Tacoma Sales in Canada going Soft

Yes this is true, I was thinking of a lot of the higher trim level trucks

 

Time to trade in 2017 for 2020...?

 

The Ranger seems to be more expensive than a similar Tacoma, wonder how it will match up to the F-150s up there.

 

It's the law.

 

Depedns on how you build it, just like the F150 the options are ala carte and packaged so there's a couple of ways to do it. You can get a XL with locker though for under $36K if you're going to build it up which is neat.

 

Ever been to Whistler? Its comical what people do to live around here. I have a federal salary so for the most part I cant just go out and work whenever I please. But damn thats funny, this new generation is hilarious. I was a heavy duty mechanic for just about 10 years before my career switch. You think these kids will pick up a wrench and get their hands dirty? Nope. I feel for the trades nowadays.

 

There has never been more opportunity to make a great living as a tradesman than there is right now. The main issue is that out of desperation, the positions are being filled by people who should not be tradespeople (cross-eyed / addicted / dyslexic / slow-thinking / and colour blind).

If you have any capabilities or work ethic, it’s straight to the front of the pack. Easily top 6 figures if your willing to take on responsibility or put in the hours.

I know new journeymen topping $180K with a basic ticket who are hungry for the hours, or willing to lead the charge.

 

Your so right, I’m hoping to hit 90k this year, and that’s out here in the Maritimes. Which in my mind is bizzare. Like you said good work ethic and willing to put in the extra time and take on responsibility and you’ll be on top making good money in no time. You can go to a trades program for a year maybe 2, a lot of provinces have programs that will pay for a lot of the cost of the program. I’m sure 95% of the students have jobs before there done of the program, and if you work hard and want to learn you will do good. Simple as that. A lot of cases you don’t even need the schooling, get on somewhere and register as an apprentice.

 

Another huge problem with the trades, locally anyways, is the way the system to get your ticket is setup. In theory it should work great but I know many no so on the up and up companies will pick up someone for an apprenticeship and dump them in year two or three when they get their significant raises. Then it takes forever for that individual to find a company that wants to pick them up as a third year. I think at some point they need to explore changing that system so that trades apprenticeships are assigned similar to professional apprenticeships.

 

Mostly, the guys getting dumped when the apprenticeship is progressing weren’t earning their keep....that’s all, and it’s really their own fault. They survived as low-earning apprentices because they made the company money at $20/hr, but are not worth it at $45/hr. It’s just math. You have to be worth the wage and some guys just aren’t willing to work hard enough, or smart enough, to deserve it.

 

I wish I could agree with you, but during the downturn I watched some pretty shitty companies start axing their higher end apprenticeships to save cash. I totally agree that when there is lots of work that it rarely happens but when the work gets thinner and bids get tighter you have to make sure you’re with a reputable company. I see no reason why assignment wouldn’t work to fix some of that. The shit would still get skimmed off, actually they’d probably be gone faster since there isn’t as much personal involvement as there is review of the work.

 

I think you misunderstand what it means to be a tradesperson. You are not filling a mandated “position”. You live or die on your personal usefulness or necessity to a customer or business owner.

All arrangements are temporary. It is not at all like working for the government or a corporation. It is much more akin to being a prostitute, truthfully.

If you are making money for your employer (pimp), or serving the needs of a client (john), you stay busy, as logic dictates. If your efforts or skills are marginal, you will see periods without work.

As a tradesperson YOU are the brand (even as an employee) and it is entirely up to YOU to out-compete everyone else vying for your job.

If you get laid off it is YOUR problem and it is up to YOU to find other work.

People who think the world owes them a living, or do not understand they are in the business of creating profits for their employer fail in the trades.

There are no “positions” as a tradesperson. There is only your personal usefulness.

That’s what I like about it. The sky is the limit, and there’s nothing to hold you back if you have the drive and willingness to do the things needing doing.

It’s simple.

 

I get that but you also assume I don’t think the same way . That being said I still think it’s shitty when companies cut people who are pulling their weight but too high on the pay scale. It’s one thing when you have a ticket and can go somewhere else or start your own thing, I’m just not a fan when someone is working hard, earning the company money, trying to get their ticket, and the owner/operator cuts them over a younger person based strictly on salary.

 

Again YMMV, I’m not here to say the world should be fair or something like that. Just that there are shitty people and shitty employers out there who make stupid decisions.

 

No one “pulling their weight” is cut. It’s just that simple. If there is work and they get rid of you, I guess your weren’t that great. It’s a free market at its most basic level. No employer, with work, is going to let a profitable employee go. If you’re not profitable......see yah later.

I’ve worked a pile in Whistler, and there’s certainly a plethora of young fellows there, trying to be ski-bums or MTB hippies, and fund that lifestyle with a trade on the side. That’s not typically what it takes to rise up in the trades.

 

That's not my experience with some people I know well. They're not ski bums, trust me. I'm glad you've never seen someone make a short term gain long term loss decision with your paycheck. That being said to each their own, I'm not here to argue the point.

 

I should also say, without telling a long tale, that two of them managed to find a master electrician and fund a startup electrical company from some inheritance. They're probably the wealthiest people I know and they're all women. If you ever had a beer with them they have some awesome stories and witnesses to back them.

 

I like this, good thing about being a Tradesman is that when you get enough skills in the Trade you can eventually kick the Pimp to the curb and start turning your own tricks, that's the real way to stick it to the man.

 

Truth.....and you don’t run out of work when you lose your looks either, based on the ugly mofos I work with.