mickfly

I see the forum is once again lively with complaints about Canadian OTR companies.

Moaning about being sat unpaid for hours, whilst the office staff get paid for every minute their available for work!
etc etc

The responses just the same as well...

It's not the companies it's the lazy Brit drivers, who, if they won't give in become losers and whiners, and by definition liars.

It's "The Canadian Way" boys, so suck it up... or leave, and don't come here telling your lies about the Canadian trucking companies.

Bulk admits in court to withholding money from 21 drivers, and people pop up here to support the bloody pirate!
Ayr pays minimum wage (IF you can get the miles) to trainees for extended periods, and people blame drivers for leaving!
Most companies say obn their webstes that they pay various things like layover...then they don't, and people say drivers should STFU or leave... I despair, I really do.

alandoug

We all have our own experiences Mike. Same as you. Bulk got an absloute discharge.

I'm still on my probationary pay & netted $1508 last fortnight's work.

mickfly

Absoloute discharge yes, but they still ADMITTED that they had withheld money from 21 drivers which is not the right way to behave towards anyone whom you owe money to.
Obviously I can only comment on the court case, not on any other aspect of their business, as I didn't work for them.
Glad you're doing OK BTW.

kb33

Once again you seem to be trying to justify your reasons for going back to the UK.
Fact is there are hundreds of UK drivers all living happily out here and quite a few that worked for H&R and some of the other less than reputable companies.

Get over the fact that some got lucky and made a go of it whilst for whatever reason you didn't , You seem quite resentful of the ones that made the move a success ?

mickfly

Once again?
I'm hardly ever on this forum!

Not resentful for one minute about peoples success, and doubtful wether luck comes into it at all, but there are also many families who lost everything on a move to Canada where, in reality they have no control over their earnings, and if they have no backup plan, even if they are frivolous in their lifestyle, they are fooked.

"Get over the fact that some got lucky and made a go of it whilst for whatever reason you didn't"

I chose not to return to a crap company, it didn't lose my self respect over there, or go against my principals, and as I have money in the bank and property in the UK, it's no big deal to me.

The only reason I do comment is as warnings to other people (families) to try and make them aware that there are companies ready to exploit them, who treat immigrant workers simply as a disposable commodities.

kb33

Did I say just this forum ?


Crap company ? in your eyes maybe , But many others have made the move with them successfully and one positive thread on here, which you declined to contribute I notice.

Also are you saying that drivers that stayed in Canada have no self respect or principals ?

mickfly

Anyone reading this might assume that's what you meant.



Which company? I'm not allowed to mention them, or contribute to threads about them.

No, but many drivers do allow themselves to be treated badly whilst waiting for PR, of that, I have no doubt.

I also noticed that people complaining about Ayr are garnering some support, although I'll bet it soon turns to personal attacks on their own abilities, rather than the behaviour of the company.

kb33

Your just another BT ...

Anyway mission accomplished , thread hijacked

bobthedog

You do certainly seem to imply that I may have foregone my principles and rolled over as an example. It is far from true though. I stand my ground but I also am prepared to push hard, work hard and get the job, whatever job, done. I take the crappier work on the understanding that something better will come after, and you know something, it always does work out.

couple of weeks back I tipped out in Houston and they ran me over to Atlanta to reload golf carts. Unfortunately, the load wasn't ready so I helped load the other trailers while I was there because it was better than sitting around. I got paid layover and loading for the other trailers, and they got me a load heading west so I could come home. The load was a cracker, winnipeg and Surrey, BC. I reloaded the same day and was home again on the Friday. You really can't ask for more than that.

So by being helpful to avoid being bored, I got paid $250 for my time, a good run west, had 3 full days at home.. That is simple enough.. I worked, I got paid.

The facts about Bulk are that some are happy, others are not. same as the red firm, same as the green firm.. You get paid for what you do and that is how they do it.. Seems fair enough.

Not so sure abouth the white firm, although my impression is not favourable.

mickfly

"You get paid for what you do and that is how they do it.. Seems fair enough."

Not for the guys at Ayr it seems, who are sitting in the company house WILLING to work...but not earning
S
ame as me and MANY others sitting in the J at Calgary, the kill plant at High River, or in the company yard for hours and sometimes DAYS, WILLING to work, but not getting dispatches... OR layover pay.

A genuine question here Bob, as a dispatcher, would you be willing to sit in the company office all day unpaid as they tell you it was quiet, then work through the night when they finally gave you something to do?

How about your frequent rants about people who do OTR then change jobs when they get PR, being dishonest people, but you are willing to believe everything a certain recruiter (ex-driver, went to work in the office the day after getting PR) tells you!

The two bloggers mentioned by BT on another thread will hopefully ride out their personal storms, but if not I don't think they (along with many other hard working honest men) should be slagged off as losers and lazy Brits.
You know yourself it takes a lot to make a move to another country, and it is not usually undertaken by lazy incompetents.

It's very true that the drivers biggest enemy is...other drivers.
Yes, the very ones who SHOULD be supporting each other (especially if they have families) are usually the first to slag off fellow drivers instead of looking at the way things work over there.

The biggest lie is..."You can't change anything".
It is the most defeatest statement anyone could make.
You can change things by voting with your feet, leaving, and making other people aware of the pitfalls.
Unfortunately, that is only easy for single men or people in my position. The family failures, usually fail big time, and lose everything.

P.S. I just got back from Canada, free flights Heathrow to Montreal return, a limo ride, a visit to Ottowa, then family business in New York.
Still enjoy the place, and may even be back to work there (minus the blogs or forum visits next time).

kb33

Please tell me where these drivers are called lazy or losers ? (Apart from Gremmie calling you a loser which was just part of your dislike for each other )

If anyone as gone home because things haven't worked out it certainly isn't because they are lazy.

You know or at least should have known before you came over how things work at certain companies, (And even if you don't a quick chat with some of the other drivers when you arrive should at least get you prepared for what may lie ahead ) I always stood my ground at Westcan and if I had a problem I went in to see the Boss and sorted things out without shouting and stamping my feet of course

On the odd occasion they woudn't see my point of view , I simply put it behind me and moved on " Don't get mad get even " is the phrase that springs to mind. And I'm doing that right now,

Far too many Brits come over here with an attitude and think the place owes them something . I have heard it time and time again "I ain't doing that " "They can get stuffed if they think I'm doing that " etc etc

Then blow all the house equity on all sorts of things and blame the company for not letting them earn as much as they thought.

Of course we never get to know the full story on these blogs or forums, Drivers only tell you what they want you to know.

Gremmie

Thats pretty low.

kb33

Gotta say Westcan nearly put me off coming out here at the 2 interviews , Answered all 30 odd questions I had written down and they were all pretty much accurate answers as well as it turned out.

Told me about the mixed emotions we would go through , the home sickness which kicks in anywhere between 3 and 6 months , The fact that we would be spending more than we were earning for the first 3 months. How plenty have gone back to the UK for various reasons. How hard they would work me .

I get the impression that some come over here just because they can and want some sort of paid sight seeing trip , They seem to ignore the bigger picture and it's always the companies fault when things don't turn out how they hoped it would .

To the OP - Still haven't answered my question

hughes3005

if you are paid right and paid for trailer pick up and drops and Not waiting for the phone to ring it would be a sound job.
much better driving in Canada and US than UK

mickfly

"Please tell me where these drivers are called lazy or losers ? (Apart from Gremmie calling you a loser which was just part of your dislike for each other )"

This one?

Try reading the comments on my blogs, and see where others have been bundled together with me as described.

Also on the forums, where new posters are slagged off... and dissapear immediately, after all what's the point in trying to warn others (families) when people are so quick to defend the companies, who are only interested in making a profit.

Shoot the messenger eh?

Too easy KB.

There is a thread about Ayr right now, and the ones telling the facts will soon disappear, as the company supporters shout them down and decide it's the drivers fault for not accepting the chit conditions, after all, "it's the Canadian way"


BTW: "Don't get mad, get even"?
What do you think I've been doing on the blogs?
Dave Foder looks in on the blogs every day to see if I've posted anything new, so it keeps me happy.