what woudl you pay

[Thillmaine1]

Curious on what a potential employer would pay for these credentials...
Class A CDL w/ tanker and air brakes
Pesticide License/ability to get one if needed
Certified Arborist
Certified Landscape professional/ ability to obtain in needed
Ability to operate a variety of equipment: dozer, skidsteer, bucket truck, chipper, stumper, excavator, knuckleboom (less then 50 feet)
Great pruning skills, cabling, all aspects of tree preservation from seed to removal
Good removal skills, not amazing, but I have never turned down a tree
Excellent plant Id skills, from perrenials to large shage trees and everything in between
Leadership and training skills
knowledge of knots and application
knowledge of saws and their repair
BT in Plant Science
AAS in Landscape Development


The only reason I aks ifs my boss has been rubbing it in my face that I am s young and make a good amount of bread. I live in Upstate NY and he keeps saying I am making more then anybody my age in all of NY state. I am not in denial that I make a great wage, but I dont think its anythign too ridiculous to be risking my life everyday.

 

[BC WetCoast]

Depends what you do.

You could have a phD in rocket science and engineering and if you are only sweeping floors, you only get the floor sweepers rate.

If you are only grounding, then you would qualify for the high end of the grounding rate.

 

[thejdman04]

Depends on what you do and who you are. If you show up on time, treat things with respect, do what you are told, work your behind off etc you are worth quite a bit. Do you actually know what you are doing? I know lots of guys who have degrees that arent worth the ink that is on them. They have no common sense etc and arent worth 5 bucks an hour.

 

[pdqdl]

:agree2:

You don't get paid for your qualifications. You get paid to do a certain job, and each job has a payscale.

Qualifications are for getting the job, not determining the pay scale. Some jobs aren't worth having, because the qualifications are higher than the pay scale.

 

[clearance]

Depends what you do.

You could have a phD in rocket science and engineering and if you are only sweeping floors, you only get the floor sweepers rate.

If you are only grounding, then you would qualify for the high end of the grounding rate.

All I could add to this is, welcome to the site.

 

[treeclimber101]

between 30 to 35 dollars an hr. if you were doing a job that incompasses all of your descriptions, but with that being said ,you can't do all of those jobs at the same time so 15 dollars an hour times are tough. P.s you pay half of your benifits

 

[Toddppm]

$12/hr. When can you start?






I don't see anything that says how much experience you have? It may be that you think you know more than you do? Not trying to be a jerk but seriously your attitude can play a huge part too.

 

[WSTREE]

i think its bs he says you'r making good money for your age. would he pay you more if you were older? if yes start looking for a new job. good luck

 

[BlackenedTimber]

There's a major piece of info missing here: what are you currently being paid? How does your pay compare to others on your crew?

It's hard to make a determination on your value without knowing what you are actually being paid.

My opinion is this: If you have a class A CDL, just rock that for a while until a better paying, more relevant position comes around. My company pays CDL class B Drivers 28.81 per hour (in the eletrical Transmission and Distribution, and Renewable Energy/Solar/Wind markets, not in Arboriculture, which is now for me a weekend hobby rather than a way to make a living...) There are companies out there that will pay you a good rate just for your CDL credentials.

For a young man (im guessing 20-25 years old) with your qualifications, IF you worked for me when I was still in business (In Sullivan, Orange, Rockland Counties NY) I would hire you at 16/hr and raise you to around 20/hr over a year or two, if your attitude didnt suck and you were on time, and committed no major sins on the job, and were most of all, safe.

There is a great book, "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene. One of the laws is applicable. When appealing to your boss for more money, it is in your interest to explain why you making more money (and eating more of his/hers/its profit) is good for the company, and good for the bottom line. Outlining reasons while you feel like this person OWES you more money will only imbitter this person, making them resent you, and screwing your chances at actually getting a raise. The guys who worked for me that wanted more money usually took it upon themselves to whine about thier pay. They didnt last very long. The guys who deserved more money never had to ask, they just smiled a little more when they got thier next paycheck.

Good Luck and welcome to the site.

 

[Thillmaine1]

I am a 23. Been in the tree business since I was 16. Climbing since i was 18. I can do it all, degree or none. Great attitude, always willing to go the etra mile. Saturday, sunday, worked 19 days striaght in december. I go out with 2 guys who have never used a chainsaw before and bring in 2 grand a day. Hang off the hook if needed. Feller, climber, stumper, firewod #####, whatever needs to be done. Never had any major property damage (maybe a shrub or two), show up on time.
Not looking for a million here, just wondering where I stand amongst others in this business.

 

[Biker Dude]

$2000 per day is pretty good for 3 guys! Since you are the knowledgeable one and the others are clueless I'm hoping you are getting $1000 and the other 2 are splitting the other $1000. I wouldn't complain too loudly at $1000 per day.

 

[Thillmaine1]

I dont make even a quarter of that. That what the boss makes.

 

[ATH]

$2000 per day is pretty good for 3 guys! Since you are the knowledgeable one and the others are clueless I'm hoping you are getting $1000 and the other 2 are splitting the other $1000. I wouldn't complain too loudly at $1000 per day.

I caught the sarcasm...but just in case:

Whose paying for the equipment and consumables? Who did the sell? Workman's Comp and FICA eat up a pretty big chunk too...

I venture that most anybody on here can double that given the right equipment set-up and an endless list of reliable clients...

I agree with the earlier posts: depends on what you are doing - what is your worth to the company. One guy says you'd be worth $12 per hour. Might be that they have all the help needed, but wouldn't turn away a good groundie who can also drive the big truck to a work site.

My suggestion is to figure out how much money you really bring to the company - (and don't forget to pay for overhead!), then ask for a high percentage of that. If your boss likes you, he will probably even help with that calculation. If you are good, he wants to keep you on board, but regardless of how good you are, he doesn't want to pay you more than you are worth.

If you can't get the number you really think you are worth, hit the road and put your own butt on the line with overhead expenses.

 

[John464]

Right now in these economic times you are lucky to have a job. With that said my top guys went from $300 a day to $250 a day because they realize if they want to keep working they need to adjust to these conditions. These are the kinda guys that have been doing everything that you listed for over 10yrs, are certified, can even sell upcharges when on the job.

"Thats what the boss makes" Ha! I love it when employees think us bosses are making a killing. You realize how many thousands we need to bring before we start turning a profit?

Id probably start you at around $160 a day if you could run a crew. Earn my trust for atleast a year. You'd then be around $200. If things get better economically and you stick around for atleast 3 years $300 a day

 

[teamtree]

I would start you around 700 a week plus bonuses.

You sound like you need to start your own business and find out what you can make.

There is very little room for improvement in wages in this industry unless you are a selling arborist in a large metropolitian area. When guys start talking like you I tell them to go out on there own and find out what it is all about.

I am too much of a perfectionist to let others do my work....so I don't want 3 crews out there to make my wages...I will earn it.

Like the one guy said....you may be over qualified for tree work....maybe you should be an engineer.

 

[ChiHD]

Curious on what a potential employer would pay for these credentials...
Class A CDL w/ tanker and air brakes
Pesticide License/ability to get one if needed
Certified Arborist
Certified Landscape professional/ ability to obtain in needed
Ability to operate a variety of equipment: dozer, skidsteer, bucket truck, chipper, stumper, excavator, knuckleboom (less then 50 feet)
Great pruning skills, cabling, all aspects of tree preservation from seed to removal
Good removal skills, not amazing, but I have never turned down a tree
Excellent plant Id skills, from perrenials to large shage trees and everything in between
Leadership and training skills
knowledge of knots and application
knowledge of saws and their repair
BT in Plant Science
AAS in Landscape Development


The only reason I aks ifs my boss has been rubbing it in my face that I am s young and make a good amount of bread. I live in Upstate NY and he keeps saying I am making more then anybody my age in all of NY state. I am not in denial that I make a great wage, but I dont think its anythign too ridiculous to be risking my life everyday.

Would have to see you work before I commited to anything. I would pay $25/hour to someone with those skills if they backed it up with 5 solid years of experience and could provide me with references to back that up.

I had the attitude that I was cat's a$$ when I was young. I felt like I was making the company tons of cash and that I deserved a large percentage of each job. I came to realize that if I was making a high wage, I was expected to perform all the toughest jobs and be climbing almost every hour of every work day. That can be stressful and very tiring, not to mention very hard on your body.

I had an employer in Toronto offer my $30/hour or 20% of each job. I took the 20%. Over the course of the next few weeks I worked my ass off. But when things went wrong, equipment broke down, other employees f'ed things up, jobs were underpriced...I made less. It made me start to realize that there are far more variables than I realized when it came to bottom line profit.

I went back and asked for the $30/hour instead. The point of the story is to be happy where you are sometimes because you're lucky you have a job, everyone is replaceable, and be careful what you ask for. If you are making good coin, if you don't have to climb everyday, and if you get to go home at night and not be stressed, maybe it's not so bad.

As for now, I went out on my own 6 years ago. Last year was the first year I made more than my best year working for somewhen else.

Good luck to you and feel free to ask any more questions.

 

[outofmytree]

There's a major piece of info missing here: what are you currently being paid? How does your pay compare to others on your crew?

It's hard to make a determination on your value without knowing what you are actually being paid.

My opinion is this: If you have a class A CDL, just rock that for a while until a better paying, more relevant position comes around. My company pays CDL class B Drivers 28.81 per hour (in the eletrical Transmission and Distribution, and Renewable Energy/Solar/Wind markets, not in Arboriculture, which is now for me a weekend hobby rather than a way to make a living...) There are companies out there that will pay you a good rate just for your CDL credentials.

For a young man (im guessing 20-25 years old) with your qualifications, IF you worked for me when I was still in business (In Sullivan, Orange, Rockland Counties NY) I would hire you at 16/hr and raise you to around 20/hr over a year or two, if your attitude didnt suck and you were on time, and committed no major sins on the job, and were most of all, safe.

There is a great book, "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene. One of the laws is applicable. When appealing to your boss for more money, it is in your interest to explain why you making more money (and eating more of his/hers/its profit) is good for the company, and good for the bottom line. Outlining reasons while you feel like this person OWES you more money will only imbitter this person, making them resent you, and screwing your chances at actually getting a raise. The guys who worked for me that wanted more money usually took it upon themselves to whine about thier pay. They didnt last very long. The guys who deserved more money never had to ask, they just smiled a little more when they got thier next paycheck.

Good Luck and welcome to the site.

Amen.

I am the "evil" employer in our business. Times have been hard for domestic work which used to make up 80% of our jobs. From October to January our usual income shrank to the point where I began to wonder if we would be in business by Easter. Throughout this time I paid my leading hand his $900 pw base wage even when it got to the point of taking cash from our family account to cover it. I did not draw a wage for four months. My kids ate because my wife worked 2 extra jobs as well as being an extra set of hands on bigger jobs. So before you decide that the "boss" is an evil money hungry tyrant who screws you out of what is yours, remember that if the business goes broke, you lose your job but he can lose his truck,saws,equipment and even his house.

Ok, rant over.

I pay over award for all my crew. We have a bonus system in place based on gross weekly turnover. The more the business makes the higher the percentage of split goes. Last weeks bonus was $565 per head, regardless that we paid out over $6000 in hire costs for cranes ewp's and the like. When it come to taking on new hands my policy is simple. You turn up with your own boots on day one, you work your ass off no matter what. End of month one I buy you a new pair of boots or pay you the money for them whichever works. Month two I review your performance and increase your base wage based on PERFORMANCE not on qualifications. Month three you are on bonus or you are quietly retired. Ours is a small business and we live or die on teamwork. As much as I value skills I value team players even more.

 

[ChiHD]

Amen.

I am the "evil" employer in our business. Times have been hard for domestic work which used to make up 80% of our jobs. From October to January our usual income shrank to the point where I began to wonder if we would be in business by Easter. Throughout this time I paid my leading hand his $900 pw base wage even when it got to the point of taking cash from our family account to cover it. I did not draw a wage for four months. My kids ate because my wife worked 2 extra jobs as well as being an extra set of hands on bigger jobs. So before you decide that the "boss" is an evil money hungry tyrant who screws you out of what is yours, remember that if the business goes broke, you lose your job but he can lose his truck,saws,equipment and even his house.

Ok, rant over.


I pay over award for all my crew. We have a bonus system in place based on gross weekly turnover. The more the business makes the higher the percentage of split goes. Last weeks bonus was $565 per head, regardless that we paid out over $6000 in hire costs for cranes ewp's and the like. When it come to taking on new hands my policy is simple. You turn up with your own boots on day one, you work your ass off no matter what. End of month one I buy you a new pair of boots or pay you the money for them whichever works. Month two I review your performance and increase your base wage based on PERFORMANCE not on qualifications. Month three you are on bonus or you are quietly retired. Ours is a small business and we live or die on teamwork. As much as I value skills I value team players even more.

without being too nosey I am interested in your bonus scale and how you structure it. I ususally give my guys a bonus at Christmas but am considering doing a monthly or weekly plan. Thanks

 

[oldirty]

good thread fellas.

easy on the young fella some of you guys....you got to admit for 23 those are some pretty good stats. but in reality the only way to find out the true skill is OTJ. ive met plenty of unimpressive "well qualified" workers just by simply working with them.

funny thing is i know i want more money too kid. lol.

but someone did say that if you found a gig where you get paid close enough to what you think you are worth and you do not have to break your balls on the daily to make it then you should hold the pride in check. especially with the way things are so up in the air right now.

i am the main takedown guy on our crew. climb crane or bucket. and i do earn my pay daily but in the same breathe sometimes one of the other guys goes up which means he is gaining more experience which means that i am getting closer to expendable everytime....yes i play an important role on the crew but work will go on if i get the can if i ##### about money and the Lord knows i think i am worth more, lol. (its happened before, got tossed out the door right quick too.) so sometimes you just gotta say #### it and drive on. i work with and for good people so sometimes a buck or two just doesnt really make all that much of a difference. work atmosphere plays a major role. do you have a good working environment? but then there is the equipment too, is it any good? like i said. sometimes that extra buck isnt all that much especially after uncle sam touches you.

anyway. you have a job so be psyched about that. good luck man.

 

[outofmytree]

without being too nosey I am interested in your bonus scale and how you structure it. I ususally give my guys a bonus at Christmas but am considering doing a monthly or weekly plan. Thanks

Our bonus scale is based on gross weekly turnover. I worked out the minimum t/o we needed to stay afloat then doubled it. This is now the threshold for bonus and every thousand we make over that the leading hand gets 10% and the crew get 5% apiece. So if we have a good week and make 5k over target the boys get between $250 and $500 depending on their skills and work ethic.

The trick is to increase productivity without putting anyone at risk. Ideally this means the boys LOOK for something to do instead of being told. I love being able to go and quote and come back to a clean site and a packed up truck. It's worth the money!