It took the company about six months to contact me after initial application. The night before they fired an employee on the spot and left him stranded in a town I later found out. They called me up, asked me if I knew how to use a basic volt/ohm meter and asked if I drank or used drugs. The answers were yes, no, and no. They told me to report immediately to a doctors office across town to have a physical and drug test. I passed both with flying colors, and the next day they placed me into on the job training with another employee. They paid me $12/hr for training, and the first ninety days of employment. Training consisted of literally one day of riding along with an employee. Somehow we are expected to go from knowing nothing about railroad signaling to being able to troubleshoot/repair/inspect this critical piece of railroad safety infrastructure overnight. The very next day I was turned loose on my own, and without any help. I did not have the slightest clue what I was doing and yet was expected to perform up to standards with no help. Thankfully I survived the first ninety days. After ninety days, benefits such as health care kick in and you get a pay bump to $16/hr. Do not expect to be able to use your health benefits however, as you can never get time off to visit a physician.