M. Tran, owner, Sacramento, California · 6 replies · Oct 4
I run a six-person outfit and I keep losing groundies after four months. In 2025 I paid US$19 an hour and thought that was fair. Now every ad in town says US$22 or better and my guys are looking at them.
What are you paying a ground crew person in 2026, and what do they get for it? Hours, overtime, training, a truck to take home, anything. I would rather pay once and keep people than hire every spring.
We start groundies at US$20 an hour and move them to US$23 after ninety days if they show up and learn the saw. Anyone with a CDL and a clean record gets US$25. Under that and they leave for the warehouse down the road.
CA$24 to start, CA$27 after a season. We pay for first aid and the chainsaw ticket. That kept people more than the extra dollar did.
Tree surgery here, so not a straight comparison. Groundies are on £110 to £130 a day depending on whether they can run the chipper alone. Lunch is not included.
Ex-groundie. US$19 felt fine until I priced rent. Go to US$22 and tell them the path to climbing in the interview. Most of us want to know that more than the number.
CA$22 for green, CA$26 for two years in. Four ten-hour days. Overtime after forty. The four-day week costs me nothing and gets me applicants.
US$21 to start here. Paid by the hour with a four-hour minimum, so a short job in the rain still pays. A groundie who is good on the rope and drag is worth keeping, so raise them before someone else does.