Info on Monarch Transport

No problem. Lost my Mom when I was 7, my Dad when I was 12. I WOUND UP AS A WELDERS HELPERS ON THE VERY FIRST TransCanada Pipeline in 1956 after being thrown out of grade 9 just six days before final exams in a Priest Run boarding school because I kicked the priest who was trying to sexually assault.


Of course the RCMP said the that Father Superior would never do such a thing.

I wound up owning 2 trucking companies over the years the last one of which I sold in 2006.

I have retired 6 times and love to work so every know and then I find something to do.


How's life as an Owner Operator? If you work for people like Monarch, I'm sure you'll be rich in no time. By the way, Monarch was started by Bob McCombie whom I worked with in 1970's, it was a Courier company out of Calgary. Bob even made it as a Alderman on Calgary city Council. Byers Transport bough Monarch from him.

 

Now on a serious note. Ask yourselves why trucking companies want Owner Operators.


It's because they cost them less money to move their freight than a company driver does.


There are drivers on this site that I have hired that can vouch for the income they're being paid.

 

By the way, a year ago we paid hired trucks/owner ops $2.17 per running miles to hooks up to a loaded highboy with the load already secured, take it to Estevan and dropped it and return with an empty. NO WAITING at either end or loading and unloading. How does that compare to Monarch operation??? One Owner Op truck ran double and easily made a round trip 6 days a week.

570 miles one way. (no 15% grades either)

 

Well thanks for sharing your life story as it is we all have our own stories and back ground to bring us to where we are at in life. And I went to Sait and graduated. The unfortunate part I was making very little money and had a family to support, so you do what you have to to feed your family, and truck driving 30 years ago was in a totally different place then it is now, I actually enjoyed it. But the pay for drivers has not gone up for many years and according to another driver Monarch drivers took a cut in pay last year. So yes it is nice to know that their are some companies willing to pay drivers for what they do. And no I didn't expect to get rich, but I was sick and tired of doing the job of 2 at my last company job as I was the only highway driver for that company. As they got busier they just loaded more of the work on me. And if I broke down on the highway, or needed to have the truck repaired they had no back up,or way for me to get home. And it was my job to line up repairs and find my way home. So yes I bought my own truck and yes I am sorry I did it. But I wouldn't have known that unless I tried would I? The mistake I have made is I have put to much trust in people, when it has become acceptable for most to lie. I was raised on if the truth hurts suck it up. Also from what I get out of your post you sound as if you have a tendency to value others for what they are and not who they are. This is the way I see it, if you are an ### wether you be a politician a dispatcher or a truck driver you are still an ###. You are not better than the next by what position you hold. I don't worship Stephen Harper because he is the PM, Klein was a better leader then Harper will ever be. But I will tell what amazes me is how many people's arrogance strengthens by the positions they hold. But on another note.


THE CARRIERS DON'T HAVE TO LIE TO THE DRIVERS TO GET THEM TO WORK FOR THEM. AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO PROMISE MILES THEY HAVE NO INTENTIONS ON GIVING YOU.

why would I go to work for any carrier if I couldn't get the miles I need to cover my bills? And it is sad some carriers have to lie to you, in order to get drivers. Do they feel good about themselves when drivers are losing their shirts to deliver their loads, so they can make money? Or are we all just in it to do those carriers a favour so they can treat us like garbage. So maybe you are right maybe the smart ones are the ones that left the industry, realizing that those carriers do not appreciate all of what they do, do for them. unfortunately the greedy are controlling the world. And when you are being lied to you can only hope you see through it. Or you could go the other route and label all carriers as liars.


but at the same time I have seen you post many times on this site looking for drivers.

 

Yes you have because when spring comes around we get slow. They know this when we hire them.

On the other hand, since last August we bought another 10 Mack Tri Drive, and 2 weeks ago another 5 KW Tri Drives and 5 Mack Tandems. I also specked out 100 flatbeds, 20 regular ones last August, 40 Manac ri Drive specs ordered December 23rd and delivered this spring and right now by mid week will have all except for 10 our of another new bunch of 40 tri drive BWS trailers.


When you grow you need people, guess what, we pay them and we get them. Lowbed hands start in the area of $35. - $38. pickers $45 $50 . PLus overtime plus benefits plus tax free subsistence.

I all honesty, if I was just starting in trucking today, it would be as a driver, not an Owner Op. Hell, when an Owner Op finally gets home fpr the weekend he spends a good part of it under the truck doing maintenance. I'd rather just make out a Cry Sheet and tell them to let me know when it's ready.

We have some drivers that that make well over a $100,000. a year.

 

Ooooppppsss.... Double post.

 

I am not sure why but you have taken this post as a personal attack directed at you. And unless you are one of those on this site that believe all truckers are idiots,then you really have nothing to worry about do you???And if a truck driver is going to ask for advice and I have had personal experience I will tell them what I know. I will not lie to them to save face for a bad carrier or dispatcher. And as some owner/ operators or even some company drivers we should just like it and except it cause we should just know better or we are stupid. When a owner operator asks to be home to be able to get his daughter to an orthodontist appointment and misses it due to the dispatcher just to have her say, that is the trucking industry. Like he said just because that is the way it is doesn't mean it is right. There are owner operators that are treated as glorified company drivers, that get to incur all cost of plate fuel insurance lease payments etc. with carriers that have no concept of what the government defines as an owner operator and a company driver.And no I know nothing about Pioneer Trucking, nor how they deal with their drivers. But unfortunately I knew nothing about Monarch other than what I have read in this post before I started. This is what I read it is part of the landtran group google it, and Ken Fuller is a fair person and the US drivers do better then the Canadian drivers. But guess what my truck is to heavy to haul US that wasn't an option. And the advice never helped me. I was on this site thinking it was on here so truckers could give each other advice but it seems there are a few people in here have nothing better to do than slam drivers. I just didn't think you were one of them. And I still don't know if you are defending Monarch or slamming Monarch. So let me reiterate what I said earlier, I will post what I do know for fact and can back up, and if that company does not like it maybe they should reconsider their company practices. And if the only reason some people are here is TRY and belittle drivers, then I have no empathy for them. Besides this is the TRUCKERS REPORT.

 

When Byers first acquired Monarch. Is was a good fit in the Company. At a time Byers was owned by the Pacific Western Airlines who was owned by the Alberta Government. It was managed by a Trimac Group of consultants headed by Sandy ??? and Rubyn Marinoski. They made money hand over fist with it then they sold it to Ontario based Laidlaw Group.


Things have changed drastically since then. Trucking isn't what it used to be. No doubt you buying a truck would have been a good move 15 - 20 years ago but things have changed a lot and not necessarily for the good. Deregulation came in effective January 1, 1990 and people that should never been in the business were granted a licence just for the asking. The rest is history. I wish you luck and if you can get on with people like RTL Robinson, Lynden, and better yet with people that do specialized hauling around the oilpatch, Withers, PeBen, Formula Powell etc. and you will probably do well. A lot better than the Monarchs of the industry.

I've been in the industry going on to 53 years so I know a little bit about it. GOOD LUCK!

 

My first truck was on at monarch. Beer loads over the rocks and water or paper rolls back. Trucks gone and happy to be we're I am now.

prairie boy, cry sheets? I'm to busy for them unless I can't fix it on the side of the road.... Giddy up go, the oils gotta flow.

 

I wouldn't mind getting into low bedding.... Hmmm lol ill stop by tomorrow with a résumé prairie boy! Make a fresh pot!