H&R The Inside Story

Okay folks here is a little article that I hope will benefit all you prospective newcomers to H&R Transport, I believe most of you have your interviews organised and are just counting down the days.

When I was in that position this time last year I had a million and one questions, I was apprehensive, worried what the future held……………………..

And I even wondered what the company looked like inside, well I have put together a few pictures and a brief description of what goes on in the heart of the "Big Red Team".

You’ve met some of the drivers, you’ve seen the trucks and you’ve seen where they go. Now I would like to introduce you to the organisation behind the "Big Red Team".

How It All Started

H&R Transport began in 1955, hauling fruit and produce out of the Okanagan Valley to the Prairies. The company was eventually purchased outright by Al Foder in 1974, a former owner/operator of a firm that the ambitious trucker eventually built into an international operation. Now headed by Al's son, D'Arcy Foder (the president and CEO), the company has 465 trucks, 700 refrigerated road trailers, 550 inter-modal refrigerated containers, and 700 employees.

The Front Desk

The smiley face you see when you walk into the H&R reception is Christy, this is where your calls go to when you call the H&R main phone line. Behind the reception is the work station of Cathy Thacker. Cathy gets involved in just about everything H&R, from recruiting, to personnel details, and everything in between, she even looks after the PARS stickers. Cathy is a very experienced member of the company and is a mine of information.

Administration

This is where the admin staff deal with the mountain of paperwork that we drivers manage to produce, logbooks are analysed, permits are applied for, vehicle documents are maintained and if you are unfortunate enough to get a citation (ticket) then this is where it comes. Just look at that huge pile of Log Books waiting to be processed.

Bruce The Training Guy

Meet Bruce, this is the guy that conducts the class room training, this man is also a mine of information, he used to be an owner operator and knows his trade inside out. Since I've been here, he has helped me out many times. Ask him about the zebra pen…………………. I hope he's still got it !!

David Foder

As Fleet Director, this is the man you answer to as a driver, he's the guy who hires & fires, his door is always open and you are usually greeted with firm handshake and a happy smile (if you're not in trouble 8~). Just as at home behind the steering wheel of a truck as he is driving a desk, David joined the family company as a trucker (er, a few years ago) as did the rest of the Foder sons but has now swapped his trucker cap for shirt & tie and runs the fleet.

Stephen Whittaker

Stephen will probably be the first person from H&R that you speak to and meet when it comes to the all important interview, Stephen is a British born truck driver who had years of Continental driving experience before coming over to Canada Highway Driver, he is now is office bound and works closely with David Foder, his main role is to look after the interests of the drivers and to trouble shoot any problems we might have.

Imagine having to listen to the problems of about 400 truckers everyday……………….

And he's still smiling !

Janice, Fleet 6 - My Dispatcher

Operations (Dispatch)

Okay, drivers drive trucks, that’s pretty obvious but who tells the drivers where to go and what time to be there………………….

The dispatch fleets of course, there are 6 fleets at H&R and each fleet controls about a sixth share of the trucks. Their function in the "Big Red" scheme of things is to send the trucks from Canada, usually into the States but it could also be to another location in Canada, these fleets communicate with the trucks via the Qualcomm in-truck satellite computers.

The Fleet Managers sit in the front row, directly in front of the drivers' window, Planners sit in the row behind and the Customer Service Reps sit behind them.

View from the back

Once the drivers have gone into the States and they are completely unloaded, they are then passed over to the USA dispatch team, these people work slightly different to the Canadian Dispatchers in the fact that they control areas (or regions of USA) rather than individual trucks so depending where you are at the end of delivery phase depends who will be organising your return (back load) journey back into Canada

A poorly truck

The Shop

H&R use a leased fleet but still maintains a fully equipped maintenance department. This includes a full size trailer wash, fully equipped servicing, maintenance and repair bays. We even have a spraying bay which has a lovely red sheen…………………..
There are bays which are also set aside and operated by a lease detachment so some servicing and repairs can be carried out on site.

Lethbridge Firm named one of 50 Best Managed Companies in Canada.
April 12, 2007

Lethbridge, Alberta - H & R Transport Ltd. (H & R), the second largest trucking firm in their category in the country, is receiving its award today as one of the 50 Best Managed Companies in Canada. The Lethbridge-based firm was selected from hundreds of entrepreneurial companies who compete for this designation in a rigorous process that evaluates the calibre of management abilities and practices. The winners are selected by a panel of judges from the program sponsors of Deloitte & Touche (Deloitte), CIBC Commercial Banking, the National Post and Queens University School of Business.

Dave Zimmel, partner with Deloitte and Regional Leader for the Best Managed Program, says, ¡§Being recognized as one of Canada¡¦s 50 Best Managed Companies is truly a remarkable achievement. This is the highest achievement for Canadian enterprise and H & R Transport should be proud of this accomplishment. H & R is clearly a leader in its marketplace and a model for other Canadian companies.¡¨

D'Arcy Foder, President and CEO of H & R, says, It is the commitment and can-do attitude of our employees that makes this work. Our culture is contagious and when you have an operation than runs seven days a week, 24 hours a day, it is critical that you have quality employees. We¡¦re very proud of this award as it reflects well on all of us.¡¨

The awards program was established in 1993 to recognize excellence in Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues of more than $10 million. The winners receive the Best Managed designation which symbolizes Canadian corporate success; recognizing companies focused on their core vision, creating stakeholder value and excelling in the global economy.

Zimmel adds, The winning companies have an incredible ability to remain focused on their long-term strategy while still being responsive to the evolving business environment and challenges.