mécanicien poids lourds

truck loader

truck driver

chauffeur classe 1

loader

On a typical day, I started early in the morning and performed my truck pre-trip inspections, completed my DVIR and got repairs and/or maintenance performed as needed. When I was able to leave the yard, I started in the downtown area and worked to complete my route, doing my best to finish everything I could; I was pulling bins, some of them heavy and/or for a long distance to dump in my truck (PHYSICALLY DEMANDING/HAND-BOMBING!). 
I would spend anywhere between two minutes and two hours at a place because I went from the smallest of places to the biggest of places to perform service and driving times would vary from five-ten minutes to one hour between locations.
Working for GFL near the downtown Toronto area was my overall best and most beneficial working experience (because a tough job can be a good job);
My advice to another person is work hard, work with a sense of urgency and drive safely because it does pay off
Be courteous, friendly and respectful with all of your co-workers, supervisors, mechanics, other GFL employees and management and you will be respected and accepted
The management treated me fairly, within reason (THAT WAS MY EXPERIENCE)
The drivers were a pretty good group to work with and get along with(I see some of them around my neighbourhood sometimes).
Tough working environment not for everyone, only resilient people
Working for GFL is an opportunity to earn decent money, i.e. getting some overtime hours pays off; it is not a job or company to dismiss if you are looking for work as a truck driver and are new in the career field (unless the physical aspect is not for you).
The hardest part of the job is driving in Toronto, especially the downtown area and/or being caught up in slow moving highway traffic on occasion (I WAS ABLE TO AVOID DRIVING IN THE CORE)
The most enjoyable part of the job is, on occasion,encountering young people who treat waste disposal truck drivers and loaders with respect!

It is hard to comprehend the daily chaos at GFL. This IS the workplace culture. Minimal planning and those plans are changed at the drop of the hat. There is always a manager, supervisor or office type who swoops in, changing everything about the operation at a moments notice.

For myself, a typical work day  starts with a crushing load of pickups and work. I work 12-14 hour days. The dispatchers gives you more work than can possibly be done, either because of distance and number of pickups or because the truck will be overweight. Almost all the drivers at our location drive overweight. This is the only way we can "keep up with the pace." Those who don't are slowly pushed out.

The equipment is passable at best. There is zero time at my location allotted for maintenance.   I have been pushed out several times in a truck that does not meet compliance. To refuse to drive that vehicle will mean the end for you at GFL. They will not formally get rid of you, but make work so horrible you quit. 

The most enjoyable part of the job is the end of the work day, followed by pay day. I have been employed full time for 30 years and rarely jump ship. I am regarded by my manager and customers as a skilled operator with 15 years experience in my field.  Yet GFL keeps breaking its promises of training, new equipment, proper maintenance regularly etc while demanding 120% everyday. Quite frankly, I am just waiting for a similar position to become open at one of our competitors and will leave the moment I can.

Honestly, this is the worst job I have ever had. I am a skilled individual who is a high performer. I have the annual reviews to prove this. However, at GFL, that does not matter. Unless you work in an office at GFL, you are just a "worker" and will be endlessly micro managed and over worked for the benefit of the "bonus eligible" management.

As a plant operator at GFL, a typical day of work includes operation and maintenance of various equipment around the site, completing lots and lots of safety related paperwork, taking waste samples, entering site info into spreadsheets, and communicating and coordinating with staff from other departments to ensure collection, production, and storage of waste products enter and leave the facility safely and easily. 

Management communicates with employees effectively by having team meetings often, providing thorough mandatory online training, and having a zero workplace accident goal in mind at all times. 

A incident reporting tool in the form of an app is encouraged to be used every day for near misses, incidents, and accidents. There are incentives like prize draws for entries into the app, for people who participate in making GFL safer.

Wages are arguably slightly below industry standard. However there are a multitude of perks that come with your employment including: Occasional free lunch's, company cell phone provided, fully stocked fridge with Gatorades sparkling water, free coffee for employees, onsite parking for personal vehicle, good benefit package, observes most stat holidays, work boot allowance, clean break room/facilities, and some facility's even have billiard and ping pong tables to grab a quick game with a co worker on your break. 

Overall I'm a fairly satisfied worker.

Pass the interview, everything goes well, I'm already starting... first impression... the person in charge is rushing me to work without real training and familiarization with their ways… everything is done in a rush im taking notes like a crazy person. They needed someone to start fast to replace the last one. Since it's the world upside down in their way of doing things... I'm bombarded with info. Colleagues were too often speaking in their native language.
(Prepare yourself to not feel included if you don’t ). They try to help by answering my questions but with the upside down system and the amount of information and no real training it was barely helpful. Not even two weeks of actual work, skating around because everyone is busy. I'm not trained and used to a chaotic work system... everyone does whatever they want and you end up doing other people's jobs... in short, I'm told, 'Oh dear, sorry, you're fired(because I can't keep up with the pace in their chaos…) its supposed to be a simple job right? You know with a clear and working system like every where else.
I hope they change their ways for future candidates because it's clearly going badly.
Oh I forgot the best part : The worst thing is, they came to me all smiley to fire me, and then they escorted me out like I was a random intruder(im laughing right now but this was humiliating for no reason) I was so confused; I didn’t even get to say goodbye to anyone. I’ve never been treated like that before. Really weird management, but I believe karma is real, especially since I turned down other offers to work there… worst mistake ever. All the best !


Try your absolute hardest to avoid working for this company at all costs. You will be: overworked, undertrained, lied to, manipulated, and expected to keep a happy face while being treated like trash from every member of management. 

I tried my best to look past the plethora of red flags when I started with GFL. Every single box truck driver had just quit at the same time, so when I started, I had zero training and was expected to fully pick up the slack that was left from the previous drivers. Nearly every member of staff had a laundry list of issues they had with management that they were quick to indulge you with, or they had a list of previous employees who had substantial issues with management that went unresolved, with some even ending with a physical altercation. 

My GFL branch was riddled with cliques, interpersonal drama  that I can only describe as "grade school drama", and a drastically broken power dynamic where certain "cliques" did whatever they wanted, even openly defying management on a habitual basis. The best (and smartest) people I met during my short time with GFL were the employees who did their best to stay in their lane, keep their head down, and keep interactions with staff and management to a bare minimum. This is not the kind of work environment that any professional adult should be expected to tolerate. 

Management is the worst.  Reporting safety issues does you no good.  Was told to just pick up your route or we will find someone else to do your job.  Managers do not investigate incidents and tell drivers just to pay for them.  HR does nothing to fix any problems you might have.  If you have an issue that is making your performance go down, you better fix it yourself or they will find a way to fire you.  Oh by the way, if you get fired, DO NOT expect to find another job because whoever answers calls from future employers will slander you.  If you have personal issues that impact your driving, just put in your 2 week notice.  You will be fired for having anxiety due to family life.  They have no compassion for their employees, or do anything to help them.  You are making a bad decision to work for this company.

Managers defiantly have favorites, and if your a immigrant...forget it.  

Before you work here I suggest researching the Labour Board or Employment Standards.

The equipment breaks down constantly, but that is expected because you driving a heavy duty truck constantly hauling 8 tons to the dump 3 or 4 times a day (10 to 16 hrs a day).  

Mechanic staff is the best part of the Winnipeg GFL.  They are pretty awesome.  They do the best with what they have.  When I was there GFL could not pay for the outside work to be done on trucks, and I would go months without my assigned truck.  Not mention they keep raising rates on commercial service and would not be surprised if that division was liquidated.

Toxic workplace culture overload !!!

Demonized for sick days but being away from the office for their benefit to complete a route was ok. 🤦

Way too many people in one area of the building !!

A concerning amount of G-A-Y jokes from management. 🤮 Very distasteful.

Weird little whisper conversations and closed door conversations were very disturbing as well .

The person who I initially replaced moved to another department in same office area still and they constantly micromanaged my work.

This person I replaced was advertised to me as not being competent enough to do the job.
(why the hired me to replace them )
but then ended up being the person training me and checking my work..🤣 lol.

I brought 15+ years of waste related experience to the table when I came on board and had worked at this station as a driver for several years prior to coming back for this dispatch role.

Some aspects of the Job were great for the most part until I was expected to repeatedly jump in a truck for a week at a time and cover a route out of town with very little notice and have to abandon my dispatch duties to the person who I replaced.
This was chaotic and never a smooth transition from truck to office . This could have been far better supported by management.

Also Training in general was subpar,
communication was horrendous,
Negative attitudes towards the company and people regularly expressing that they hate their job or that the company sucks.. this was mostly in the office level not the field staff. 🤦.


Whether you’re considered a rookie or a long standing regular, the routine appears to be the same:
6 a.m. start
7 a.m. curbside / 7:30 in a certain community
Work until daily maps are done.

If you’re interested in clocking hours/making dollars in the physically demanding role of Operator/Swamper, then check it out. Along with the usual products, this workload only intensifies spring through fall with yard clean-up & large item collections. 

Therefore, if you have the endurance for this trashy environment, wear your steel-toed hip waders as stepping in it, is unavoidable. 

A prime example would be the consistent-inconsistencies of what should be universal manual collecting, Maybe GFL Health & Safety can explain why they oblige some communities that allow products curbside, in receptacles that are banned elsewhere?  

Another case in point would be the variety of responsibilities given to unqualified staff. Although GFL has a thorough online training program, the street actions of some were quite unnerving. The work is challenging enough & can be made better or worse, by those around you. Again, maybe GFL Human Resources can explain hiring some staff for exact-same positions, they we’re previously terminated from another company - with justified cause?

What is it called when we do the same thing over & over again, but expect different results?

And the daily mindset of reasonable doubt continues…


My experience with GFL was disappointing from the start. During the interview process, I was asked how comfortable I am with change. I answered honestly, that I can adapt as long as there is a clear process in place. What was not disclosed at any point was that the team was in the middle of switching programs, with little structure or guidance. That lack of transparency set the tone.

Once I started, it quickly became clear that there was noticeable favoritism within the team, including from management. When I raised this concern, it was dismissed with a scoff rather than addressed professionally. There was no reassurance, no accountability, just defensiveness. It created an environment filled with unnecessary politics, where it felt difficult to even focus on doing the job.

To make matters worse, someone I know had a similarly frustrating experience during the hiring process. After being invited for a second interview and confirming the timing the day before, she was contacted on the day of the interview, not by HR, but by another employee, and told the position had already been filled. That level of disorganization and disregard for a candidate’s time reflects poorly on the company.

Overall, the experience lacked professionalism, transparency, and respect. I would strongly caution others to ask very direct questions during the interview process and not assume clarity where there is none.

I did an unsafe work refusal at their paint shop which had over 10 violations of a serious nature. I know because I was with the S.W. Alberta Safety Rep in the investigations. This made the  supervisor unfortunately look stupid. I paid for that by in my opinion being pigeon holed. 
 Six months later I worked in a ergonomically unsound truck as a swamper and as a result after the 12 hour shift I spent 3 months on WCB.  A week later the driver who was with me when my discomfort turned to injury was climbing into his truck using a 3 point contact when the steps of the truck gave way injuring him also. The last day of my WCB claim I was let go with no explanation. Never had a bad evaluation there. When I first started I was given Tim Horton Cards for doing a good job.
The employees I worked with were good people. High turnover and sad stories. 
On several occasions it was reported that my passenger door was flying open on corners and bumps but nothing was done about it. I would go out as a swamper holding on for dear life in 13 hour shifts.
I feel safe in telling my story. I have not divulged any company practices as agreed by my signing just my story of 15 months there.
Further- the damage to my personal vehicle on their property 12 months ago has not even received a response with regard to what will be done -compensation or no compensation (DISRESPECTFUL)

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Mécanicien poids lourds 3 salaries reported	$30.33 per hour
Truck loader 28 salaries reported	$22.29 per hour
Truck driver 13 salaries reported	$26.13 per hour
Chauffeur classe 1 6 salaries reported	$25.75 per hour
Loader 5 salaries reported	$22.32 per hour

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