truck driver

dispatcher

laborer

heavy equipment mechanic

trailer mechanic

VDM Trucking Services Ltd.

On a typical day we would either have notice the night before or the day of to load a trailer with various casing and tools to take to rig sites across Alberta BC and Sask. On the highway side Canada and USA trips. Days could range from 5-16 hours in all weather conditions. overnight trips would come up occasionally depending on the location of the rig. this was my first full time tractor trailer position and helped develop both my highway and off road driving skills. 

Although management was experienced and mostly great to get along with (everyone has there bad days), i found that there was a constant lack of communication between drivers, dispatchers, and other management. issues were commonly dismissed or shut down completely. dispatchers were not good at keeping drivers informed of situations, delays, back-hauls and preceding loads. Getting payed for all jobs completed was also a huge issue. hours or jobs were regularly missing or changed.

On a positive note with the exception of a few co-workers the group was great to get along with and were always there to help one another. probably one of the best experiences i've had and most memorable.

Being a highway driver proved to be the hardest and most challenging part of the job. Trips lasted as few as 3 days and as long as 21 days. the long driving hours each day and the flat prairie lands in north america made is difficult to keep going as the weeks went on. you would start to get tunnel vision and were always hoping for the road to curve or turn or climb a hill or see something other then wheat fields. On the flip side of that it was also one of the best times ive had driving, some of the places ive seen and visited i would of never thought to check out on my own. it really opened my eyes to what north america has to offer.

The company has gone from a rather small oilfield company to a larger company that has incorporated a highway division, which is where I came in. However, the company itself has not grown with their vision. There is constant conflict in how the paperwork should flow, driver direction and pay, mgmt roles and dispatch roles. My co worker is a great and we have alot of fun, however he is 95% pipe and rig work. My manager is great too. He is very helpful in most situations, easy to work with and for, and is very approachable with an open door policy.However, he is struggling with head office as to what his role is in this branch.
The hardest part of the job is being on call 24-7 as I have no relief. I have learned to dispatch pipe to rigs, the various sizes of casing and tubing and the baskets that go with the orders. I have a great group of drivers whom I enjoy working with. I have figured out their likes and dislikes and can pretty much keep them all happy in their own comfort zones. The best part of my job is knowing that at the end of the day I can deal with the pipe calls, know where most of the rigs are and that my highway trucks are rolling up and down the highway knowing where there next pickup is going to be.

Most people their other then the main loader op have worked there inside of a year, but tend to act like they’ve been doing it there whole life and that they know everything and the new people who come on must follow by the way they learned and are kind of frowned upon for trying new methods. They give select people more “power” by saying things like they are the lead hand of the whole yard since the other crews lead hand is a little more new, belittling and condescending the other crew solely for the way they do the job. Calling the other crew names and whatnot when they do not do something or where not asked to do something that maybe they would have done or been asked to do, the one person who’s been their for 20+ years is the worst for it. He empowers his crews lead hand into thinking she’s the hardest working individual on the whole yard and they make fun of/make jokes about the other crew (as the other crew is newer then theirs) and whenever you tried to say something about it to the office they shut you down and made you feel like your the problem for coming and saying something

As said good bunch of guys to work with. No overtime till 50 hours and hourly wage is not the best. In the end you need to spend all your time on the road, to make a wage to afford today's economy. You might work afew full 14 hour days and then a couple short days. Then end up with no or just couple hours overtime. Also a A-F pay rate. If you're broke down there's a letter for that rate. Or for shop-yard work a letter. Or for different trailer a letter. In the end to make enough for bills and to save anything, prepare to only afford a couple days a month home

I was running approx 15 trucks on a given day hauling pipeline equipment with three different companies. The Challenge to coordinate and meet all timelines was an enjoyment. I accepted the challenge and succeeded. The work days were busy long and fun as the team i worked along with were supportive. Hard day when breakdowns occur. I enjoy the challenges i like to start and see it to the finish which has earned me a reputation of Honesty. I also learned that i cannot do it all by myself and teamwork and bouncing ideas of each other is the best foot forward

I have worked here for 4 years.there’s always a helping hand. Can be stressful and fast passed at times but if you are willing to give it your all. Its nice to see we all successes at the end. Understanding group. Helpful. Willing to train. If you ask you will recieve. Every company has its ups and downs. Strengths and weaknesses but this company is not going anywhere. The managers/cfo/president etc are willing to give their shirt off their backs to make this place succeed. Def give it a whirl here. If you don’t like it. Move on. But you will learn a lot about others, yourself and your job title 

What is the best part of working at the company?
VDM have decent equipment and very good mechanics in the shop to keep it running 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The dispatch department plays favourites to some people and many others have to wait and get the odd trip to Surmont! Pay check’s were very small

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is fine ! Good people to work with but not enough work for all the employees

The company has become very diverse over the years, allowing all employees to work in various divisions, keeping the workload steady.

They have tried to hire people in Management positions who have not been company players, however listening to their dedicated loyal employees made necessary changes to ensure the proper people are in place.

Always go the extra mile for their employees.

Excellent company, keeping up and exceeding current transportation requirements.

So many complaints on here about management.  And they're all valid and true. 
What employees don't know is that management isn't happy either.  Unless you're family of the owner you're treated just as abusive as the other employees.  
The trickle down effect from owners yelling at management has management yelling at employees.  We all spend all day on edge waiting for the next tantrum.  

What is the best part of working at the company?
The employees are the best part of this company 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
They are extremely disorganized.  One minute you think your doing something and they change your plans 3 mire times before you even leave the shop 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The ppl make the company good to work for

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Truck driver 26 salaries reported	$97,894 per year
Dispatcher 6 salaries reported	$86,667 per year
Laborer 21 salaries reported	$21.57 per hour
Heavy equipment mechanic 11 salaries reported	$110,682 per year
Trailer mechanic 2 salaries reported	$120,000 per year

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