Canadian good and bad trucking companies

OK, here's a few highlights:
1. Being told to take a set of hoppers out at 4 am when none of the lights worked, and getting screamed at and insulted for saying no.
2. Being told that running over hours and paying DOT fines is my job and if I can't handle it I should quit and go elsewhere.
3. Paying DOT fines is what my paychecks are for!
4. Since I'm not married I don't need time off and I should never ask.
5. Was told to pick up a load of potash with dirty trailers and getting insulted and having the rest of the week off for saying no. Another driver did it, the load was contaminated and sold as salvage. Driver was kicked off hoppers for a year.
6. Got short-loaded for three months, (5 hours per day when there were over 400 loads waiting to be picked up) for the crime of booking a vacation for the first time in 2 years. I'm never around when they need me!
7. Blew a steer one day, and shop manager yelled at me for abusing the truck Tires never just blow, I must have hit something! Told him I hit the white paint. He waited 5 hours before calling the shop at Esterhazy to bring me a replacement. He blames all breakdowns on the drivers because repairs are money out of his budget.
8. Been yelled at, insulted and had load after load sabotaged because I stop every 200 km to check my equipment.
9. Dispatch is incompetent, but no matter what and screw-up is the drivers fault. Any driver that tells a customer otherwise is being rude and, since saying anything bad about the company is against the rules, may get a sudden vacation.
10. Was told to take a load of soda ash to Wpg from Bdn one day, and was laughed at for saying the 224 km run could not be done in less than 2 hours. The dispatcher, Jeanette, can do it in her Mustang, so what's my problem? If I was nice to her I could do it!
11. Was yelled at and insulted for taking time out of driving to make sure my brakes were correctly adjusted, and that my log was legal, after passing a level one DOT inspection!
As for advertising, they go through ALOT of drivers. They're loosing business because of their incompetence and stupidity so they're not expanding. Pauls could nbot keep 5 live bottom trailers on the road, but Burbank is now running 19 hauling the same potatoes Pauls failed at. Pauls no longer owns live bottoms. Tiger Tank Lines also took away all their calcuim spreading business.
Long story short, I worked there because most companies won't hire newbies, survived the abuse, abd have literally gone on to bigger and better things. In case anyone thinks I'm the F-up, 10 years, 1,400,000km in 4 provinces, hauling hoppers, tanks, dump trucks, and now turnpikes and not one ticket by DOT or police. Tanis wants driver who will do what ever she says no matter what the personal consequences to them. She's a control freak who thrives on arguements and abusing others. If I had to do my career over, I would have taken the job hauling gravel locally instead of going there.
Did I mention that they love to short change drivers? One guy got his million mile watch and when he retired a month later was screamed at my the manager to give it back!
I quit because the abuse got to be too much, the loss of customers was cutting my pay, and the digital logbooks are a PITA. Love my new job soo much I regularly ask for extra runs on the weekends. Should have switched years ago!

 

^^ I CURUMBA !! ^^ ......... now THAT probably won't show up on Paul's website !!!

 

Well here is my two cents:

LMT Transport: average runs, mostly Ontario->Winnipeg->Chicagoland rounders or Virginias/Carolinas. Average pay at .41 cpm to start capping out at .45 cpm after a year. I gave them notice on a Friday, they sat me home the following Monday, daytrip Tuesday so I bailed and went to new job Wednesday. They have a dopey, ###-kissing driver manager that tried to claw back a bunch of money illegally, Labour Canada is chasing them for me now. Trucks are sub=par 2011 Internationals with the awful MaxxFarts engine. Owner parks about $1 million dollars in sports cars in the garage to rub the drivers noses in it.

Verspeeten Cartage: they had good GM Michigan-Oshawa runs when I was with them in the late 90's early 2000's, but the brothers were such colossal pricks and had so much hate for each other, it wasn't a nice place to be. There is a second generation now coming up, so nepotism is rampant and they young ones are more annoying than the old ones. I almost killed Mark Verspeeten once. Total dick

Ryder Integrated (Toyota): Okay runs, typical big company where you are more a 6 digit number than a name, but overall, relatively stress free. Equipment leaves a bit to be desired and maintenance can be an issue as the shop guys are overworked and don't seem to give a f&*( about anything.

Victoria (now Cooney): First trucking job I had, was teamsters and was terrible. Senior guys were getting as many hours as they wanted and I was getting 6-20 hours a week, nightshift, mostly delivering to SCM/Walmart warehouses. Not sure what they are like now

Challenger (Toyota local division): Easy work, making usually a grand a week gross, sometimes more, sometimes less. Is run more or less independent of the main fleet and you get a new run every month like all Toyota. The only problem is I am with a drivers service and have been for 7 months now, have been asking for permanent hire for couple of months and I am getting strung along. As an 18 year vet with all kinds of experience, might be time to move on.

I am interviewing with Cole Carriers to do steel-hauling local Ontario and may be starting with them within weeks. Anybody have any info on them? Their safety looks really good, but can't get info on what guys are making and if they are happy.

 

Daville Transport - add another to this list. making sure i have all the facts together and having to take them to court for my last pay

 

Beginning to wonder if we should have a thread about good companies. Gotta be at least 2 out there, right?

 

working for a good company (Trent Logistics) now, but miles are a little lower than I like.

 

How many miles are you averaging? And what do you haul for them?

 

Before you spend any of your hard earned money on legal proceedings, take them to the Labour Board, if they are federally mandated (international carrier) you go through the Federal Labour Board, but if provincial routes only, go through your provincial Ministry of Labour. They do a full investigation and apply Labour act rulings to your case and force the carrier to pay. If they refuse to pay they will take the legal action to recoup your money at no cost to you.

 

I see so many companies that people are saying to stay away from. Can someone give me an idea of good companies in the Southern Ontario region that takes new drivers. I have been looking at Kriska. Are there any drivers here that have driven for them or still drive for them that can give me some feedback.