Good example of their attitude.You live in Canada(citizen or not) and have been refused entry to the States for whatever reason.You choose to fly down to Mexico for a holiday,which entails going through American airspace,then the plane has to land in America due to bad weather or whatever.Your fellow passengers will be transported to a nearby hotel for the night whilst you will be in the cells at the airport.Good old Uncle Sam.
newmercman:
You don’t start at the bottom of the ladder at BFS, you start very near the top, then after a month or so you come crashing back down again, not to the bottom of the ladder, but into a cesspit, you try to climb back on the ladder, but all the merde makes the rungs too slippery and you’re stuck there swimming in turdsAs Dave says, we’re not inexperienced, well those of us on here aren’t, there are many at BFS who only done supermarket distribution or night trunks, but us lot here have been there, done it, got the t shirt and appeared in a few chapters of the book, yeah we may be in a different country, but we’re only driving lorries FFS, it ain’t rocket science, they may have to make allowances for the trolley dollies, but they should recognise an experienced driver when they see one
I had a ‘conversation’ with one of BFS’s supertruckers who called me a rookie, I asked him what he was talking about and he made a big deal about running the mountains over to BC, I PMSL, for a while, then got the hump and put the bloke firmly in his place, running the mountains in BC is a piece of ■■■■, it’s a 4 lane road FFS, compared to running Northern Greece, over Cenis, on the cobbled roads in DDR, or even over Carter Bar, running over the Rockies is easy, add snow to the mix (possible, even probable, in any of the places I mention) and the Rogers Pass becomes even easier, you can run down it at 90kmh on the jakes, try doing that on Cenis and you wouldn’t make the 1st hairpin, add to the mix the fact that we had to deal with a multitude of currencies, languages and rules, we had to deal with customs at borders etc etc etc, driving over here is a holiday, just set the cruise, sit back and enjoy the scenery
When I did my first trip to Vancouver from Portage, I got back they asked how I got on going through the Rockies, Well I said, didn’t know I’d been through till I got to Chilliwack. They must think Europe is as flat as a pancake.
kr79:
Just a quick update. have been reading the debate on bfs with intrest and i will try them again in the new year but i spoke to h&r but it was a no go as i have a drink driving conviction which even though it is a spent conviction in the uk it shows up on the record check and they wont employ anyone from overseas with a drink or drug conviction as it can affect entering the usa. The chap was quite helpful and said try companys that only do canada as it wont be as big a problem and once you get full citizenship it will be ok to go anywhere so back to the drawing board.
I know a girlfriend of a driver was refused PR and sent back to UK after 12 month in Canada because of a DD conviction 
There was more to it than that, Dave. IIRC, she had started out on someone elses application, then started her own. I don’t think it was entirely cut and dried though.
Ironic though. Others have had no problems at all with DD convictions, and we got our PR despite Puffs cancer and health issues. I also met one man, here on his own, who had his cancer diagnosed at his PR medical and still was granted residency.
This thing about convictions is somewhat misleading. You can never get a straight answer out of CIC or the US about it. But I did actually get some tme with an IO and asked about how they compare a record. I was told that every single case is taken individually, and they read the file and come up with a comparable conviction code for Canada. That way, they need only look at the list of inadmissable offences and say yea or nay.
This is especially true of incidents involving violence, BTW, so if you feel you may not be admitted, it still is worth asking. The IO I was talking to agreed that we all get into violent situations, and the only criteria that really are accounted for are if you are considered to have reacted, not acted out of aggression, and if you were caught or not… 
All crimes carry a code Bob as you say, The Canadians are fairly cool over it if its not high on their list, some crimes last on your record longer than others in Canada or so I’m told, which is not the same here unfortunately, plus something I learned in my short time over your way was that when you do your criminality search over there say for a re-application of a work permit then they only look back as far as the 1 from the previous application so I am told, which means in theory if you’ve kept your nose clean whilst living their for the duration of said permit your a good boy/girl in their eyes & your criminality search comes back clean. Before I have the hounds of hell set upon me for commenting on this thread this was what I was lead to believe whilst out there by a BFS employee, however I did go to the Police station near BFS with one of the UK drivers & his search was given to him by them & only went back up to his point of arrival in Canada & was thus clean & green & he had a new work permit granted. I do know however upon entry if you declare your criminal record which of course you must they process it on the spot from the code on your search, they then however only issue you with a 12 month permit of work rather than a 24 month one, i was told this is normal practice, & is one of the reasons I’m sat here now. I cannot comment on DD convictions as that was’nt my code.
Fly sheet
Big Freight one of the worst companies to drive for, two people in the office were heard to say drivers are a dime a dozen. They are still using the old southeast transfer tarps from prior to 1996 when the company changed names and blaming the drivers when they arrive at an open scale and get told to park. The tarps look like patch work quilts, on 2 different scales I was told the reason for the check was that the tarps looked like they had been scrapped by another company. Tires are another thing they have their set rule, based on god knows what thought pattern if any. They don’t realise with a centrifugal clutch you can take off 4/32nds off the normal wear limit do to the need get the engine RPM up to engage the clutch. They have fired people for getting stuck with worn tires that everyone except BFS would be removing from service. They currently have an ad on the Canadian job bank site that looks like an ad for one of those telemarketing firms that pay nothing and go through people like water through a coffee pot. Right now they are hiring a lot of east indians and Pakistanies they will work and wont say anything for fear they will lose their jobs and they need to be working to bring over all their inlaws and outlaws. The KW trucks they use are really underpowered and with the electronic shift system and a centrifical clutch are basically junk on wheels. KW actually voided the warranty on all the engines because BFS set they below the minimal operating RPM thinking they would get better mileage. They are bare bone cheapest things they could buy. For a place where temperatures in winter are well below 30-40 centigrade they dont even get the winter insulation kits put on. Here is another the centrifical clutches need to self set by idling for 15 minutes in neutral. The mental midgets have their trucks set to shut down after 5 minutes idle, and they couldnt figure out why they were having clutch slippage problems.
I was going to leave this, but I have decided not to. Bear in mind that I left there, won’t you. I presume you are an expat, this being the expat forum, but I don’t recognise your name.
Here goes.
Brentanna:
Big Freight one of the worst companies to drive for, two people in the office were heard to say drivers are a dime a dozen.
Hmm, let me guess, Adrian and Tom… Adrian is OK if you stay on his right side. Tom is a knob. If you set store by this sort of comment then you will always be disappointed.
Brentanna:
They are still using the old southeast transfer tarps from prior to 1996 when the company changed names and blaming the drivers when they arrive at an open scale and get told to park. The tarps look like patch work quilts, on 2 different scales I was told the reason for the check was that the tarps looked like they had been scrapped by another company. Tires are another thing they have their set rule, based on god knows what thought pattern if any. They don’t realise with a centrifugal clutch you can take off 4/32nds off the normal wear limit do to the need get the engine RPM up to engage the clutch. They have fired people for getting stuck with worn tires that everyone except BFS would be removing from service.
Can you blame them with the tarps.? At $1400 a set, with some of the clowns they have there, it is little wonder they make do. I have seen drivers tarp Behlen loads without protecting their tarps at all. If I were in their shoes, I may well do the same. Re the tyres, well they must have changed their policies since I was there. While they let the tyres wear, they still replaced them long before they got that bad. The 4/32nds, well that would be 1/8th then… I am sure they do know how the clutches work. They have been buying autoshifters for 5 years now. They have warned and fired people for getting stuck, but I only know of one occasion, personally, where they were not justified in taking action. I only ever got pulled into one scale in all the time I was there, and I was overloaded which explains that one. I was always green lighted other than that time. Again, things must have changed big time.
Brentanna:
The KW trucks they use are really underpowered and with the electronic shift system and a centrifical clutch are basically junk on wheels. KW actually voided the warranty on all the engines because BFS set they below the minimal operating RPM thinking they would get better mileage. They are bare bone cheapest things they could buy. For a place where temperatures in winter are well below 30-40 centigrade they dont even get the winter insulation kits put on. Here is another the centrifical clutches need to self set by idling for 15 minutes in neutral. The mental midgets have their trucks set to shut down after 5 minutes idle, and they couldnt figure out why they were having clutch slippage problems.
This is the biggie. The KWs are 430 hp. That is, on 5 axles, more than 10 hp per tonne. How is that underpowered?I hope you can verify that KW voided the warranty. See, as far as I know, they still have the same backup with KWassist. I never had any issues about that, and I haven’t heard of any since I quit. The insulation kits are something very few firms get fitted. When it is added in the cost is high and the weight increase is a potential issue. They provide you with a night heater, and allow you to idle if it is very cold. If you wish to idle more than 6 minutes, press the brake pedal when the check light starts flashing. That overrides the shutdown.
They have been going a long time. They have their ways. Clearly they did not suit you. Tell me, if you are an expat, did you at least fulfill your contract?
Brentanna:
Big Freight one of the worst companies to drive for, two people in the office were heard to say drivers are a dime a dozen. They are still using the old southeast transfer tarps from prior to 1996 when the company changed names and blaming the drivers when they arrive at an open scale and get told to park. The tarps look like patch work quilts, on 2 different scales I was told the reason for the check was that the tarps looked like they had been scrapped by another company. Tires are another thing they have their set rule, based on god knows what thought pattern if any. They don’t realise with a centrifugal clutch you can take off 4/32nds off the normal wear limit do to the need get the engine RPM up to engage the clutch. They have fired people for getting stuck with worn tires that everyone except BFS would be removing from service. They currently have an ad on the Canadian job bank site that looks like an ad for one of those telemarketing firms that pay nothing and go through people like water through a coffee pot. Right now they are hiring a lot of east indians and Pakistanies they will work and wont say anything for fear they will lose their jobs and they need to be working to bring over all their inlaws and outlaws. The KW trucks they use are really underpowered and with the electronic shift system and a centrifical clutch are basically junk on wheels. KW actually voided the warranty on all the engines because BFS set they below the minimal operating RPM thinking they would get better mileage. They are bare bone cheapest things they could buy. For a place where temperatures in winter are well below 30-40 centigrade they dont even get the winter insulation kits put on. Here is another the centrifical clutches need to self set by idling for 15 minutes in neutral. The mental midgets have their trucks set to shut down after 5 minutes idle, and they couldnt figure out why they were having clutch slippage problems.
So let us know who you are and your situation that led you to join this site and post this. I have no love for BFS and especially the way they treat people, in fact I had a pending court case against them which they did not even turn up for and then sent me a cheque for what I was owed. All that said I do feel that a lot of your complaints above come from second hand info and rumours, I could be wrong but that is the feeling I get reading your acount of your time there,
I worked for Big Freight for almost a year, so no it is not second hand they had no clue about the clutches until I told them, I have a degree in Aerospace engineering. I sent a long letter to Tom Van Dam telling him exactly what I thought of him and the way they treat their drivers. I was lucky I had one of the Volvo’s after my KW sprung a leak. So now anyone still with BFS will know exactly who I am, here I am just using my middle name instead of my first. 
With the new 2010 regs the DOT is looking for anything including the condition of the tarps as they are considered part of the load securement. First when a company is using tarps that predate the company there is something not right. Tarps are a tax deduction they can be depreciated over time, the Southeast tarps were most likely depreciated down to 0 over 10 years ago. Secondly each time you tarp the company charges the customer for that service you tell me tarps 16+ years old should have paid for themselves 5 times over. For instance Behlen industries constantly put loads on trailers that you cannot properly secure they have you tarp them so that the mess cannot be seen. Myself I had at least 10 loads from there with the same tarps multiply that by the number of loads going out of there. Chad had a bunch of O/D sign pocket holders had no clue what they were until I showed him. I drove heavy truck for 15 years, hauling drilling rigs. I was born on a farm first truck I drove was an old 5 +4 with aux planetary reduction box that was when I was 13, I have hauled everything from 73,000 liters of Jet A to 30ton drilling rig sub-structures. The truck I drove for the rigs was on a yearly O/D permit for 60ton with wide, over length and height if one of us drivers walked into the shop and said we needed something for the truck or fixed on the truck it was done like right now. Oilfield trucks are by the hour not the load, from the time we left the yard til the time we got back at night. Thing about BFS they don’t want to hear the truth they like their dreamworld they live in. It matters not why something happened the driver is to blame, even if the tarp you have is so old and rotten that the d-rings pull off when you are putting them on, or come off as you are driving down the road it is your fault not the companies.
The KW’s are underpowered because by settting the max RPM so low they do not use their power band effectively that is what makes the 430 underpowered. Add to that the rear ratio, the HP per weight ratio only works if the truck is set up properly. The Volvo’s are D13, 485hp the volvos outperform the KW’s as they are actually set at the low end of their factory settings the KW are set lower than the factory mininal setting that voided the warranty. KWassist is like CAA or AAA for trucks you pay a fee and you have them supply road side assistance. Big Freight uses them even for the volvos. They have nothing to do with the warranty. Properly set the KW would be great units, set as they are not so much.
The DOT may well be doing so, but the company I work for use tarps with different names on them and we have no problems…
You may well have a degree in aerospace engineering, but there is something of a difference between that and Kenworth T800s. And if you have this, why are you driving a truck? See, if you are so well qualified then I would imagine that working in the airport would suit you better.
More to the point, if they choose to set the vehicles to their own parameters then that is their choice. I worked for the 2 1/2 years. I had C528 and that was a good truck. But I drove it like a truck, not an aircraft. If the clutches need to be reset then the company should do it at the services. They do idle the trucks during services, especially in winter, so I suspect your point is moot.
If KW noticed that they were outside the settings then surely they would have mentioned it to BFS? Also, as far as I know, once you got to the 06 models, anything outside normal parameters would not be accepted by the system anyway. I also suspect that KW could only void the extended warranties if any. The manufacturers warranty is pretty ironclad as far as I know. KW assist have a good system in place. It worked well when I was there, but you had to be aware of what was up with the truck so you could tell them. That way, there was no room for the repair shops to quibble. Those who know me may well remember the turbo stud incident in Moncton.
Are you Brit or Canadian? See, there would be a difference if you are Canadian, because you would not have been bound by contracts and probably would not feel the sour grapes. If you are a brit, as I suspect, then you should just be glad to be here anyway.
As for writing to the ■■■■ in charge, well I assume you no longer work there as you would not have got away with it. I wrote my notice on email, and sent it to the four main managers to be sure it wasn’t ignored. I ended up toe to toe with Eric in the parking lot over that.
BTD, WTF? Have you been drinking■■?
BFS trucks started out from the factory as bad, they’re poverty spec and are best suited to trunking work, that’s before they get their incompetent hands on them, I had a KW and one of the new Volvos, they don’t maintain them properly, they just leave things to break out on the road.
Their tyre policy is a joke, their trailers are too heavy, the equipment you’re given is a joke, frayed straps, perished bungees, chains with no load rating and the tarps are, in most cases, beyond repair, yes you can blame the drivers that ripped them, but why are they then passed on to someone else?
This thing with the ECM settings is a bit confused, they have shut them down to 60mph to save fuel, that’s their choice, the gearing is fine for that, but the problem lies with the fact that they will haul you into the office for exceeding 1400rpm, how the [zb] are you supposed to drag 46 tons up a hill if you can’t give it a bit of welly, hit the bottom at 1400rpm and all you do is change down to the point where you almost run out of gears!
BFS are a really really bad company, I’ve sat here for 15mins now trying to think of one good thing to say about them and I can’t 
newmercman:
BFS are a really really bad company, I’ve sat here for 15mins now trying to think of one good thing to say about them and I can’t
Immigration 
dave_lol66:
newmercman:
BFS are a really really bad company, I’ve sat here for 15mins now trying to think of one good thing to say about them and I can’tImmigration
I was going to say that, but could remember if it was one ‘m’ or two
Brentanna:
I drove heavy truck for 15 years, hauling drilling rigs. I was born on a farm first truck I drove was an old 5 +4 with aux planetary reduction box that was when I was 13, I have hauled everything from 73,000 liters of Jet A to 30ton drilling rig sub-structures. The truck I drove for the rigs was on a yearly O/D permit for 60ton with wide, over length and height if one of us drivers walked into the shop and said we needed something for the truck or fixed on the truck it was done like right now.
Surely he can’t be an ex-brit talking like that 
Rob,
Your just put out because a Canadian trucker dares to say a Volvo is better than those old KW tractors 
Big Truck:
Brentanna:
I drove heavy truck for 15 years, hauling drilling rigs. I was born on a farm first truck I drove was an old 5 +4 with aux planetary reduction box that was when I was 13, I have hauled everything from 73,000 liters of Jet A to 30ton drilling rig sub-structures. The truck I drove for the rigs was on a yearly O/D permit for 60ton with wide, over length and height if one of us drivers walked into the shop and said we needed something for the truck or fixed on the truck it was done like right now.Surely he can’t be an ex-brit talking like that
Rob,
Your just put out because a Canadian trucker dares to say a Volvo is better than those old KW tractors
I think the Dog has distemper
Nope, neither thing.
I didn’t mind my Kenworth, and you know where I took the pocerty spec trucks so they are durable enough. I really don’t care which truck people prefer, either. I am, as Mark is, very happy with the firm and with the truck that I have now. I have never been one for glitz before and will not change anyway.
But you have to remember that I had things a bit different there. I left before the 60 mph came in, and they never called people into the office for going over 1400 rpm when I was there. I know things have changed since I left, but I used to get away with almost anything there.
Not he; she, so there is a hint at why I am not at some desk working on a design for an aircraft. Engineering is still considered a mans field, we of the greater ■■■ are not accepted into that club. As far as being far from trucks well you did not take physics in school did you. You can calculate the HP/ RPM at any given weight and tell what final drive ratio would work best. Likewise you can calculate the Torque/RPM as a function of x lim -1 and the HP/RPM as a fuction of y lim y-1 both on the same graph. When you limit the RPM below its normal work parameters you are losing torque as the HP provides top end gain while your low end gain comes from thetorque provided by the lower RPM of the engine. But when the next shift starts below a given calculated RPM you lose that portion of the power provided by the engine. It is called Engine Lag as the power you would be using to gain is now being used to make up the difference the loss of RPM at top end provides. For the world to know I am a Scot. long past, and dating a Brit also a driver at the company I will be starting at next Monday. I went out and bought my own tarps so I wouldnt have to use those heavy pieces of junk BFS has. Did not get a chance to pick them up and use them. I did not have a problem with loads, I was for the most part always going, I did not go into hiding when I arrived at the yard I would help out the day drivers with picking trailer up locally for repower. Adrian was always happy to give me good runs. The people I did not get along with were Carol and Tom. Tom needs to get out of that office a bit and find out what is happening in the real world. Drivers know the trucks and how they perform better than the shop. But without fail he runs to the shop anytime there is an issue. He does not even have to walk far to find a driver to talk to Tiny is often in the office and Jim is usually around. Not to mention all the drivers waiting for the shop to clear off the non BFS trucks in the service bays so that the BF trucks can be fixed. I really dont want get back into the tire issue, covered that with Tom in detail went right in one ear out the other like wind. My Volvo had 443000 km and still had the original tires that came with the truck. The shop and office were the only people who thought they were still good evn the guy at Kal Tire said they needed to be replaced.
Actually, I did do physics at school… O level grade B.
But there is something you have not factored into anything… They are not your trucks, they are the companies trucks. It is entirely up to the company what they do with them. If they have gone outside the parameters stated by CAT or KW then that is their issue, not yours.
So you are changing companies this week, are you? Not KSW I hope, because we are on limiter there, too, as are Penner, Bison et al… Thing is, the BFS trucks are not so dissimilar to the other companies. If you think that you will be getting into a top spec truck after a year or less, then you are either deluded, optimistic or, if you actually do, very lucky.
Nobody really gets on with Carolle. She and I had a serious discussion on two occasions, once for something I did and once for someone elses problem which they were going to blame entirely on him. In the end, they dropped both things because I would not back down and because they knew they were wrong. She left me alone after that and was always cordial enough. What she, or any others behind the glass really thought was no concern of mine. As for Tom, I have no idea as I never met him. He ducked out of the opportunity when I was asked by Jim, last November, to help Matt learn the basics of strapping and tarping, and I didn’t even work there.
Now here is something for everyone who is anti BFS, (in a way, myself included) you all agreed to work to their systems. You accepted, right or wrong, their terms. They helped, in one way or another, with your immigration. They employed you when others would not have given you a thought because of where you were. They provided you with the legal ability to be in Canada… So you should, for all their faults and failings, show some gratitude or, at least, leave well alone.
Because of people always diving in and beating the company down, they are not hiring Brits anymore. Because of that, so because of all of us that have left under clouds, there are many who may never get the chance we have had.
Yes, I worked there for a longer time than most. Ask some of the others there about me. Big Jim knows how our situation was, as does Dean. Many of the drivers do, too. It wasn’t plain sailing by any stretch. While I may have my complaints about them, I will always be grateful.
Almost everyone is on limiters limiters are not a problem if done right. I haven’t worked for BF for a while now, Pauly worked for them when Red was still around and making the calls. We will be teaming in his company Pete. With the shortage of drivers here in Canada more companies will be looking across the pond for drivers. I think it is a good thing I am not going to work with the company you are at, if you can make that call about someone based on what limited information you have; well I do not think we would get by. Yes they are the companies trucks that’s not to say we cannot talk about their limitations, and what we know, or how we feel about the company when asked. Your employees are the greatest asset, they are also your best advertisement to other drivers and to the people who ask . You treat them with respect and fairly you will get that in return. Companies that are good with their employees don’t need to advertise opening their people do that by word of mouth. You work for a good company you are going to tell others you don’t need a $1000,00 referral bonus to do so. Drivers who wish to come over I know oilfield trucking companies who would be happy to hear from you. If you don’t mind getting a call at 3am to get your truck going to start an 18 hr rig move. Oilfield trucks are log exempt log books have no meaning to them. Expats already here can suggest to their companies that hiring drivers from Britain would help if they have a shortage. It doesn’t hurt to make the suggestion.