What a joke all the driving job’s that are in Canada are only the one’s that the Canadians don’t want they promise you the earth then when you start they treat you like crap all you are is a number on a piece of paper. myself I have done 12 months in Steinbach Manitoba BIG FREIGHT just a word of advice if you are offered a job by this company bid them a wide berth, I’ve never seen so many driver’s leave, even the Canadians that had been there years were jumping ship, there use to be a 5 year waiting list to work for them but now they can’t fill the seats so as long as you can drive a truck then you are in,nothing but two faced back stabbers. If i would have known then what I know now I would have never signed on the dotted line. and if you ever decide to leave don’t use them as a reference as for what i heard they will portray you as the worst driver they have ever had there has been many brits leaving because they have been told a load of crap in england they come here looking for a better life in Canada and they sell every thing then when they get here they are shocked by the lies told to them so they go back to there jobs in england and try to rebuild their lives i wish that big freight would just consider the brits when they go to there country and stop filling there heads with lies because the company is not all what is put out to be. And trust me the brits are being cheated in more ways then known
Welcome to TN Maple Leaf, are BF really that bad, or did your face just not fit? Had a job or 2 myself like that when everyone else seemed quite happy.
Not sure how much you’ve read here but would advise a read of Bobthedog’s posts before slagging BF off too much, then if you have genuine info give us the details rather than a general condemnation. 
However, as I said, you are welcome. 
hello maple_leaf,are you feeling better today.
you didnt say if your still with BF i was wondering if you are still batting it out■■?
I’d love to know why this guy has decided to make his very FIRST post here about this company ?
Does he work for BF? I wonder about that too.
I don’t work for BF , BUT I have looked at their company website, and it appears to me that they are going out of their way to recruit HGV drivers in the UK, even holding information workshops in the UK this coming January 2008, in a number of cities in both England and Scotland. Would they go to that expense, if they were going to treat their drivers like dirt ? I don’t think so.
On their website, BF makes it clear that they WILL assist a driver in getting a Work Permit to come to Canada, and WILL assist in getting a Canadian class one licence. I don’t think that is deceptive at all.
As i have said here before, Canada has a large number of driver positions to fill, nationally. The vacancies are NOT in bad jobs, they are as a result of the ever growing economy in Canada. We need more drivers.
Maple leaf…Give us some facts to back up your vague words. For a start, answer this. Do you work for BF ? If so for how long ? Did you quit the company ? Are you still in Canada ? Or back in the UK ?
Jim Bunting. Toronto.
is this all true about bf cos i have a interview with them in the uk on
jan 12th at rugby truckstop
can any help me here
shunta:
is this all true about bf cos i have a interview with them in the uk on
jan 12th at rugby truckstop
can any help me here
PM Bob The Dog, He works there, and He is the one I would listen to.
I spoke to Bobthedog a couple of months ago and he was thinking of jumping ship, I don’t work for them but the company i work for are a bunch of two faced ■■■■■■■■ , promise the earth till you get here then all you get is crap, can’t say too much now as i want my last pay cheque, going back to England as fast as i can. By the way my Wife is Canadian and she is gobsmacked as to the way they treat people, no wonder theres a shortage, anyone wants to know more can pm me.
I also explained why I was thinking of jumping ship, and you have to agree that I had a point. I am still thinking of it, but the reasoning is all my own.
The person that Maple leaf fell out with is the same one who made me so angry then and has done so again. It makes little difference really. It will get sorted out upon my return to Steinbach as I shall be speaking to the main man about it all.
MLs reason for the post was to cause reaction. I know the circumstances and (sorry John but it is true) there are 2 sides here. I will take neither.
And if the man who called me on Friday happens to read this, please could you now refer to me as Rob LeChien, as I wish to have my work life and home life kept seperate. I understand there is precedent for this.
BTD,
Happy new year to you and your family. 
Now,
you told me on another website that you knew of only one UK truck driver who had left BFS since you went there and I took it that was the “mixer driver”,now it seems according to “Maple leaf” there are quite a few more or is he telling porkies 
I also see from a post from “Mrs Rocket” that “Ron” has also left BFS citing the time away from home and the irregular wages on CPM 
I see you’ve had “problems” with the “REMF” again from the office and “Davelol66” in his blog says he’s had one local since 22nd December and no money coming in because he’s getting no miles,it now seems BFS are not looking too hot are they 
BTW,
after all the recruiting BFS has done in the UK since 2004 there must be upwards of a couple of hundred ex-UK guy’s working there,would that be right
dieseldog6:
I spoke to Bobthedog a couple of months ago and he was thinking of jumping ship, I don’t work for them but the company i work for are a bunch of two faced [zb] , promise the earth till you get here then all you get is crap, can’t say too much now as i want my last pay cheque, going back to England as fast as i can. By the way my Wife is Canadian and she is gobsmacked as to the way they treat people, no wonder theres a shortage, anyone wants to know more can pm me.
So you didn`t even make it 60 days??
" arrived here yesterday, 5th Nov " to quote an earlier post of yours.
Sorry to hear some bad stories about BF.
I drove for one company in Alberta years ago, and it was a good company. The only problem was there was one dispatcher that favoured one driver at my expense. He got the hours and I didn’t. I can tell you from my experience and others that I have talked to, is that you get on the wrong side of a dispatcher, you might as well change jobs.
I didn’t whine about what happened. I just took my log book and the other’s time book into the office and comfronted the slime bag. He tried to deny that his was playing favourites, but the numbers told of the true story. While there, the other office staff were there and could clearly see the goings on. Instead of making a big fuss about it, I transfered to another branch and everything was fine. Also made much more money. 
Choose your battles wisely in Canada. Try not to get into a big argument or to whine about it. Bite your tounge and move on as it’s not worth the time or energy. I understand that the first year or so in Canada might not be that great, but in time most should be fine. It’s also not easy for Canadian drivers getting started.
Shunta wrote:
is this all true about bf cos i have a interview with them in the uk on
jan 12th at rugby truckstop
can any help me hereMy best advice to you is go to the interview with an open mind and listen to what BF tell you. Despite what opinions other people give you BF will not tell you lies. In many cases people encounter problems because they either don’t listen or take what they’re told too lightly. BF will tell you the work is hard and the winter’s cold. The pay is not the best but it is fair and it is possible to earn what they promise if you work hard (and I mean hard.) BTD is the best proof of that.
I moved to Canada from the UK to work for them in July and basically am still happy. So far I have experienced some hardships but you can’t expect emigrating to a new country to be easy. Also you must consider that North American flat deck work is a tough job BUT I have had some fantastic experiences. My first 6 months at BF has taken me through 7 Canadian provinces including Newfoundland and 27 US states and I have found the diversity of the work immense and quite challenging.
Go for your interview and make your own mind up.Mark
P.S Let us know how you get on
I only worked a lettle when I was in the UK, but what I found was that employers invested time and energy in training their staff. Some companies in Canada are starting to only because they need to recruit. As a Canadian, in some ways I’m ashamed of Canadian employers who expect new and experienced drivers to know everything, and when things go wrong, the employees are often let go. In some ways, rural Canada is much like the wild west of the old days.
The company I last drove for were good, ECL out of Edmonton. There were problems but they did treat the guys with respect and were valued. Drivers had to try hard to get the sack.
It’s a different ball game driving in Canada and the U.S. There is a shortage of drivers for long haul because most people don’t like being on the road for so long with or without having a family. The work is hard and I also think the money esn’t that great though I think there’s going to be a big increase in wages soon.
I have looked at jobs in the UK, I know that it will take me a year or so to land a good job. Moving to the UK would take a sizable chunk of cash as flats and houses are really expensive. I do have a house on the Isle of Wight but what jobs could be had there?
Carefully plan your move to Canada. Know what you want and be flexible. After a year or so most problems will be behind you.
Best of luck to anyone making the move over.
wire:
Shunta wrote:is this all true about bf cos i have a interview with them in the uk on
jan 12th at rugby truckstop
can any help me hereMy best advice to you is go to the interview with an open mind and listen to what BF tell you. Despite what opinions other people give you BF will not tell you lies. In many cases people encounter problems because they either don’t listen or take what they’re told too lightly. BF will tell you the work is hard and the winter’s cold. The pay is not the best but it is fair and it is possible to earn what they promise if you work hard (and I mean hard.) BTD is the best proof of that.
I moved to Canada from the UK to work for them in July and basically am still happy. So far I have experienced some hardships but you can’t expect emigrating to a new country to be easy. Also you must consider that North American flat deck work is a tough job BUT I have had some fantastic experiences. My first 6 months at BF has taken me through 7 Canadian provinces including Newfoundland and 27 US states and I have found the diversity of the work immense and quite challenging.
Go for your interview and make your own mind up.Mark
P.S Let us know how you get on
Wire, you’re not Brownie are you, Shane’s old mate on the tankers?
I’m not haveing a go at anyone or tell them what to do but here’s a little history about me first
I married a yank girl so only had to get a green card to come to the US, rented an artic and got a commercial licence (this was before the CDL) but trucking firms had drivers laid off in the 70’s so i worked in a factory for a year 
I got my first artic driving job 
in another state but the pay was crap 
, was there a year. Then got another artic job closer to wife’s family , pay was ok but gone about three weeks worked there for five years then they closed up 
In my next artic job i was gone one to two weeks and the money was a little better stayed ther for fifteen years
Left there when my present employer opened a rdc just sixty miles away only gone five days and a lot better wages been here for eleven years Guess what i’m saying is do’nt be put off if your first or second job is’nt perfect, your getting experience to get that better job
Rob K:
Wire, you’re not Brownie are you, Shane’s old mate on the tankers?
Fraid not Rob
Well put, Mark. Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture.
I have worked hard here, and am only now having troubles with dispatch and with a couple of others. They may be fixed, but I will have to wait and see.
The following was posted over at the Canadian drivers forum at OLT by member “Fozzy2K”,seems all is not rosey in the Garden of “Big Freight Systems” as this is the second “downer” post
Very interesting the fact that Gazza says that the Bossman from BFS trawls the net looking for any negative posts from BFS drivers,maybe thats the reason why I’ve said before its hard to find any “their crap” posts about BFS
Hi all just wanted to give some of you guys a little bit of advise if you`re thinking of crossing the pond in the near future.I know that the company that i recently parted company with have been recruiting in the uk.These guys will paint you a rosey picture of the glamour of the open roads etc.
All i will say to you friends is do your research.There are more than enough guys on this site over here that you can privately message for the honest truth.The fact is they will not post what they really think on the open forum as believe it or not i know for a fact that the boss from the company that i no longer work for trawls these sites looking for any employee who dare to say something negative about them,and one guy was sacked for doing just that! (in case youre wandering im not a bitter guy who was sacked,i left of my own free will).
You should know that there has been a massive downturn in work recently due to the weak U.S dollar.I was promised a minimum 10,000 miles per month and my first annual wage would gross over $50,000.I was nowhere near on either.The company present themselves as family orientated,again another falsehood.I requested to be home on two occasions recently,both requests fell on deaf ears,infact on the second occasion i was threatened by my dispatcher that there would be" f£$% hell to pay buddy"if i refused to take a load on a day i had booked off to spend with my family.
I recently had a meeting with the head of immigration for Manitoba as i wanted to change my work visa to another company and his actual words were “the trucking industry in canada is sick” what he was getting at was that the working conditions are very poor,no young canadians want to come into the industry as it is a hard life,which is why companies are having to recruit abroad.
Be aware that the cost of living out here is really no cheaper than the uk sure the houses are cheaper and the petrol prices are cheaper,but when the wages are not very good times can be tough.I have a very small mortgage about £250.00 a month but believe me we find it hard to get by in fact we dip into our savings every month just to get by.
At the end of the day guys the choice is yours just all i advise is really look into it before you make a decision,we were abit caught up in the whole romance of moving abroad and the grass will be greener routine and now we`re finding out the hard way it definately is not!
Sure we have a nice house and our young kids can play out safely and theyll more than likely get a better education here.These are the positives that made us choose to come here,just weigh up the negatives rationally thats all.I know at least five Brits that have thrown in the towel and gone home in the last month alone,not because they couldnt hack it but because they just felt they had been mislead on the whole deal,and believe me when you have to work as hard as these guys have and put in the hours they do just to make enough to scrape by it`s no joke!
Now im sure there are plenty of good companies out there and ill probably get tons of flack from guys who do work for them,i`m just giving you an honest view from my perspective thats all
Good luck
Gazza
you can only assume that is an honest view from the poster on his experiences with the firm but what i will say is in my dealing with them as a potential employee, i certainly couldn’t accuse anyone i spoke to there as painting a rosey picture, far from it, they went out of the way to point out how hard it was going to be, how cold the winters were, how tough it is being away for long lenghs of time etc etc.
perhaps there’s always two sides to every story?
Re the OLT post, it’s just like everyone with a brain has been saying since day 1. They promise you the earth to get you over there and into the hot seat but the reality is that you’re now working twice as hard as you were doing here and now spending twice as much time away from home, but now you’re only getting paid 5 peanuts a year instead of 10.
But you’ve got an 18 bedroom house in the middle of nowhere with 3 billion acres of land for the kids to play on, so that makes it alright then. Not that you’ll see either more than twice a year when they allow you home, mind.