bus driver

dispatcher

motor coach

apprentice mechanic

safety manager

Diversified Transportation

Job Description promises work but doesn't deliver!.

Verify by checking their website for your particular region and job.
Job description uses terms like "you will be driving approximately 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon", "You will be assigned a route that falls between the hours of 6:30 am - 9:30 am in the morning and between 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm in the evening".
When in fact "you will" not be guaranteed "any" hours but instead are put on an existing "casual callout list" that already has many casuals on it. 
By examining senority lists it become evident that you may be on casual list for "years" before you secure a route!

One of their core values is "Integrity" which is obviously not practiced, 
"Safety" is another core value that really does not carry much weight when they don't allow enough time to do proper Pre-Trip inspections when they only afford you 1/2 hour to do. In all honesty, many reputable operators will do an proper inspection while others will short change their inspections due to company's pay allowance od only 1/2 hr.

On the positive side (one of few) the in house training to get your class 2 license was excellent. It's worth putting in the time (2 weeks) if your want to get your class 2 but in all reality if you are wanting to drive you will grow old waiting for descent hours  and a descent pay check from this company.
I truly hope this helps you make a informed choice - I didn't as I was unaware of all of this until I had been there for several days of training.
One other important item:  you are added to the existing "casual list" based on the "pick of the draw". After you finish their training course all the trainees names are put in a hat and drawn for senority. If you are the last drawn then as slight as your chances of getting your "own route" has diminished from next to "0" in several years to ???? LOL, LOL, LOL.

A typical day at work involved being assigned a task from the shop supervisor and performing assigned tasks to the best of your ability in a timely manner.  Tasks included performing scheduled PM inspections and repairs as well as any adhoc repairs which operators may have found on pre and post trip inspections.  

The best part of the job was definately the ongoing training that each member of the maintenance team had a chance to attend.  The training personnel they had on staff were extremely knowledgeable with all components and were always available at a moments notice to assist with troubles which you may have encountered while performing repairs.  

Other staff were always willing to help out whenever a problem surfaced and you were treated like an equal.    

The management was top notch - always approachable and they treat staff like family.  

 As far as the hardest part of the job goes, I would have to say some miscommunication between departments but those sort of things happen in a fleet maintenance shop.  

Overall, if you are a looking for at a job with this company, I highly recommend applying, as the work is good, steady, the atmosphere is great and the people you will work with are great people who will go the extra mile to make you feel like you belong.

I worked for diversified as a mechanic little over a year, in which time I seen several good people who quit good jobs to work for this company get fired or Layed off for no reason, watch out for the contract they make you sign,they say 7 on 7 off 12 hr shifts so mechanics move there, to quit there jobs and find out they are being put on a mon to fri schedule. They then tell you the contract you signed says nothing about 7 on 7 off!!!
Your first day of training is all about safety then your first day on floor may aswell throw that out the window!! They have 2nd yr apprentices being lead hand telling the red seals what to do.  If they want you gone and you have family that relies on you coming home but they can't fire you your punishment will be mon to fri shifts so your stuck there and can't fly home to see your family,possibly send you to fort McKay,where you then work 8 hr days and 2hr there 2hrs back travel time you don't get paid for.  If you get injured on the job they will have modified work for you even if you can't walk and you will be kept from your family modified duties Monday to fri !!! No matter how good of worker you are.  In an attempt to make you quit so they don't have to pay insurance,So if you plan on living perm in fort mac give it a try.  If you plan on flying or driving out for your 7 days off to see family I'd think long and hard before stepping foot in any of there shops

Driving at Diversified can rewarding yet difficult to get used to. A lot of your time at work is in the morning then afternoon and late evenings. This constitutes being at work when your family is at home and you being home when their either working or going to school. This leaves you with a lot missed family time or sometimes even social events. So you have to be adept at improvising to get necessary time with loved ones. Split shifts are hard to get used to but not impossible. Actually I dont know if I could work 10 or 12 hours straight. The breaks can be nice. I've learned that if your nice to people they're usually nice to you. A smile goes a long way on the people business. I find it works when dealing with management as well. I believe they want to do well at they're job just as I do. Diversified has a rich cultural mix. So many people from so many different places. It's amazing how much you can learn and grow just from conversing with them. And we are all literally doing the same job. Which brings us close as drivers. It's good! The hardest part if the job for me has been not trying to think about how catastrophic it would be if we or someone in my path should make a deadly mistake, all the while keeping safety first in my mind. The best times for me are pulling into the yard after one more successful run. Diversified has always been good to me. It's been a great place to work for many years. Love and appreciate my job. Thanks.

Fort McMurray = bitter COLD winters!!  Dangerous road conditions with many hills! Field ops were supportive but management very cold.  They do believe in safety, and they want you to report seeing other drivers being unsafe...but if you do then NOBODY will ever talk to you again. I saw a guy get unfairly suspended after he reported a speeding/reckless fellow driver! Not long after, they promoted that reckless driver! Another colleague was terminated when a passenger falsely stated he was dangerously driving on the shoulder of the highway passing long lines of vehicles - when in fact he was driving along a 400 meter merge lane coming off a ramp!  I saw two very well-liked & respected managers get terminated for refusing a large salary cut. In winter it is dark ALL THE TIME and often the road conditions make driving extremely SLOW with almost bumper to bumper traffic stretching MILES!  Only about 25% of the drivers have English as their mother language and communication with the Somalis was sometimes challenging.

The company is tenure heavy and work load is not shared equally... It felt more like a part time job than a full time job because of split work days... The max hours you get when you first start is 6-8/day paid, while the tenured guys (10 years+) get 12-14 paid per day... The rate of pay varies depending on what is being asked of you to do, the rate of pay should be that same no matter what... Probation was 120 days, and then benefits don't start till following month, no one should have to wait that long for probation... I'm sure long term, it would eventually work out... If you do your job well (and keep to yourself as you never know who's gonna tell on you), you will not even know who your manager is, I didn't even know until after I left... 

It's still overall a good to great company to work for, but the union and the company has alot of hurdles to work throughtnin order to keep attrition down, turnover rate is way to high, and those are early indicators of how the union and the company is being run... 

Would I return: maybe depending on the offer in writing.
Would I recommend: yes, but understand what you are signing to.

New hire recommendation: take camp vs in city living allowance, you will be way further ahead.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Pick up kids from home to take them to the school, then pick up kids from school to take them to their home safely. I like the energy what the kids the most of the time happy.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
When the managers change the rules, kind of confusing, or no clear direction.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Working with ethics with anyone, teachers, students, family's parents, with good sense of humor.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
In the morning bus circle check, everything working good, then cleaning inside the bus, checking windows, monitoring the mileage, checking any messages from the company, then running the bus to students home.  Drop off students to the school, communicate to teachers who receive the kids, any news, then few hours after picking the kids to their home, the last kid, doing a child check in the bus, then reporting the bus is clear and proceed driving to the parking lot, circle check of the bus, write the mileage, clean the bus for the next day, and done.

I worked with a great group of drivers who all worked as a team. Because we all did the same job, we could easily relate to each other and help each other in time of stress, work problems and roll playing. Starting each work day with a coffee and relaxing with my fellow drivers, then taking the bus out of the garage to start my run which was mainly split shifts. Completing my first run, back at the garage, sometimes going for breakfast with a few of my buddies, then home and then back to do my afternoon run. The hardest part of my day would be road conditions, construction, tight schedules, sometimes, but not very often, unruly passengers. The best part of my job was getting to know my passengers who became friends, working with my fellow drivers.
I enjoyed teaching new drivers how to drive the buses, teaching classroom subjects, Going out with seasoned drivers to help them with some habits they may have picked up that I could show them how to handle or deal with certain things.

Given a Great Office... Awesome View. 

Evaluation Skills: accurately, and without bias, assesses job performance, measures potential of employees.

Administration Skills: manages costs effectively, handles details personally, has advanced skills in records management, has established trust with workers, can delegate appropriately.

Leadership: shows authority, gains respect and confidence, has the support and respect of workers, establishes a feeling of teamwork, is fair and firm. 

Management: is a strong asset to the company, handles crises well, instigates change smoothly, supports and leads team members, brings out the best in his workers, promotes a feeling of harmony and fairness.
 
Interpersonal Skills: acknowledges the needs and concerns of others, promotes a positive working environment, has loyal and committed workers, manages different personalities, is tactful and sincere.
  
Team Skills: encourages team members to participate in problem-solving, utilizes the skills of each team member, enhances productivity.

Being part of the maintenance crew, safety and good communication is very important and from my opinion this has been well addressed through weekly safety meetings. Positive attitude and teamwork is above average but could be improved. Management is very helpful but training on specific jobs (ie. A/c, preheat) could be streamlined better and sooner. Workplace environment is fairly paced and the people who work there are friendly. Hardest part of the job is working on different types of equipment that I am not experienced on and that  little mentorship is offered (hard to get help from someone that is very busy working on other equipment). It will be nice to have an experienced tech shadow other techs on certain jobs so they can become more efficient and more confident. Refresher courses in general would be a great help. The best part was of the job is having drivers come back after a run with smiles on their faces thanking the shop for keeping the fleet well maintained.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Bus driver 22 salaries reported	$31.85 per hour
Dispatcher 2 salaries reported	$30.25 per hour
Motor coach 2 salaries reported	$30.00 per hour
Apprentice mechanic 11 salaries reported	$40.94 per hour
Safety manager 3 salaries reported	$72,500 per year

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