local driver

driver

chauffeur classe 1

mécanicien poids lourds

truck driver

Contrans

The company has greatly declined over the years. Now you’re basically just a number to them. You will be argued with tooth and nail if you push back when you’re given an impossible workload. They will give you loads 4 hours apart with the first one delivering 3 hours away and expect you on time at the second. If you share a truck, it’s your fault if you’re late because the other driver ran late. Trailer not loaded on time, your fault. No matter what mistakes the office makes, they’re always your fault. They’ve been known to mess up vacation times, sometimes resulting in employees missing more days than they originally intended. Maintenance is horrible, and roadside? Forget about it. Half your day can be lost through the maze of phone calls. Regular maintenance or something broken before you leave? Just head out and place it out of service when you get in. As for hours it seems to be all or none. You either work crazy or you get almost nothing. If you point it out you’ll either get less or you’ll be overworked. Or they may tell you to do things other than what you were hired to do under the guise of “if you say no you’re refusing work”. Dispatch seldom works with drivers unless they like you. Upper management has shuffled too much as well and not for the better. The good ones have all pretty much left. The training has become non existent and it shows. From new drivers almost driving off the scale in the yard to drivers leaving without inflating trailer suspensions, the quality and care just isn’t there anymore. The benefits are pretty good but wages are stagnant. Raises are seldom handed out and nothing is given for seniority or experience. You at times also have to chase for your money, whether it be missing hours if hourly, or missing miles or tarping if your mileage. And it HAS TO go through management. Payroll is no longer allowed to just fix it for you, and management will fight to not spend more than they have to. Definitely there as a last resort or as a way to gain some experience, but don’t expect a long term career here.

The beauty of this place is there is no pressure. I work and run my way on elog or when it was paper. I’ve been here 11 years on same liquid board. While no job is perfect this one is pretty close for me. We still get uniforms allowance. We get driver safety awards which are pretty good. We also get a bonus at Christmas. 
  It is open door policy for me. I have no filters. I say what I think. I take it when I’m wrong or did something  wrong. Every trucking job has good runs and bad runs. Home Time is what you get anywhere in a long haul environment. Life is too short too get worried about when and how long you get home. My pay is always there. Occasionally missed something which they rectify right away on next pay
  I have paid for three trucks here. Paid my house bills. Isn’t that what we truckers do. We work hard for our families. I had many jobs before staying here. I like it and I am open book to anyone who asks. 
  There is no pressure when weather gets bad. No load worth your life. Never an issue here. Maintence of equipment is non issue. They fix anything I mention. 
  The management and office are always great to me. I’m a joker who will tease the VP down to the wash rack fellow. Have fun and be safe is a good way to work and I can do that here. I’m not the high revenue broker. I’m a middle of the pack kind of guy. I earn the same every year I’ve been here give or take a few grand. No worries. I like my job. 
  The only thing I regret is they don’t get to NS enough. I’m a Maritime fellow who has to work at Contrans in Woodstock,but would love to live in NS. Maybe my next eleven years we can get that done. Cheers. Stay save. Hope this helps any who read it

A typical day at Contrans would entail delivering drywall on hard pushed delivery appointments to various customers, mainly around the GTA and across the 401 to Quebec. Loads were never loaded at the plant on time so you would be expected to wake up at all times of the night to make early morning appointments. Spent lots of time sitting in GTA rush hour trying to make it back to the yard at the end of the day, paid by the mile. 

After a couple years of working there, It became apparent the dispatchers / office admin see you as a truck # covering a load #. Little effort was made to give you loads in your home area. Too many employees working within the office that have no knowledge of the industry and what it entails. Trucks were always new, however severely under spec’d for the weights that the company pulls, mainly automatic now with collision control. Trailers and other equipment were in ok equipment, however I do believe the equipment is starting to show its age. On a positive note, pay was usually pretty good but you had to put in a lot of time to make the pay including weekend work. 

While I would not recommend the company if you are interested in regional or long haul Canada work, I do believe the hourly local drivers as well as some of the US drivers have decent gigs worked out.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The equipment was well serviced and they didn't run old tired trucks.  They made sure you could be home every weekend which was nice.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Their loading and delivering times were based on driving time on Google maps which isn't for truck routes and they didn't add in stopping for lunch and or supper breaks or showers which was very frustrating 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
This was very good.  They treated their drivers with respect and small gifts periodically like T shirts and hoodies,  pocket knives, thermos with the Contrans logo for a few examples

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Like most driving jobs they were long days maxing out your hours but if everything is going well they never bothered you much and if you had a break down they had contracts with any service company close enough to anywhere you were it usually wasn't a super long wait for someone to get to you

i worked for Contrans for just shy of 6 years starting out as a tarper in Oakville then moved to being a shunter and eventually becoming a lead hand. opportunity came up to be lead hand in Hagersville which was closer to home for me but the management is just plain terrible!! they have no idea what it takes to make this place run and try to change things that dont need to be changed. they refuse to give any type of raise to anyone and therefore turned it into a revolving door of employees. 

the benefits were good but one pro compared to dozens of cons make this a very toxic place to work. they bring guys off the street with 0 knowledge of the job or industry and pay them more than the employees that have been here for years. 

you are nothing more than a number to them and will not even bat an eye when it comes to replacing you,

The Cardinal terminal is a great place to work. They are always busy and have multiple contracts with major customers, so you are always busy and never bored. Management is always there to listen to your needs and help you advance. I started in their Wash Bay and they helped me achieve my A license and then they gave me a job as a loader. I’m now a highway driver with a plan to become an owner operator. They have helped many company guys become owner operators. The shop manager and the mechanics are world class, it doesn’t matter where or when, someone will answer the phone on the first ring and help get you rolling.

Basically you go in at 6 or 7 or 8, depending on when they need you, you maybe start slow sweeping the shop, but eventually they need a truck or trailer washed, if a truck is being washed you go to the washbay and start, if just a trailer needs to be washed you go out back.  You will do this all day until they ask you to do some silly job you will think is dumb until you look back on it 2 years later.  Lunch time was nice, and sometime after lunch you could sit around for an extra hour talking to the mechanics, it wasn't a very demanding job and I made one of my best friends doing it.

I have really enjoyed my role and experience so far with Contrans. I am continuously learning something new and am challenged to do better each day. The company culture is very good and I enjoy working with everyone. Management is great and is always looking ahead for new ways to improve the company. Growth potential within the company is excellent with training and support. 
Some days/weeks are busier than others with some on call duties. However, everyone in team works very well together to accommodate fairly. No complaints overall!  

What is the best part of working at the company?
Pay is good  and benefits .equipment is ok .



What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Management and Dispatchers don’t care about the drivers.
They like to push you.
Don’t care about your hours of service only profit.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Don’t care about you and management is not professional.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Dealing with unprofessional management and dispatcher.

Moderate independence with good dispatchers but terrible management.  No matter what, the onus and fault of all situations is the drivers and you are left to continuously defend yourself, even with documentation and evidence exonerating you.  The work, pay, and job itself wasn't bad, just the treatment from the higher ups that lack logic and dignity.  The driver is always left twisting in the wind.

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