To the prime's, you have too many subcontractors, subcontracting the work you subcontracted. It's diminishing the price, which diminishes quality. Those guys don't actually do this work.
You need to go meet with the hands-on guys on the ground actually doing your work. Look at the locate tickets, if they even exist. Check the dates and times on jobs. Find out why things really aren't getting done.
If you're complicit in this nonsense, then shame on you. If you're unaware, and tired of having pointless meetings with terrified middle aged con artist? Then go ask that sweaty kid what he's being paid to half do that job... ask him about his training phase... if there was one. Ask your best guy who's knocking jobs out, if he's training other guys, and for how much has he been compensated to do so? Ask about his lunch break, or how deep each utility is supposed to be?
Underground work is an unrecognized trade, and it can be very dangerous, costly, and time consuming! Most of these kids have no idea what's in the ground. There's no class, there's a standard no one follows, and a lot of guys trying to pass responsibility for damages down the chain.
There's multiple crews, getting paid McDonald's wages, quite literally, to put your cables in the ground, and they're unknowingly giving your cable companies a bad reputation.
This seems, to us, the way you like it. We don't have time to slow down, because we have to do numbers to stay employed. We can't afford helpers or assistance, and often team up on work just to get difficult jobs done. We can't afford or maintain our tools and equipment. We're not told about work in certain areas that go unaddressed for months. We're not compensated for travel. Then when we get to outer area locations, we're only told about a quarter of the work in that area. Most times there's no locates, or we have traveled there just to find out locates need to be called, and we can't touch the work. Which is a waste of everyone's time and money. We're also aware you pay them alot of that for quality work, so where exactly is that money going? Because ya get what you pay for right? What are you getting?
They only check behind us to save their skin, not ahead of us to make sure we're even able to do the job in the first place. Most of the jobs they tell you they can "handle", actually require directional bore crews, because there's all sorts of costly utilities under the roads, driveways, and sidewalks. They don't want to pay the cost for that, and will have some unaware novice out taking chances with his life without sufficient locate marks or dig approval ticket. Under-equipped, undermanned, not experienced, and likely not covered under anyone's insurance.
These "no conscience policy" digging practices you're adopting by association, is starting to become commonplace. If you've got time for a meeting, you've got time for a ride along.
Thank you for your time, and thank you to everyone trying to do it right!
