Pros
1) Annual salary in Canada. Still a mostly regulated industry up here. On my way to grossing 98k, at least. The only other place you're going to do that without a formal education, is the oil patch, or a public sector job with crazy amounts of overtime. The former you are at the mercy of high oil prices sustaining your contracts for constant renewal, the latter, at the mercy of the taxpayer's anger. 2) Benefits. Even this basic need is becoming a luxury in many (most?) unskilled job markets. 3) Even our current defined contribution plan for new employees isn't terrible for western Canada drivers. Eastern Canada drivers still maintain a cream-of-the-crop style defined benefit pension. 4) Steady runs do exist. 5) Union environment (the pro side) unless you seriously mess something up, or steal, you are pretty much guaranteed a job, barring a seasonal layoff (last one was almost nine years ago, I think?) 6) Most local managers are immediately-former drivers. They understand what we are dealing with, and are extremely sympathetic. 7) 98% of your passengers are decent human beings who are equally sympathetic to the you, dealing with the 2% that need to be, well, dealt with... Bonus if they offer to buy you a coffee! 8) Vacations. After three years of service, you get three weeks. However, four weeks takes twelve years. Don't even ask about five or six! 9) 98% of your co-workers want to work together to "make it work". We all make do with the little we have. 10) You are THE bus driver. Virtually every rest stop along our routes gives drivers free little perks, like free coffee, 10-100% off meals and food, etc.
Cons
1) "Management will spend a million to save a buck", as a terminal owner gleefully cheers anytime such topic comes up. 2) No such thing as giving input. If you expect as a low-level employee to make changes, you are going to ruffle feathers. Forget suggesting healthy cost-saving measures or efficiencies, you'll be promptly forgotten about or downright ignored. 3) Union environment (the con side). Steady runs exist: however, if you're expecting something with "normal people sleeping hours", expect to need at LEAST twenty years or more of seniority. In some divisions, it isn't even an option, and the wonky day-night-day-night rotation is for everyone. 4) Constant feast or famine mode. Unless you dedicate your life to spending all your time out of province, and working the day after you come home from being gone a month, your paychecks are either going to be decently good, or absolutely miserable. Working out of province all the time will secure you very good pay checks, but only a limited number of city divisions are offered this opportunity, and all are at management's discretion. Further amplifying the feast-or-famine issue is if you are a new driver without enough seniority to sign temporary vacancies, or worse, you may be forced on a vacancy offering very poor renumeration versus the time worked and/or spent away from home. 5) "This job cost me only one relationship!" Our drivers have one of the highest divorce rates, like most long-haul truck drivers. Going missing out of town for a week or more is not unheard of. Never knowing as a spare person when you are going out or when you are coming home eliminates any real prospect of a personal life. You might not work for a week during famine mode (when everyone says "that's your time off!"), but you'll be "next up" to go out, so forget about making any nice plans with your family, friends, or special other. I missed my son's first Christmas, and many other drivers have as well. Caveat emptor. 6) Run down equipment. Our refurbished buses are twelve years old, and older. When the refurbs first came online into service, every single seat in the bus was changed with nice, fresh, new leather seats. Every single one, except for the driver's, that is. 7) Time off: so long as it's not summer, any holiday, end of month, start or end of college/university reading week, or there aren't too many others off sick or on vacation, which is always... You get the idea. 8) Charter work (groups renting buses) is virtually non-existent. No more "fun" day trips for multi-day casino runs, shopping or wonderland. Our fleet is far too lean to afford extra buses away from home. Unfortunately, these "fun" trips is what made up so much of the downtime work, exaggerating the famine phase, and giving your job a certain level of "soul". 9) If lifting heavy boxes in and out of an awkward bin is not your cup of tea, for the mercy of all that is holy, please don't even bother applying in western Canada! That represents 75% of the work out here! It sustains to good wages we all enjoy!
