HALLCON
HALLCON Employee Reviews
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Driving crews around all day
Driver (Former Employee) – Saskatoon, SK – 24 January 2019
12 hour scheduled shifts in the yard or on call for road trips which can be long too. When on call you never know when your going to work.
Once off rest you might get a trip right away or you might have to wait 5 or 6 hours. Some very long days with some so busy you hardly have time to go to the bathroom or have lunch. Was enjoyable working with most of the people.
Once off rest you might get a trip right away or you might have to wait 5 or 6 hours. Some very long days with some so busy you hardly have time to go to the bathroom or have lunch. Was enjoyable working with most of the people.
Pros
Most people good to work with
Cons
Too long of days
Train personnel transportation business
Driver/Operator (Former Employee) – Golden, BC – 15 August 2018
Although we worked for Hallcon , CP rail called all the shots. I moved to Golden to become the local manager but quickly realized what i was offered was not what i got! CP rail went on strike twice in the 5 years i worked here and then broke the contracts with all sub-contractors in 2016 so i changed career plans.
Pros
i loved driving and we got 4 days off after every 4 we worked
Cons
no breaks or lunches, poor pay, routine got monotonous !
Very poor management
Crew Driver (Former Employee) – Melville, SK – 27 April 2018
A typical day at work was sit on the board and wait for a call but with the way trips are lately you rarely sit very long.
What I learned more about trains than I knew before. From Hallcon I learned nothing unless you count how to be a good liar.
Management is horrible. Vans are very poorly maintained. They try and blame the driver for stuff they knew was wrong with the van before you drove it so if you do ever drive for them refuse to drive any van that is making any strange noise cause you will be blamed even if something happens after you report it.
Workplace culture? If you count that they like to try and turn drivers against each other as they love conflict long as it not with higher ups.
The job was never very hard as you just transport rail crews. The hardest part was dealing with management.
Most enjoyable part about the job was talking to engineers and conductors. The train stories were awesome.
My advice to anyone who wants to do a job like this go drive for a cab company that does Hallcon trips. The pay is better and you are treated better.
Like to add also this company has a union and its a joke. They take money from us hard working drivers and we got nothing to show for it
What I learned more about trains than I knew before. From Hallcon I learned nothing unless you count how to be a good liar.
Management is horrible. Vans are very poorly maintained. They try and blame the driver for stuff they knew was wrong with the van before you drove it so if you do ever drive for them refuse to drive any van that is making any strange noise cause you will be blamed even if something happens after you report it.
Workplace culture? If you count that they like to try and turn drivers against each other as they love conflict long as it not with higher ups.
The job was never very hard as you just transport rail crews. The hardest part was dealing with management.
Most enjoyable part about the job was talking to engineers and conductors. The train stories were awesome.
My advice to anyone who wants to do a job like this go drive for a cab company that does Hallcon trips. The pay is better and you are treated better.
Like to add also this company has a union and its a joke. They take money from us hard working drivers and we got nothing to show for it
Pros
crews, highway travel
Cons
everything else
okay
Customer Care Representative (Former Employee) – Toronto, ON – 10 May 2018
they push you to be extra careful or you are fired. there are long hours sitting. its a 12hr shift and you have to be on the phone with drivers. you must pay attention
Pros
good pay
Cons
long hours
Much better jobs out there for same pay
Cleaner (Former Employee) – Whitby, ON – 30 May 2018
I found the lead hand girl to be very useless. She would always be sitting and smoking. Never there to ask questions to and never there to work. Leading by that example, each night was poorly organized. Each night was a heavy workload for some and not as much for others. There seems to be politics and that some people are treated fair and others aren’t. That’s the first thing I noticed and that is why I left. Not a good work environment. It’s a depressing job.
I did not like this job
Cleaner (Former Employee) – Whitby, ON – 29 May 2018
Job is repetitive and tedious, dirty. disgusting. Lots of walking. Its a labour intensive job in the garbage collection aspect. Bad for the back. Low pay, no overtime offered. driving between two sites each night. Nothing more than 37 hours a week. The weather in the winter make it dangerous walking to the areas as its not plowed consistently and a few workers have fallen. The only positive thing is there is only minimal supervision which was nice because you had the freedom of doing your work with no one watching you because the lead hand girl always sits outside and smokes and is never on the trains. Cleaning the washrooms or the vomit is pretty awful.
Pros
Min supervision
Cons
Dirty work, no overtime, low pay
I would sooner go on wellfare then work here again!
crew driver (Former Employee) – Sparwood, BC – 8 September 2018
12 hrs of sitting in a van, putting up with stuck up Cranbrook Train crews who think they are god's gift to the world and you are the lowest form of life under their noses!!
Pros
limited exposure to CPR crews
Cons
11 hrs of sitting in the van unable to go anywhere, doing nothing!!
Management made this place what it was
Closer (Former Employee) – Toronto, ON – 5 August 2016
This job was a bit tedious and repetitive, but the management made the company fun to work with. The managers were optimistic and energetic. On rough or overly busy days, as well as holidays, the management would bring in Pizza. The employees were fantastic and celebrated each and every birthday.
The shift work was hard with 12 hour days but the atmosphere was on point.
Rather high turn over rates and low chance for advancement.
Great job if you wanted to save money, as a student on summer vacation or someone who liked to travel or go away in between rotation (4days).
The shift work was hard with 12 hour days but the atmosphere was on point.
Rather high turn over rates and low chance for advancement.
Great job if you wanted to save money, as a student on summer vacation or someone who liked to travel or go away in between rotation (4days).
Pros
Free coffee
Cons
Long hours, commuting in was rough
Unpredictable
Driver (Former Employee) – Saskatoon, SK – 30 January 2018
Sometimes it's extremely slow and u cant make any money, other times it's extremely busy and they will call u while u r booked off. Management, supervisors and dispatchers are hilariously inept. They will get angry and threaten to fire u the moment someone complains about u. Theres a revolving door of employees and it seems like management prefers it that way. The work isn't too bad if road conditions are safe. Most of the train crews u work with are cool but you'll regularly have to deal with being treated like scum.
Pros
Independence
Cons
Unpredictability and mistreatment
Hard work and disgusting
Cleaner for GO trains (Former Employee) – Whitby, ON – 11 May 2018
They paid this amount before min wage went up so trust me your better off flipping burgers. It's brutal work and disgusting. Not worth it. I had to clean up vomit with a rag in a section my supervisor was supposed to be cleaning but she was always busy smoking and walking around outside. Not fair treatment and very unsanitary conditions. They did not use proper methods for cleaning. And expect you to deal with clugged toilets. It was awful. I was very happen to go back to house cleaning.
Pros
None
Cons
Wage, environment, not sanitary
Overall
Housekeeper/Laundry (Former Employee) – British Columbia – 3 August 2018
I loved going to work here everyday, it never felt like work it felt like I was right at home. Great people to work with and fun which made the days and hours go bye quickly.
Pros
Friendly staff and workers
Cons
Managment
Keep looking
Data Entry (Former Employee) – Toronto, ON – 11 September 2015
Work in a small dirty office on the 10th floor of a building that always had repairs. No free parking for employees. Absolutely no advancement in company. You can stay in the same position for 10 years, if the company lasts that long. The "management" was bias and had favorites and you get fired or get suspended when you make a mistake and given no meeting to explain yourself. You have to deal with drivers who are partially deaf. If you're looking for a job, keep looking. The revolving door do this job is not worth it. You'll be in and out before you know it. But hey you get benefits...
Pros
4 days off
Cons
poor management
I do not recommend this job.
Cleaner (Former Employee) – Whitby, ON – 26 May 2018
The work is very unsanitary. There is risk every night of being stabbed by a used syringe for drugs. The pay is very low and should be higher based on work conditions. It’s a boring, dirty job. I do not recommend. The job made me Nauseated. No overtime given. you have to commute between two locations and it eats up a lot of gas and we are not compensated for gas.
Pros
Nothings really
Cons
Too many to say
If you have no life or wife, great
Driver (Former Employee) – Vancouver – 8 March 2018
You are on call for a 12 hour shift but may only get a 3 hour piece of work. You get paid for the hour and minutes you work. Expect to work over your shift especially if you want 8 hours pay. Rotating drivers,
when your piece is done you go to the bottom of the list and hope enough work comes in for you to get another piece. Sometimes your call could comes in at 400 AM or you have to wait till 400 PM, so you hang around home till the phone call comes in.. Trying to call dispatch, in Kansas, can take up to 1 hour so should a fast answer be needed, good luck.
when your piece is done you go to the bottom of the list and hope enough work comes in for you to get another piece. Sometimes your call could comes in at 400 AM or you have to wait till 400 PM, so you hang around home till the phone call comes in.. Trying to call dispatch, in Kansas, can take up to 1 hour so should a fast answer be needed, good luck.
Pros
Good stories from the conductor or engineer
Cons
Hard to get good hours
worst work place ever
Data Entry Clerk (Former Employee) – 5775 YONGE STREET – 24 February 2016
do not work here, management is poor. good employees get hassled while bad employees get praised, the workplace is full of people who are out to get you from day one. all around bad
Pros
free lunchs once in a while, decent pay, 4 days off at a time
Cons
long hours, constanst disrepect for co workers, good workers are punished
Pay is good. But manegment is the worst.
Site Supervisor (Former Employee) – Birchmount Park, ON – 25 October 2017
Operational manager and regional manager have little to no management experience. Work under fair of being fired. Company could do a lot better with staff. Treat driver like kings while looking down on others.
Pros
Pay is good
Cons
Managment believe in fear tactic
Don't work there!!!!!
Team Lead (Former Employee) – Queensway, Evans Avenue – 12 December 2015
High turnover
The working conditions can be harsh. It was cold indoors because during the winter the garage doors were broken and I had to work outdoors in below zero conditions . It was unbearably hot in the summer
The hardest part of the job is being written up for the smallest thing (they management seems to take sick pleasure in doing that), cleaning vomit and urine etc.
Safety was a concern since from time to time random people would just walk onto the property and into a bus. It was also poorly lit.
In terms of pay, occasionally people had problems with their pay or would not be compensated for overtime
I had to work in conditions that affected my health (the bus fumes and chemicals for cleaning bio waste)
With holidays they would change my shift hours behind my back without notice and force me to work overtime (that seems to be an expectation and an insult if you said no)
This is what I experienced working there
My coworkers were friendly that was the only good part
The working conditions can be harsh. It was cold indoors because during the winter the garage doors were broken and I had to work outdoors in below zero conditions . It was unbearably hot in the summer
The hardest part of the job is being written up for the smallest thing (they management seems to take sick pleasure in doing that), cleaning vomit and urine etc.
Safety was a concern since from time to time random people would just walk onto the property and into a bus. It was also poorly lit.
In terms of pay, occasionally people had problems with their pay or would not be compensated for overtime
I had to work in conditions that affected my health (the bus fumes and chemicals for cleaning bio waste)
With holidays they would change my shift hours behind my back without notice and force me to work overtime (that seems to be an expectation and an insult if you said no)
This is what I experienced working there
My coworkers were friendly that was the only good part
Pros
basic Benefits
Cons
Bad Management
Horrible job
Spare driver (Former Employee) – Prince George, BC – 1 October 2014
This was a lousy job from the start. The wages aren't great and never get any better. Calls come in day or night and, while you're supposed to get two hours notice, many are ASAP. Dispatch doesn't keep track of your hours and sends you out fatigued. While some of the guys working for CN were ok, I found most to be entitled jerks who whine and complain constantly. If you did turn down a trip, they threatened to write you up. Lots of easier ways to earn this kind of money, keep looking.
Pros
None that I can think of.
Cons
Ridiculous hours, low pay, no benefits, demanding management, disorganized dispatch, miserable clientele.
If you dont care about manager treating you unfairly this is the job for you
Cleaner (Current Employee) – York, ON – 31 May 2017
Most unprofessional manager that doesn't know how to run a workplace. Even the fact that his still a manager is a mystery. He always threatens workers to quit whenever he doesn't get his way and always asks for favors but never returns the favor. Treating certain workers better than the rest. Always harasses you while your doing your job. The only thing this manager still has his position is that employees are scared to loss their jobs. You'll have no right to say no to whatever he asks from you. Always short on employees whenever an employee calls in sick he pressures you to work faster and when you miss something in the bus he won't even bother to acknowledge the fact that he was down workers and forced you to rush. No he'll either have a meeting complaining about buses not being cleaned properly or he'll call you in the office about you needing to focus at work. Him and few of his "close" employee will deny the fact but you'll find out over the time he discriminate workers, force some workers to work hard while other workers are sitting around or play hide and seek somewhere. This job is easy if it weren't for the current management.
Pros
Some good workers and good pay
Cons
Worsed management