They can't keep everyone down!

Just to be clear: This post is from a friend of ours who beat H&R in court.

I tried to post this on Micks Blog H&R Transport Lethbridge but I couldn't get on it.

Last year Mick wrote a post regarding his pal who had been sacked from H&R, this post received many negative comments about him and Brits in general.

Well his pal is, as you know, my husband and I would like to tell all those H&R lovers and mindless morons out there that we reported H&R to the Labour Board as soon as it happened and in February this year, almost 11 months after his sacking, myself and my husband went into an adjudication hearing which I could only describe as like a court case but not so formal.

I would like to note that we have no legal training and at no point did we seek legal advice, the knowledge that he had done nothing wrong and the protocol H&R followed drove us to persue the company and after compiling evidence and questions we entered into the unknown to face them across a table and went in with both barrels! It was like a court case in that they presented their "evidence" and witnesses which I could then cross examine and then we presented our evidence and witnesses to which their HR person could then cross examine.
The hearing lasted 7 hours with only 30 mins break for lunch and 2 short comfort breaks. To say we were exhausted at the end of it is an understatement, it was both mentally and physically draining.
After a mountain of documents, policies, etc being entered as evidence first by H&R then came a written witness statement, followed by their next witness the , "Driver Recruitment and Compliance Coordinator" , and we all know who that is, well to say that I took great pleasure in pulling that "man" apart is an understatement as his last email to my husband after his sacking was along the lines of "let me know when you would like a flight booking back to the UK", after all this is what they probably expected us to do.

Next came their "Vice President of Loss and Compliance for H&R Transport". He proceeded to give a long statement relating to the regulatory environment for the Department of Transportation in the USA. Again it gave myself and my husband great pleasure to cross examine him and pull holes apart in H&R training and pre and post trip inspection.

Finally it came to our turn my husband was a witness and we had another witness who flew over to give his evidence and a witness who gave evidence over the phone, only my husband was cross examined by H&R Transport.
Finally we both sides had to give closing statements. It was made clear at the start of the hearing that this was the last stop for the complaint and that no further action could be taken after the decision by the adjudicator was made.
The adjudicator stated that, if a decision of unjust dismissal was awarded, she could only compensate our personal financial loss that had be incurred since the dismissal. We offered into evidence figures to show the amount of loss we had from the date of dimissal to the date his contract was due to end with H&R Transport, deductions and to be made for wages from other employers during this period.

In May I received by email a copy of the decision that the adjudicator had made.
I cried when I read that she had upheld the complaint and that my husband WAS unjustly dismissed. H&R Transport were ordered to pay the sum that we had put into evidence by the 10 June 2011. On the 8 June H&R finally did the first decent thing and sent a cheque by courier post dated to the 10 lol!!!

Back in the UK

Thanks to everyone who has been reading my blog since I started it last year, and especially to those who have commented, but as some of you know, there were reasons why the posts got thinner as time went on, and unfortunately there will be no more posts from Canada as we have returned to the UK.

There are many things we will miss about working in North America, but the main thing will be the fantastic people we met whilst we were over there, and hopefully we will have made some lasting friendships, even amongst the people we never met in person, but just corresponded with.

We both wish everyone still working at H&R, and elsewhere the very best of luck in the future, whatever that might bring for you all.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Lots of people are missing off this picture as I didn't have any snaps of you, but I'm sure you know who you all are.

Summerland, near Kelowna B.C.

Earlier this year, a fruit cooler in Summerland, where we waited all morning (after being told we must be there at 8am) to be loaded.
There is a hand written cardboard sign inside here which basically brags about how long they will take to load you if you complain!

We are currently visiting Micks cousin near Cowichan Bay, and then we'll return back over the Rockies to Calgary to fly out to the UK, where we will take stock of our situation, and when we are definite about our plans I will post something on here, or probably Mick will.

Luckily we arrived here in good time as H&R got us a load from Calgary down to Lethbridge to begin our vacation after trying to send us on a load which would have brought us down very late, but they did try bullying Mick into doing that one first after telling us that our time off didn't start till midnight (we had been available for work since 7am that morning).




We are hoping to meet up with the music writer Homercat today... woot!

Homeward Bound.

We are flying home next week, but will be visiting one of Micks cousins out Vancouver way before we go, thanks to Mike Nash, who has lent us his car whilst he is back in the UK on a visit.

Here's Mike in the middle, with Mr Broon on the left, and my Mick on the right.

This is a really nice lady trucker called Nathalie, who we met today in Red Deer.

This is Mick playing around with his new camera (Canon 1000D)

There'll be more posts soon, but probably by Mick.


This was the weather in Montana the other day, and it's nearly May!

The Rockies.

Here's a couple of pictures from 'ten mile hill' in the Rockies, it looks lovely in the sun, but imagine those drops when there's packed ice and snow on the road!







It's great seeing all the beautiful scenery, but Mick is not too happy with the company at the moment.

Truck Pics By Mick

Pictures only today

Things seem to be picking up a bit workwise now, and the training money has nearly stopped destroying the pay cheques, so here's a few pics taken recently.

Click to enlarge, then look at the cowboys.

In the southern BC Rockies.

This shop was closed, but like many places here, everything is left outside, and no-one steals it!

Taken near in Bonners Ferry, the barber ship lol.

Diner in Wenatchee

Wooden drilling rig, and mine train in BC

This mine train was made in Leeds!

"Here sits a 100 horse-power Gardner-diesel’d Huwood Hudswell locomotive that the Hudswell-Clarke and Company, Limited, of Leeds, England, built in 1948 and sent to the International Coal and Coke Company operation at Coleman, Alberta. It was the first diesel locomotive to be employed underground in Canada. When the International mine was closed in 1954 the engine was transferred to the Cheakamus Power Tunnel Project
at Garibaldi, BC, where it worked until recalled to the Coleman area in 1959. It was acquired by the Fernie Chamber of Commerce after it was
retired in 1975 when the Vicary mine adopted a belt system to convey coal from the working face to the tipple. "

The few below were taken in Montana.

Click them to enlarge.