a trainee that once took 4 hours to get certified, and brings up how common it is for certification to take 2 to 3 hours. But in my experience that was not true, they want you to rush through tickets and safety is secondary.

They promote themselves as offering time to learn, but that quickly fades once you hit week 5 or 6. Even if you indicate to them when you're hired that you have a disability and need more time to learn, or some different accommodation, they will still press you until you either quit or are fired.

Workplace culture:
Very loose and relaxed in class, people seem to be in a good mood whenever they stop by the office to pick up supplies for their trucks. I believe its all heavily dependent on your area supervisor.

The hardest part of the job:
Learning which utility or wire is the right one to hook-up to. Dealing with the weather can also be challenging at times. Supervisors can also be extremely challenging or easygoing. 

The most enjoyable part of the job: 
The Drive between tickets when you can gather your thoughts and prepare for the next stop. 

Loved this job due to the benefits and the ability to have a work truck to take home, but things changed. At my time there (less than a year) things changed very rapidly ( like every week to two weeks something changed) like doing more work and they still expected us to make production, then they start reducing hours if you did not make production, upping your hours or able to work unlimited hours if you did. There is a call everyday at a certain time to talk about what's going on, but on that call the management calls you out by name in front of everyone on the team, they boast about production but if you get a damage that's when they care more about quality. They act like they care about you but you are just a number to them. They play favorites and if the managers favorite doesn't like you, they will try everything to get you out. This is a toxic work environment and the team I worked for is corrupt. If you plan on applying, make sure your willing to work 6 days a week while being on call one day and expect to get yelled at by the managers favorite when you ask questions due to them putting you in real world training and you have to learn the job as you go, deal with the management micromanaging everything you do even though your in a Truck alone, they track your driving habits and once a month they give you a jbo in which they tell you how organized you should keep your truck, and do things to help your drivers score go up even though you get a decel from having to slam on your brakes ir getting an heavy acceleration for taking off and you lose traction and your tires spin when taking off in snow and from dirt roads, these trucks also do not have 4wd so don't get stuck unless you want to wait your whole shift for a tow truck, then embarrass you on the call the next day as a lesson for everyone else on the call. When you start they have you work an 8 hour shift, but within that 8 hour shift, you had to take 30 mins to an hour to call contractors and "delay tickets" before they go late, then you have a call that you have to sit through for about 30 to 40 mins every day of the week, and once a week you have to sit through a "low production" call explaining why you did not close the amount of tickets that you were supposed to with all the lead techs and other people on this call which also takes 30 mins, but they do not give you just single lots you have tickets that are projects that they expect you to finish within an hour. And whatever tickets you don't finish by the end of your shift you have to do the same thing you did that morning which can take you 30 mins to an hour to do so the tickets for the next day don't go late. So if you value your mental health, your physical well being, and having the ability to have a life and family outside of work then this job is not for you and I'd steer clear of this company. 

Work-life balance
Was there for a short time. After training they start you out light on tickets, then they start increasing due to them being so far behind. Supervisor are against taking a real lunch they say eat as you drive to the next job. Your break is also when sitting in the truck on the way to the next job. At the end of the day the tickets you didn't finish you have to make calls to all of them to reschedule which again puts you behind even more. Once you are there a few months they expect you to work 6 days a week. I left before I was doing that I have a family. In the interview the job is made to sound great, its not. My supervisor and the field trainer were great, but the job is a joke you will always be behind. Thank God, I got on with the county doing the same job, a lot better experience, better pay, benefits, better everything and a real opportunity to move up. Yes they also have a lot of tickets to do,  but a lot of them don't need locating like a customer installing above ground pool , or power being buried from temp pole to house etc. So in short I would not recommend this company to anyone unless you don't want to take a lunch break or have a family life. It is not worth the 16.00 per hour for the headache, and stress.

Pay & benefits
The 16.00 is not worth the stress, headache, and not being able to relax for a hour for lunch. Also your told you are given a company truck, but there is a fee that comes out of your check for having a company truck.

Job security and advancement
Absolutely None

Management
My trainer and supervisor were not bad.

Culture
If you get hired you will find out soon enough.

Overall
Was there for a short time. After training they start you out light on tickets, then they start increasing due to them being so far behind. Supervisor are against taking a real lunch they say eat as you drive to the next job. Your break is also when sitting in the truck on the way to the next job. At the end of the day the tickets you didn't finish you have to make calls to all of them to reschedule which again puts you behind even more. Once you are there a few months they expect you to work 6 days a week. I left before I was doing that I have a family. In the interview the job is made to sound great, its not. My supervisor and the field trainer were great, but the job is a joke you will always be behind. Thank God, I got on with the county doing the same job, a lot better experience, better pay, benefits, better everything and a real opportunity to move up. Yes they also have a lot of tickets to do,  but a lot of them don't need locating like a customer installing above ground pool , or power being buried from temp pole to house etc. So in short I would not recommend this company to anyone unless you don't want to take a lunch break or have a family life. It is not worth the 16.00 per hour for the headache, and stress.

When I started working for USIC, I enjoyed the work. The company seemed to be focused on the front line locators and keeping them happy, after about a year, that changed. 

During my first year I would often tell people how relaxed the job was, sure, there was a lot of work to be done and there were long hours, but I felt appreciated. When I was hired several people, including my hiring supervisor and my direct supervisor told me that I would be making 20 dollars an hour around my first anniversary. I was told that we didn't get laid off in the winter. I was told that there would be continuous training and opportunities for advancement. 

The first sign that things were not going to be what they seemed was when I got my first evaluation, that is when I found out I could get a maximum of a 4 % raise with a perfect evaluation and that the evaluation only considered my driving score and my locate quality score. I was surprised that the extra hours I had worked and the times I'd covered work for other techs weren't considered at all. Shortly thereafter, I learned that USIC had no problem mandating 10-12 hour weekdays and weekend work. I told myself it would be worth it in the long run, that I'd get through this rough patch with the company, and that they would remember how hard I'd worked while we were short staffed. Eventually, the company did hire more people, and after they were trained, we did get some relief.  However, that relief was to be short lived, it ended when they told us they were laying guys off until things got busier. To make matters worse, it was during this time that the company started focusing on several informational metrics they received through our driver tracking program and our utility locating program. Before this, quality was the company's focus, locate all of your lines and mark them right, be efficient, but thorough and above all be safe. Now, it feels like saving every penny is the new priority. The focus shifted to time allocation, to truck idle time and to locates completed per hour. As an example, when it was hot, the company would tell you to get in the truck, turn on the A.C. and cool off, now you have to make sure your truck is off as soon as you park and you don't turn the key until you are ready to drive. 

While I once felt appreciated, I now feel like another number on a spreadsheet. While I once felt valued as an employee and a person, I now know that my value is a carefully calculated complex equation that is measured in profit and cost. 

I still don't make $20 an hour, no ongoing training or advancement has been mentioned in over 8 months, and I'm afraid I'll be laid off when work slows in the winter.

Minimum wage was just raised to $15 dollars an hr in New York. So you can work McDonald’s get the same pay and go home knowing you won’t get a damage. Managers suck north Nassau....just quit now auditors are cool but there boss is horrible . Over worked. You get ten dollar subway gift cards for not getting a damage every 5 days. They give you broken down cars with mold old Chinese food and roaches. I’m not joking either. They stress zero damages but when you have all buried utilities on top of marking out houses that take up half a city block. Plus all the buried consumer owned electric then you have your supervisor calling you asking why you didn’t close out the ticket only to get yelled at and told to hurry up. We are in a union and wages are frozen. Things have gotten worse. Lack of correct prints Nassau just picked up a new contract for water which the prints look like a four year old drew  them they expect you to located services and shut off valves and mains correctly based off of that nonsense. I applied to the job and gave it the benefit of the doubt. I had 13 people in my class we are down to 3. I’ve been here less than a year. The only positive is meeting contractors that like your work ethic and will hire you. I’m in tne process of leaving. Once I finalize my offer for work I’m gone. Trust me when I say this job isn’t worth it I really thought it was. Training sucks my field training consisted of a QAC which is an auditor who did tickets on other locators instead of teaching us how to mark out. In class training we were taught one print which is gas. None of us knew  we had electric, gas, cable, water, and sewer. Attach all prints. Oh did i mention that  the prints are wrong and the worst is cable. But somehow they expect you to figure it out and mark things out correctly. Everything is about numbers I started out doing 5-7 tickets a day. I’m doing 15-25 a day. I drop the box a lot to close tickets bc it’s impossible to effectively do the job right and your connected to every single service especially in a Rud or completely buried area or common trench area. Curb boxes or gas valves must be exposed all the time you get cursed out by people who spent thousands on there lawns making it look nice and you come with a shovel and dig it up. Buried electric with transformers etc etc etc. I could go on all day. Horrible experience undervalued not cared about. All they care about is not getting a damage nothing else. STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS PLEASE. If you live in new York and want to make $15 an hr go to fast food. STAY AWAY FROM USIC.

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