rail technician

blaster

field supervisor

rail switching technician

repair technician

Union Tank Car Company (UTLX)

I worked here for a month, it was a mess. Management didn’t know what they were doing. Ended up watching the same training videos three times, this took hours each time. Watched them fire an employee with 20+ years over a grinding shield. While I was there they were working overtime 10hr days. Management took away their extra break and also was coming in to watch to make sure we didn’t leave our cars too soon before the end of our shift. Also not allowed to have drinks on the floor, like coffee..some managers didn’t care but some really did. Very clear retaliation between management and union. Worked there for a month, took two weeks to get the greens I had to wear to weld so all I did was stand around. When I did get my greens I was still not allowed to weld for some reason, even though I took their 2-3-4g weld tests prior to being hired. I wasn’t allowed to work for pretty much that whole month the most work I did was my last week when I was allowed to grind. Overall I left before I got stuck because everyone that’s there and has been for awhile is miserable. Very disorganized. Also not allowed to use handmade tools so if you need them, which most do doing railcar repair, you’d have to hide them…and hope to not get fired if they found them even though you quite literally need them to do your job. I did see a posting for a job in hr today so hopefully things turn around. 

(Currently Transco Rail Services) I enjoy working with my coworkers; they are good to me. I also enjoy working on rail cars. However, advancement has felt frustrating and drawn out because the process does not seem to be well-documented. My supervisor struggles to process each of my certifications and raises. It has resulted in multiple escalations with subsequent delays before being awarded the raises and certifications I earned. A typical day feels stressful because I need to make quick decisions while working with what feels like insufficient documentation and few, if any, documented procedures. Our job site lacks many specialized tools I feel would help us a lot. Some of our cheap tools are worn out; when we request a proper tool, budget concerns are cited as the reason for inaction. These factors make many simple repairs feel unnecessarily tiring and frustrating. Regularly, we do not have the correct parts available; the process for identifying and procuring these parts often feels confusing and frustrating. The pay seems insufficient to support one person, even if they live a simple lifestyle.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The recognition the Supervisors and Managers gave their employees. They always made sure to let the employees know they appreciated all their hard work. Also, the benefits they offer are unmatched. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There are deadlines to be met and they expected them to be made. However that’s to be expected considering the work they do. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Taking into consideration the type of company and services they offer the environment is well balanced with office etiquette, cleanliness and an overall energetic  place with people there to work together. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day for an administrator started at 6:00 am with the usual e-mails and messages. Getting paperwork ready for the crew and supervisor, entering the repairs and inspections from the previous day, document control and other administrative duties until the end of the work day, 3:00 pm

This has been the most soul sucking and depressing part of life working for these people. Some direct supervisors can be great guys but upper management is absolutely horrible. Upper management has to wear color coordinated nice polo shirts just to show you that they are above and better than you and keep division between management and regular employees. HR is an absolute joke and completely for the company and doesn’t have time for you. If a natural disaster comes and you are unable to work forget about getting paid but fully plan to come back to work and break your back to make up their losses! Even as salary personnel you must use vacation time if you are out which doesn’t sound like salary. Very much a buddy system where the same guys break their back everyday while the rest of the same do as little as they like with no repercussion. Pay just enough to keep you there but will not pay any extra for all the extra work you do. Absolutely would not recommend anyone work here!

This is a terrible company to work for.  Employees are treated as disposable and will be dismissed at a moment's notice without prior warning.  I personally witnessed many safety violations and near-misses which where never reported or cause for concern by management.  I was told by the safety coordinator if it wasn't reported it did not happen.  Nothing is reported unless an employee must be treated by a Doctor.  Accidents are treated as only a concern if they affect production and employee safety is a non-issue.  Pay was not fair considering the risk involved for issues like crane accidents or repetitive motion injuries.  Employees will hide in bathrooms and openly hold up production talking on cell phones and nothing is done.  We were told that we were to get no bonuses regardless of safety achievements or surpassing production goals.  The only goal is to work as fast as possible producing as much as possible with anything else being secondary. 

Great people on the repair portion of the business directed by bad or absent executive management. A lot of long term employees who care. They go above and beyond with very little opportunity to advance and will often get put in a box with their career if they are good at what they do. Management change about a year ago with new direction and  started out well but, currently eliminating higher seniority employees or ones that challenge status quo at the shop level that are not in line with the visions of the operation on the repair side of the business. Perhaps the parent company will get involved and bring order to chaos. Was a great family atmosphere This company continues to populate the industry with talent. Its a shame because when its gets busy they will be needed. If you are considering working here I would recommend waiting a bit.   

Horrible training. Pretty much have to figure everything out on your own. They train you on first shift and they are a bunch of pricks. Promise you a certain pay and you won’t receive it. They make you take your weld tests on your own time if you want a raise . I never got over 30 hours in the 6 weeks I was there. Supervisor gives you bad weekly reviews and never once watches you work. Most of your training comes from a computer!( hopefully the guy they have in there with you doesn’t skip all the training . Was hired to be indoors in a shop environment and the made me shovel snow and dig out railroad tracks the entire time I worked there. People getting hurt all over the place. I had many jobs in my 35 years and this is by far the most horrible job I ever had. Go faster but we won’t show you what to do. Supervisor runs down all his employees . Promise you what they make you do isn’t worth any of the so called promise pay. The rest of the place may be ran differently but stay clear of the repair shop

A typical day included welding non stop on half a tank which could take between 8-10 hrs depending on who you was working with. However the school did help me learn but was limited in helping me learn to weld in different positions. You can work as much as overtime you wanted or forced depending on your tolerance level. Working with other welders was the best part, mostly young guys and the inspectors were cool. For a newbie making 21$ my first job was sweet but...........not ideal for ambitious people, family oriented people and definitely not for those who don't believe in kissing someone's behind

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part of the job was the job itself and the local manager was one of the best 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The stress of having people higher up in the corporate structure outside the area completely disregard you and treat you like a second class citizen, demanding respect and results but not offering constructive support in order to achieve results 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
If you want to be a cog in a wheel where you’re chewed up and spit out this corporate structure will definitely do that to you 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Most days are perfect as the job tasks in front of you are self explanatory and achievable, it’s when people from across the country start telling you to do your job differently without actually knowing what you do daily that things start getting to be too much BS to deal with

Pros:
The company offers a stable work environment with competitive compensation—among the best-paying jobs in the area. Employees benefit from comprehensive medical insurance, complimentary lunches, work recognition (such as hats and jackets), and safety rewards. The organization demonstrates a willingness to invest in the development of its management team. 

Cons:
There appears to be a disconnect between hourly employees and management, creating an invisible barrier that can affect morale. As a union workplace, hourly team at times feel undervalued. The company's broader vision does not consistently reach all levels of the workforce. Due to working on tank cars, repair shop floor is dusty, unorganized and dirty. No designated smoking area and micromanagement of hourly employees. Cold in the winter and hot in the summer. This location very often misses their Monthly and Quarterly Targets.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Rail technician 27 salaries reported	$27.41 per hour
Blaster 1 salary reported	$26.13 per hour
Field supervisor 12 salaries reported	$76,896 per year
Rail switching technician 4 salaries reported	$24.34 per hour
Repair technician 4 salaries reported	$24.03 per hour

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