Conductor, CN Rail

Being a Conductor at CN wouldn't be a bad job, if you are young, single have no life outside of work and don't want one.  There is a toxic work culture between the Unionized members and Management, with you as the new employee caught right in the middle. Once you're completed your training at the CN Campus, you can expect to be treated like garbage and nobody really wants to help you learn your job, because you're a pain in the rear to the qualified conductors, who just want to work and not train people.  It's a highly dangerous job, made more dangerous by the attitudes of your co-workers. "Don't break the safety rules, but I'm going to break them all the time. Just don't do what I do, or you'll get fired, but if you don't keep up, you'll also get fired."  I saved them the trouble and quit.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The pay and benefits are some of the best I have seen in the private sector, strong company.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There were train supervisors the spent a lot of time trying to get people sent through their kangaroo court system or outright fired.  Being perpetually on call constantly with very irregular work schedules for road work can be nerve wracking

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
There are really no typical days on the railway.

Conductors are expected to be available 24/7/365. Management have a quote of how many PMRC "effeciency tests" they have to do so they're always hiding looking to get you in trouble yet telling you to break rules and or don't even understand them correctly in many cases. Terrible maintenance of equipment. Work life balance is poor and you might get paid ok but if you're in BC or some other areas you might get paid 20-40% less than the CN mainline agreement and you won't know until you finish training.

What is the best part of working at the company?
None, terrible management, no time off

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
24 hr call, can't book off, would get disciplined. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Terrible, dog eat dog. Constantly monitored  by management.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Wait to get called for work 24 7 365.
 No holidays off if required to work.

Great coworkers and running  trains was the best part of the job. 
Seniority dictates work assignments. 
If you have good seniority, you will have better control of your work/ life balance. 
Good compensation and benefits. 
Very good defined benefit pension plan. 

You'll always be busy, great pay but no schedule so you may have very little family time. There are a lot of rules that need to be fallowed and the company has great programs to help you develop your career path.

No matter what,  you can get laid off at any time.  Always on call, bosses are constantly settling you up for failure. Your just a number and always will be. 




A hard but well worth it career, being a conductor at CN is a rewarding challenge. Hot or cold, rain or shine, youll be working  on the ground, walking miles and miles, and riding the trains across western canada.

This is a good paying job but you must remember that you will be working holidays in the cold, the rain, the snow, day and night. Spare board sucks because you don't know when you're working until the phone rings.

i want to be part of a great respectable team and company that provides great wages and security. I enjoy working outdoors and i am a hard worker that can bring lots of knowledge.

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