Seaboard Transport

A typical day at Seaboard Transport is highly safety-oriented, with a strong focus on ensuring tasks are completed safely rather than quickly. The emphasis on safety creates a disciplined yet supportive work environment where everyone works toward a shared goal.

What I’ve Learned:
During my time here, I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge about the fuel industry, inclusivity, and how to build a business and a brand through my actions and those of my coworkers. These lessons have not only made me a better employee but also a more conscientious individual.

Management:
The management team upholds exceptionally high standards for safety and quality. This is evident in their work, their engagement with employees, and the way they lead by example. Their commitment inspires me and my coworkers to carry ourselves with pride. We are proud to be part of Seaboard Transport.

Workplace Culture:
The workplace culture is incredibly positive, inclusive, and supportive. The company is deeply invested in growing its talent pool, focusing on both current employees and new hires. This is reflected in initiatives like new employee perk programs, which demonstrate their commitment to our well-being and professional growth.

Hardest Part of the Job:
The job can involve long days, which can be challenging. However, these efforts are rewarding and never go unnoticed by management, making the hard work feel worthwhile.

Most Enjoyable Part of the Job:
The most enjoyable aspect is the sense of accomplishment when tasks are completed correctly, safely, and with a high standard of quality. The regimented structure makes it easy to follow processes and succeed, which adds to the satisfaction of a job well done.

Overall, Seaboard Transport is a fantastic place to work for those who value safety, quality, and personal growth.

First off, I really enjoyed working for seaboard as a mechanic. My feelings about the company as a former driver are different from a driving perspective (I’d never drive for them if you’re looking for class one work), but that’s another story. 

The shop was very nice, all the employees were fantastic individuals that I respect very much. The work life balance was great. I worked a 4/10 schedule which is my personal favourite. Work was mostly PMs, so you spend most of your day inspecting and greasing units. Repairs could be minimal to very extensive, really depended on what corporate said about the repair list. There was some normal shop drama, but it was never unprofessional or interfer with work. Just some guys were not fans of particular workers (mostly day shift vs night shift kinda stuff). 

My biggest issue with seaboard is one I got on my last day of employment with them. I had been working for just about 4 months, so I was passed my probation period. However i was called into the managers office one morning and told I didn’t fit in so I was being let go. Not that I wasn’t the right fit, that I didn’t fit in with the other guys, which was incredibly odd because I was clicking very well with all my coworkers, many of which were in shock that I had been let go at all. 

So the issue I have with them is a lack of communication. Rather than speak to me about any issues management saw, they remained silent about it for months. I would even ask every week or two how my preformance was and if I could improve anywhere and was never told that I was deficient in any way. It really hurt to loose my job there and I found myself completely blindsided by this. The only nice thing about all this is because I was passed my probation I did get a small severance package so that was good. 

When I started with Seaboard, I was excited to work for such a big company. Thinking they would have their ducks in a row was my first mistake. The place was so disorganized, and there was never any effort to improve the disorganization. 

The term ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ definitely doesn’t apply here - job justification is one of the many ‘wonderful’ (heavy sarcasm) perks of working at Seaboard. They like to find things that are running smoothly, and dismantle them.

Unpaid overtime is the norm, and you will get comments from management if you send in overtime requests (such as managers making comments that ‘We are the only ones that work overtime for free’), creating the expectation that Seaboard owns your when on shift. If you were compensated correctly, it would be better, but Team Leads at Seaboard make less than entry level dispatch at Trimac. 

If you’re in dispatch (not on call during my tenure), the operations manager (on call position) will have drivers call you after hours instead of stepping up and letting you have time with your family. 

The one positive is if you do need dispatch experience, Seaboard will definitely give you that. If you have dispatch experience, don’t waste your time. 

It started out fine, but quickly realized it's a shtshow of sleazy office politics and game playing. Leadership around here think they're big shots and are always jockeying for position. Playing power politics in this place is more important than co-operation and an actual good job well done. Nobody here cares about quality.

Unorganized managers who never answer your questions or concerns. But they have time to have exclusive lunch parties among themselves.

Very little respect and appreciation for good drivers. Because good truck drivers know what they're doing, good truck drivers know when to say "no", and good truck drivers are hard to condescend. That's why they hire low quality, less-than-skilled, cash-cow broker drivers here out of North York, so the condescending managers and administrators can feel high and mighty and powerful about themselves.

"If you can't meet high standards, just lower the standards to below you" oughta be the Seaboard motto.

I'd always strived to work for family owned Canadian companies because I always felt like those types of employers were the best suited to really engage with their employees and make them really feel like they're part of the business and not just a number.  Working for Seaboard for the past couple of years has been a very exciting and rewarding experience.  Recently, Seaboard has gone through a large growth spurt in spite of our current economic state and that has not come without its challenges- but day by day Seaboard is continually improving their processes, strengthening their corporate service teams, and always welcoming new ideas from their employees  to get even better as an organization.  I look forward to many more years working for Seaboard, and am proud to call myself part of the team.

Working with this company was absolutely horrible I got hired on with promises of day shift and being on my own I spent three months in training at $16 an hour when asked to go on my own to make my regular wage of $24 an hour for an evening run they said that I had to be signed off by another driver the other drivers said they wouldn't sign off because they weren't classified as driver trainers so it was basically sitting in the passenger seat as a helper making $16 an hour for the majority of it

When I did go on my own I worked every second day barely got my hours when I left because I wasn't getting my hours they asked for all the PPE back even my gloves got super snappy management there it's not nice at all 

Dispatch also is not local so they send you to places that are really dangerous to go in the nighttime and if you don't know better it could put you in a real sticky situation.

Good employees are hired, but they leave shortly after finding out how extremley disorganized the managment team is. That lack of continuity is reflected throughout the organization: service to customers suffer, all departments are understaffed, which overworks the employees in those departments  and there is no respect for the personal lives of the employees. WHEN they burnout and start to make mistakes they are written up for it. 

The organization keeps shooting itself in the foot this way. Six dispatchers, one saftey officer and three shop foremen all came in went in the 19 months i was there. Management just does not 
understand that it is their attitude towards their employees that makes it such a miserable place to work. This is why the good ones either quit or blow up and get fired... and so the organization just can't get anything right. 

If you have no other choice....take the job and their money, but keep looking for something better.

The company has high expectations of staff which filters out many employees not willing to go the extra mile. If you prefer sitting at a computer and quickly minimizing your Facebook when a manager walks by, don't work here. If you enjoy a challenging workplace with a high variety of tasks, diverse group of people to work alongside and expect reward from hard work - this is the place for you. Days are filled with a mixture of proactive/reactive tasks and before you know it, you're headed home.

Seaboard does not reward employees based on their CV and certainly don't work here if you have a high sense of entitlement. Successful employees are those who simply like hard work and challenging themselves. If you put your head down and keep a positive attitude, the company has limitless opportunities for you.

Best way to sum it up is tough but fair.

At first the company that was bought out by Seaboard was fantastic. Then the honeymoon ended and new management came in and it turned into a nightmare. New management seemed to care about cost reduction and their own salaries instead of doing things right. That meant over looking serious defects with tractor units- the unit I drove would lock out driver ability to control throttle due to a faulty transmission. The so called established organization is just a work in progress or a hot mess...take your pick. Wouldn't recommend that kind of headache on anybody because they abuse the HOS to fit their need, to save money, which saves their own jobs.

From the outside looking in, they seem like a great company until you get in. Pay will be screwed up from day one, but not to worry they will offer you an ‘advance’ for the work you have already done. Then they will put it on your next pay and take it all back so you get taxed twice. Revolving door of operation managers (which are actually just scape goats). Most ops managers are actually really good and have the drivers interests in mind but upper management doesn’t like that. Office is a toxic, cancerous place to be around. Trucks and trailers and beat right to death and shouldn’t be on the road and won’t get fixed. You will make money but will be worked in to the ground. Don’t take initiative to try to learn anything because the more you can do the worse you are treated. 

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