Damage Limitation Exercise By H&R Transport?

It's strange that there were only a few comments on Caths blog whilst everything was rosy, but since I started to tell the truth about H&R things have hotted up a bit!

Lyndon has disappeared from the comments section, and suddenly lots of people have found the blog and BTA forum and are running to the defence of H&R.
The latest one is 'wanderer' who says...

"I've worked over this side of the pond for nearly 6 years now and all i hear from brits are how bad canadian truck firms are, you cant expect to come across here and bring the uk trucking industry protocols with you this is Canada not the uk, if you expect to work the same as you did in the uk well then just stay there and get on with you life. H&R gave you the chance of living and working in canada and all you guys do is back stab and dis the company, do us all a favour shut down you blog and stay in the uk. You could not hack working here but some of us enjoy this job, H&R transport are like any other large company and need to show a profit, you work you get paid, there are many companies here that are not even close to H&R rates of pay, I get paid well and as my name states i wander everywhere not rushing to get back to Lethbridge to spend my money in the bar at the sandman like many of you companions."

To answer you...

You've been over there for nearly six years and "all i hear from brits are how bad canadian truck firms are", then does that not tell you something about the industry?

"all you guys do is back stab and dis the company"

Us guys?
I can only see me here, and I'm certainly not backstabbing, I'm not anonymous (like you are)(Edit: He has since explained himself as not being anonymous in the comments section), and anyone can (and do ) contact me.
The comments here are not moderated, except where they are offensive, but Lyndon moderates on both his blogs, to prevent dissenting remarks, but more importantly, to avoid questions.

"do us all a favour shut down you blog and stay in the uk."

I am staying in the UK for now, and I have been asked to step the blog up a gear rather than shut it down, but you have the right to try and stifle debate on the internet, which is still the only place to see the truth.

"You could not hack working here but some of us enjoy this job"

Another person using the same worn out phrase as a personal insult!
If you had really read the blog or the BTA posts you would know that I loved the job, but did not get the good runs, even though I had offered to stay out 30 days without returning to Lethbridge!

"H&R transport are like any other large company and need to show a profit, you work you get paid,..."

Of course any large (or small) company need to make a profit, and if that means it's at the expense of the workforce, then so be it.
It would have been nice to get the amount of work I wanted, and was willing and able to do, but maybe my face didn't fit, as I started off on the wrong foot with Foder after he wanted Caths (non-employee) blog censoring!

"not rushing to get back to Lethbridge to spend my money in the bar at the sandman like many of you companions"

You're on a loser there with me, I hardly drink, and we went in the Sandman bar twice in all the time we were there.
You sound like a single man, and there is no comparison with a single man living in the truck, and a man who has family (with a non working wife) living in rented accommodation, with no nest egg in the bank.
The simple question for a family is... is our Canadian bank balance going up (even a little) or down?

There are exceptions such as Wiebe, and some others, but, the figures for 'failures' must be enormous, and most will keep quiet as they feel embarrassed!

When we first started driving for H&R there had just been some problems with Euro drivers, and the message on the qualcom and from Foder at the time was...

"You are at the right place, doing the right thing, with the right people"

Seems like paranoia to me! but keep sending the sheeple to comment Lyndon.

Finally.

Enjoy your pay cuts...it's what companies need to do to keep in profit!

Driver turnover at H & R Transport.

It's a shame that the recruiter at H&R has taken to insulting me in the previous comments sections of this blog by assuming certain things, then making sarcastic comments about me.
It's obvious that he (Lyndon) is taking my criticism of H&R (here and on the BTA forum) as a personal attack on him as a private person, whilst I am in fact simply asking a question of him, as the 'driver relations guy' and recruiter for the company.

It seems like a long time since Lyndon posted this...

"This thread is dedicated to H & R Transport. Its a place where past, present and future employees can, ask questions, share stories, get "inside" info, gossip and also hopefully have a little moan too.

We all want to know what we are letting ourselves in for..."

It was, of course, before he became a recruiter.

I'm busy working on a night trunk this week, a nice round trip of 450 miles at a slow 55 mph, but I get paid for every minute I am there which means a lot, and at night and overtime rates it will be twice what I was earning at H&R.

Finally, there is a new poster at the BTA forums, 'insideinsider' who thinks they know all about me, so perhaps they can grow some balls and identify themselves there, instead of making cowardly remarks.

Maybe they (as an 'insideinsider') can answer the question, which I know other people (who are considering moving to Canada) want an answer to also.

What is the turnover rate for foreign and Canadian drivers at H&R?

Am I being unfair in asking company for a small snippet of information about their business, and are they refusing to answer because it is far greater than the national average for Canadian trucking companies?

I have asked the question, as have others on the BTA forum, but were met with abuse from the recruiter, so I won't hold my breath, and as Lyndon moderates his comments on his blogs, he can choose to ignore anything he doesn't want to post, which is why the blog never saw dissent in the comments section from disgruntled drivers I suppose.

Pay rates lowered at H&R Transport

From August the 3rd new drivers at H&R will be getting lower mileage rates (see previous comments sections), but now, the existing drivers are getting certain reductions as well!

No mention of this on Lyndons two blogs , although he did say in the comments here , that his private blog is not about work, it's only about him and his family, even though he has locked a half page recruitment poster to his header.

There is an interesting post from a Canadian which mentions H&R on the BTA forum (it's easy to join, it's impartial, and it only takes a minute to get in) where there is also lots more info for people who are prospective temporary workers in Canada.

Have you been shafted by H&R?

Tell me... mickfly AT gmail.com

H&R transport, driver retention rates?

H&R transport, Lethbridge, are coming back to the UK, albeit offering less money for new drivers

There is now another recruitment drive for UK drivers from H and R transport in Lethbridge, but does anyone know what their driver retention/turnover rate is?

The question has been asked a few times on the BTA forum (where there is much more info on Canadian trucking companies), but it remains unanswered.

The British Truckers Abroad (BTA) forum also has stories from people at H&R and other Canadian trucking companies, both positive and negative, with some input from the H&R transport recruiter Lyndon, you can also find a post there with my earnings and other FACTS regarding mileage and hours on the forum.

Sour grapes?

Read my figures on the H&R wages section of the BTA forum, and make your own mind up.

Please don't post offensive remarks to anyone in the comments section below, as I will remove them.

NB: This is in no way meant to put people off going to Canada, which we absolutely loved, and if you are a regular reader, you will also know we loved the actual job, but be wary, you are only a temporary worker until you get PR.

Edit: The offer to read about my dissapointing time at H&R on here and on BTA is also open to Al Foder, D'arcy Foder, David Foder and Cathy Thacker, where they may also explain how my Canadian bank statements had been opened before they were forwarded to me in the UK.

Lyndon returns to blogging

post by Mic

It's been a while since Lyndon stopped blogging, but he's now back, so it would be a great opportunity for anyone who is considering working for H&R to ask him questions that he could answer in his capacity as 'recruiter' for H&R transport.
Please ask the questions via the comments section on his blog, so other people can see the answers he gives.

BTW: Thanks for all the e-mails in support of my last post, but you (the guys who e-mailed) could also leave the same remarks about H&R in the comment section (below) even if you choose to be anonymous, so there will be no danger of you being sacked.


Edit: It seems that Lyndon does not want to answer questions about H&R via his regular, family blog, so feel free to ask them at the 'Big Red Blog'.

You can, of course ask them in the comments section on here.

post by Mick

Regrets, I've had a few...

Post by Mick:

This post is in reply 'Dom' who commented on the last post, he asks the question:

"...having time to digest the last six months have you made the right decision to stay back here or are you regretting not gritting your teeth and carrying on over there?"

Neither of us regret anything about our time in Canada except our experience with H&R, the people we met were fantastic, we liked the country, and also enjoyed running the USA, but if I were to return it would be with a different company, but in the meantime, Cath has taken up an opportunity which might allow us to move and work in Spain/Portugal in the future, so we will see how it goes.

The reasons we didn't return to H&R after our vacation were:

After working out the figures for my time at H&R I was simply not earning enough for the hours I was available.

The earning potential for truckers in Canada is excellent, BUT, you need to get good, long, frequent runs with no UNPAID stand downs anywhere.
When you offer to stay out for 30 days and re-set anywhere, then are given the Rockies 605 miles and Moses lake 580 miles regularly, with LOTS of sitting around UNPAID, then someone in the office needs a kick up the arse.

A view of the unofficial yard at Delta.

The proper yard in Delta is a quagmire when it's wet, and a dustbowl when it's dry, much like Calgary, but in Delta there is only a portaloo, so many drivers try to park at the Chevron.

If I had 'gritted my teeth' things might have improved, but I was never desperate for PR, so I didn't have to accept being treated like a second class citizen (there is no disrespect intended here for the people who want PR and are happy to plod on with the company)

If only H&R would treat people consistently and fairly, and allow everyone to achieve their potential they would not have such a bad retention rate for drivers (not only Europeans), even though the industry in general in North America is being affected by the economic decline.

A bit of rare honesty taken from the H&R 'Big Red Book'

Here's part of a recent comment to one of Caths blog posts from an ex driver:

"Life in Canada is good outside H&R, there are good companies to drive for and work outside driving, you just have to look about. We have many good friends here that have made a good life after Hell & Regret Transport."

For the people who read the "H&R blogs", you must ask yourself a few questions.

Do the authors mention H&R in a good light very often?

Do the authors 'NEED' a good income?

Do they 'NEED' or want PR (permanent residence, in Canada)?

There is no doubt that there are many drivers at H&R who are quite content with their lot, and I have had an e-mail from one such, but all the rest of the e-mails I have recieved have told the same story as me regarding low earnings, with lots of unpaid downtime, and these seem to be experienced, hard working and trampers, not all newbies.
There may be people wondering if I (we) just couldn't hack it, but I assure you, we loved the actual job, driving in the extreme weather never bothered me a bit, and we both were very comfortable living in the truck.

When the Canadian Gov't decide that truck drivers from abroad are no longer required, then the people who did not gain PR will be refused new work permits, because, as I said on an earlier post...

If you are a trucker who has got a job offer in Canada via PNP, and you are telling all and sundry that you are emigrating to Canada.

You are NOT emigrating to Canada !

When you get an LMO (labor market opinion), the LMO simply allows you to enter Canada as a TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKER if you are granted a TEMPORARY work permit.

PR (permanent residency) can not be guaranteed by ANY company to a TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKER, and you may be required to leave the country at any time.

Don't burn your bridges, and if you want to live in a great country, bring your kids up in a safer, calmer environment, and meet some great people, then keep your head down, keep your mouth shut, and suck it up!

All at the Sandman Hotel?

Post by Mick:

Daf Truck

Post By Mick

Back to the cabovers for me.

This weeks ride.

Post By Mick