Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Remember Maislin's Trucking (may have to scroll a bit)

 

Maislin's was a fairly large trucking outfit ,for many years in Ville Lasalle on Newman Blvd,.......remember that end of Newman which seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere,......and across the street from Maislin's was a little house style bar,....and one of the guys from Verdun ran a motorcycle shop or body shop near there too,.I can't recall his name now,but I'm sure one of you do Remember it.

In anycase here's some old Maislin Photo's ,.    checkout Hank's Truck Pictures for more trucks etc etc ,.or the Diesel Gypsy.............                    HF&RV

 

In 1945, four Canadian brothers borrowed a thousand dollars to make a down payment on a used truck. From these modest beginnings, operating from their mother's kitchen, they launched a local cartage service.

The original group was later joined by three more brothers and a brother-in-law. Together, they transformed the modest initial investment into one of the largest trucking companies in North America: Maislin Transport.

During the early years, Maislin operated from two locations: Montreal and New York. The primary commodities transported were fish from Canada to the United States and fruit from the United States to Canada.

During the next ten years, the company was incorporated and grew rapidly; opening offices in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Champlain, New York as well as in Toronto, Ontario with Montreal serving as the base of operations. In time, the company expanded its operations in Ontario, Quebec, New England, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.

The Maislin name on trucks became synonymous with fast, safe and dependable service covering a wide area in the United States and Canada.

In late 1972, Maislin Transport became a public corporation trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Montreal Stock Exchange (now known as the Montreal Exchange) as part of the Maislin Industries Limited Group.

Although the economy was experiencing a downturn in the late 70s, a time when most trucking companies suffered losses, Maislin was running a profitable operation and so the decision was made to purchase Gateway and Quinn Motor Freight, two transport companies, for strategic purposes.
During that same period the United States and Canadian governments deregulated the transport industry. The combined effects of deregulation and recession in North America, including stagflation, with 18% interest rates, forced Maislin to close its doors in 1982.

In 1984, Morrie Maislin, a veteran of the transport industry and his brother Alan, began Maisliner Transport. Maisliner operated a small terminal in LaSalle, Quebec and formed a strategic alliance with a company in New York. As sales increased, Maisliner formed another alliance with a company in New England with the goal of providing 24 to 48 hours service to existing clients. In time, Maisliner also opened a California to Canada direct service.

At present, Maisliner runs with its own equipment between Montreal and NY/NJ, New England, Los Angeles, the Carolinas, and Georgia. For all other points, we work in conjunction with our interline partners to offer complete North American coverage.

To complement our ground service, we have added a logistics division that offers worldwide ocean and airfreight services as well as a cross-border division that offers small parcel service, warehouse and distribution to and from the United States.

 

maislinerlogo

http://www.maisliner.com/history.html              Maislin still maintains a website,I didn't know this,........ 

69 comments:

Sandy Walsh said...

In the '70's and '80's there were hundreds of Maislin trucks going up and down 87 transporting newsprint down to the States from Gatineau and Three Rivers for CIP (and those competitors too). We used to often stand at the snack bar in Kresge's having lunch looking directly across at Eaton's side entrance. The waitress who always served us had a husband who drove a Maislin truck. Quite often he would go down that street (was it Mansfield?) and stop and beep his horn and his wife would wave to him. We loved the hot dogs and meat pies and french fries there and it was quick so we could then go and shop in Eaton's. We got a lot done on a one hour lunch.

Madeleine Buckley said...

My dad, René Bérubé, and Howard Walker were killed when my dad's car was hit by a Maislin truck on Dec. 30, 1963, in Ville Lasalle. My memories of Maislin are not so pleasant, unfortunately.

Les F said...

Just added a page re: Maislin Trucking History,from their own website, which I was surprised to find as I thought they were out of business,,,,,, However I also added the link ,along with the history story,in the topic thread.......... HF&RV

Rich Michelle said...

I remember this truck lot out in lasalle , interesting that it is still around.It wa s avery desolate area i thought. but you could cut through to laverendrye blvd near there maybe thiery st

kevin delaney said...

Sam Maislin was a very kind a generous man....I have only fond memories of him.....he was always there when my family was in need and never ever asked for anything in return. He was a great person.
Regards
Kevin Delaney

Jenn Glover said...

According to my father, The Late Clifford Glover, who was an truck driver with Maislin for years was laid off during the 1982 shut down of the company. Good ole Sammy Maislin was a very compassionate man, left his company for his sons and they bought into the company Black Horse and it went belly up as my father put it.. Meanwhile everyone that invested in the company had suffered great losses that affected my father and many others for years to come. I remember it well being on the front page of the Gazette with my Dad at 12, a very tough time for my father, Single father of 5, Needless to say we survived but what was really upsetting was my father Was a good man and worked very hard, and he deserved far more respect and shouldn't have lost $5000,00 dollars of shares in the company. maybe right now in 2010 5 grand doesn't seem much but in 1982 it was a good chunk of change,, and to come and find out that they continued under maisliner and my father wasn't hired. That wasnt called for. I am sure that Sam Maislin wasn't happy about that, i don't blame him really. He liked me alot always nice. .I wish there was more compassion in the world.

dean Smith said...

Im wondering, would anyone remember John Reardon who drove for Maislin back in the late 70s early 80 in the Boston Mass area,his my late uncle
inlaw and was married to my wifes English aunt Doris,any stories would be appreciated, Dean London England

Susan Rowe said...

My father, George Berard, drove for Maislin's out of Springfield MA, on Page Boulevard.

Les F said...

Thanks for the input, Did your Dad have any old photos from those driving days ? We would like to see them if you do...... Cheers ! Les

isabel shulko said...

When The Teamsters Union were on stick at Maislin one of the drivers went out and purchased several chickens. He had posters made up in BOLD red letters reading "ON STRICK". He attached the posters to the chickens and had them march up and down with a long string attached to one of their feet so they could not go too far. If you are on strick you had to put in time on the picket line to get strick pay and this applies today, also. The driver was Tom Jennings and he got paid and made the cover of every newspaper. Tom and his brother, Fred, were one of a kind! He wanted pay for the chickens, also!!!!!

isabel shulko said...

My late husband, Kenneth Shulko, worked and loved working at Maislin. The best story I can tell was in 1977 when Elvis died. All Maislin drivers were at my husband's residence paying respect to the KING! The dispatchers could not find a driver- they shut down the movement of freight for that day! The next day lots of hang overs and SAM was fuming!

isabel shulko said...

My husband's handle was "SUGAR SHACK" KENNETH G. SHULKO R.I.P.

Les F said...

Wow great inside stuff,..thanks for the input. .......Cheers ! -Les

Les F said...

Wow great inside stuff,..thanks for the input. .......Cheers ! -Les
Sounds like Sam was really Po'd ................. Cheers ! -Les

Rob Hastings said...

At one time or another, my entire family drove for Maislin. My Grandfather started in the late 50's and my Dad and Uncles followed.. I was told that on the way home from the hospital my Dad had to stop at the old Mid-Con Truck yeard in Toronto to show me off to Sam.. My Grandfather retired in 1981 as number 1 highway man out of Kennedy Rd. My Dad had left in the 60's to run long haul but one of my Uncles and a cousin were still there in 82 when the gates were locked.

BIG GUY said...

MEMORIES LAST FOREVER KEN "SUGAR SHACK" SHULKO WAS A GREAT MAN !

BIG GUY said...

I REMEMBER WHEN MAISLIN HAD A "NO RIDERS" POLICY IN THEIR TRUCKS, THEY WENT AS FAR AS TO REMOVE THE PASSENGER SEATS LOL NOT IN EVERY TRUCK THOUGH, BUT THAT DIDN'T STOP A PROUD FATHER FROM TAKING HIS SON ON A TRIP TO FORT ERIE. THE SHORNCLIFF / MID CON TERMINAL IN ETOBICOKE TRUCK DRIVERS WERE A GOOD BUNCH OF GUYS-COUSIN DON'S AND ADAMS RIBS WAS THEIR HANG OUT LOL

Jason Jasper said...

My grandfather drove for them He also got me a metal truck, that I still have to this very day on my shelf with the flat front cab and trailer blue with a white stipr and MAISLIN on it. Man what I wouldnt do to get a newer one just to put them side by side. Anyhow, my grandfather, Paul Duval I think realy liked his job there. We lived in Nashua NH and I dont know were he drove out of, but he was home every night.

Les F said...

Wow that would be cool to see a photo of that collectible........feel free to share that one with us if you want......... Thanks for the input by the way:
and you are more than Welcome to join this site too,if you want.. Cheers ! - Les

stan said...

Grew up in ville emard just across the canal from verdun.
Maislin Bros. still remember it well worked on newman blvd in la salle, i was a truck mechanic there for 15 years right until 1983 when we all lost our jobs.
I can still remember repairing all those trucks in the photos .
still some good memories

stan said...

Grew up in ville emard just across the canal from verdun.
Maislin Bros. still remember it well worked on newman blvd in la salle, i was a truck mechanic there for 15 years right until 1983 when we all lost our jobs.
I can still remember repairing all those trucks in the photos .
still some good memories

Unknown said...

I don't know if anyone remembers me, but my name is Reta Bickerstaff. I worked at Maislin Transport for about 6 years. I trained on Shorncliffe, Worked at MidCon for a few years RusBailey as Manager, Bernie Maislin had an office there, then I was transferred out to Kennedy road, where I worked as Tracing supervisor for 3 plus years. John Dennis was the terminal manager at that time. I must say that I worked at several Trucking companies since Maislin, but none of them could compare to the Owner's/Maislin Brother, and staff/friends that I made there. It was one big happy family. I am still a trucker at heart. Those were the good ole days. If anyone remembers me I am on FB at..Reta Harris Bickerstaff....Please look me up. I have several photo's that some may be interested in. Great memories. 'Chow for now.

Les_F said...

Reta thanks for surfing by & providing some input. I don't actively run this site like I once did , however I just may fire it back up again at some point & I would welcome any photos or stories you would like to share. I am not on FB but can certainly try to look up your pafe sometime. Cheers ! & Thanks for popping by. -LesF

André Jeannetôt said...

André Jeannetôt said....
I heard so MANY stories from my deceased Father Georges , that passed away in 1997.
He started working for Mr, Sam Maislin , in 1950 on WILLIAM street in Pointe ST Charles and running the Triangle on the U.S Side for 33 years , whit is friend ... A.Crevier , J.G lebrun , and many more.
I was so little but i remember my DAD arriving from is trip and accros the street from MAISLIN , THE NEWMAN BAR, DRIVER ANG A ROUND .. WOW
Returning from is VACATION my DAD went to the BANK to CASH in 5 PAY CHECKS and no more money. MAISLIN TRANSPORT WAS BANKRUPT VERY SAD TO ALL EMPLOYEES.

André Jeannetôt said...

Another comment, it's ok that MAISLINER took over MAISLIN TRANSPORT wy not it.s family business .
TKS Mr.Maislin for they hockey tickets and also tickets for the wresling at the JARRY PARK....
And much mores .

Unknown said...

My dad drove for Masilin out of Syracuse and later Buffalo, NY until the closing. He worked after the closing shuttling equipment thinking he could earn some extra $$ before officially being unemployed. They rewarded him by not paying him. He always blamed the Gateway purchase as well as the sons taking over from their fathers (the original brothers who started the company)with running the company into the ground. Then they get to reopen as "Masiliner". What about all the employees you screwed over?

susan said...

I don't know why, today, I was thinking of the Maislin Brothers. Wondered whatever happened to the business. So, I just googled Maislin.
Lots of interesting comments here.
When I was a kid, my family was invited up two separate summers to the 'lodge' in the Laurentians. My dad was in export and did business with them.
We rode horses, swam, waterskied, played pool and had fun in the kitchen, when we weren't supposed to be in there!
Those holidays were my favorite childhood (teenager) memories and I still have some pictures from up there. I loved it up there, became friends with some young Maislin relatives and the people that worked there were all so friendly.
The Maislins I knew were all nice people, fun and generous, and enjoyed having young people around.

Unknown said...

like Susan, I was thinking about Maslin today, so I googled it.
i'm in my mid 40's now, but as a kid I use to go down to Bernard Maslin's cottage on lake Ontario, near Napanee. I used to like going there and hanging out with Mark & David.
Bernard would come to visit my grandfather and I remember watching the wintario on Friday nights (I think it was Fridays) at 11pm to se the numbers, Maslin would have a box of tickets.
Bernard had the biggest ring I can remember it was black and gold with BM in diamonds and my dad said it was for black market. I don't think they where the most honest, but very nice.
I still remember the maslin transpot t shirt (light blue and it had all the depots on it). good memories.

Unknown said...

i was unemployed and maislin had a training program for rate clerks because they were closing down the gaeway office in lacrosse wi. ui said there were no places open my next door neighbor was secretary to sam, guess who was in the program the next day. i worked for them a year before they went bankrupt.

sam was a nice guy met him a number of times he even attended my neighbors daughters wedding reception.


Cindy said...

Like Susan...my family went to the "Lodge" in the Laurentians! Loved it! The Maislins were all wonderful and generous people!

Oldtimer 11 said...

I worked out of Maislin's Buffalo NY terminal from 1966 until they went bankrupt in 1983, not 1982.

It was a great company when it was run by Sam Maislin. After his son Alan took over. not so much.

When Alan announced the purchase of Gateway Trucking, the deregulation bills were already pending in Congress. I thought Alan Maislin must have had information that deregulation wouldn't go through because Gateway hand nothing worthwhile but the rights and they became worthless as soon as the bill passed. it turned out that Alan Maislin was no Sam.

To the person who commented about it not mattering if they went bankrupt under one an\\name and started up under a different one because it was a family business.], no it wasn't because they had sold stock, both to the public and to employees.

It is my opinion that they had a several year plan to milk money out of the company pockets and into the family's. The scheme included moving central dispatch from Montreal to Tampa Florida by selling family owned condos the the company, and selling all the US rolling stock to leasing companies.

When Maisling went bankrupt, I was not only out of a job, but somehow the company had un-cashed the paycheck I had deposited the week before. I had to pay the bank back for that one, didn't get the one due the day they decided to go bankrupt or the one for the following week.

We also found out our health insurance through the union had been cancelled because they had not been paying it or the pension funds which meant we had to get another job in the pension plan or lose all credit.

I filed a bankruptcy claim for over 13,000 dollars and got a little over $200, 8 years later.

I have many fond memories of Maislin Trucking, but none after Sam Maislin got sick and had to retire. For many years it was a place you could be proud to work at.

I will leave you with one amusing story,

A friend of mine used to drive milk tanker in the western Adirondacks. One day he had to cover a run further East and he stopped at a diner on old route 9 which used to be Maislin's route to NY city before the Northway opened up.
It was the very early hours of Monday morning, maybe 3 am.

As he went to leave, the customer sitting next to him said "You aren't going out on the road now are you? Those Montreal drivers from Maislin will be coming through here any minute. He told the other customer he wasn't afraid of any other drivers.

When he paid his check, the waitress repeated the warning. He just shook his head at him. He was just reaching for the door handle when a State Trooper came in and looked at him in alarm and said " You aren't going to go out on the road now are you?.

Joe K. said...

I was a road driver for Maislin out of New Jersey (East Rutherford then Kearny) from 1974 till the end. It was a fantastic job when Saul (in NJ) and Sam were still running things. Sadly, it didn't end up that way in later years. Lots of good memories of my time there though.

Unknown said...

Don Peterson
I started with Maislin in mid 70's in Toronto first at shorncliffe, transferred to Mid-Con on the Queensway. when they shut down shorncliffe we all got transferred to new terminal on kennedy rd. I started out as city driver later going to hwy dept. working for Sam Maislin trans was a great job and working for Sam Maislin. he was tough when he had to be but he treated everybody fair. Sam knew what it was like being a driver and not afraid to get his hand's dirty doing it. doing his own repairs on the road at the beginning of getting the company started. when he got to the point he couldn't run the business due to his health. the reigns of power went to Allan and Steve Maislin ( I cant remember if these were Sam's son's or nephew's.) after that everything slowly started to come apart. they wouldn't think of getting dirt under there nail's being born with a silver spoon in there mouth. it's to bad they destroyed everything that the original Maislin brothers had started and grew to such an Empire. I was working that fatal day Maislin shut down and closed it's doors leaving everybody in such a caos. along with other drivers we closed the gates ourselves, so no customer to get in to pick up his freight without a court order, we didn't want to but it was the only way we had to fight back, we lost out pay's and vacation pay's. the news media was there interviewing drivers myself included as to what and where we go from here. when the bank sent rental drivers Cpl night's later to retrieve the city truck's and hwy tractors. the police were there also. we caused the bank a lot of extra money to get them out. we asked the police to check these guy's for proper licence's to drive the equipment. some didn't even have one or were under suspension and such. they got sent on there way without anything. next came the wreckers to pull them out which we delayed them as much as possible as the police got between us and them. that was the end of Maislin Transport as we knew back then.
my memory of working there was one night I came in for dispatch for hwy. at that time Nick Amodeo was terminal manager, there was about 7 or 8 other hwy drivers waiting for dispatch. when it was my turn I cant remember exactly what happened but nick and myself got into such a heated argument, I reached thru the small opening in glass to grab hold of him, he stepped back I pulled, my arm back and took off down the hall to get to the door to get inside office. son of bitch beat me there and got it locked, by this time the other drivers standing there just stood back and left me be in livid state. I was so pissed I went home called union, union rep, union steward. landed up with day suspension with threatening management.
as karma would have it not long after standing at top of stairs Nick got fired as he walked down the stairs with his personal items in tow. I told him have a nice day nicky, he glanced up and just kept going. think he knew he had nowhere to run if he had said something. which to this day I wish he had.

Les_F said...

Great recollection Don thanks for your input. Cheers ! LesF

Aaron M said...

My grand father and father drove for Maislin out of Kearny,NJ for years ! George Montena Sr. And Jr.

Aaron M said...

My grand father and father drove for Maislin out of Kearny for years ! George Montena Sr and Jr.

Unknown said...

my father work for maislin drove and worked the dock for them,

Les_F said...

Thanks for your input Joe & glad you surfed by to do so. Cheers ! Les

Unknown said...

I drove for Maslin when they took over Highway Express until the end. I was out of Pittsburgh and made Fort Erie and Lancaster turns every night until they took the road jobs out of Pittsburgh. Had a lot of fond memories up to the last couple years. Someone had mention they had a metal truck. Still have mine and my grandson plays with it.

Unknown said...

Worked for Maslin out of Pittsburgh. Mostly did turns to Fort Erie and Lancaster. Was a great job up to a couple years before the end. Someone mentioned the metal truck. I still have one my wife found in our attic. My grandson plays with it.

Les_F said...

Great memories Denis, I bet your grandson will always that neat old truck that his grandpa had..Cheers ! Les

Unknown said...

Jenn, I remember my grandfather working for them for as long as I could remember. I also remember when he was let go & what it did to him. He was a proud & honest man who took care of his family. Him & my grandma adopted me when I was 5 & raised me as well. This devastated him as he wasn't a young man anymore & it wasn't easy finding another job. (Not to mention the $ he lost because of them filing bankruptcy & relocating back to Canada & continuing to run the company there.
He worked pumping gas for his brother for awhile & made quilts to sell just to pay the bills & eat. I agree compassion is something I wish everyone had.

tonyfina said...

When I was 19, I worked at the Buffalo NY Maislin Terminal on Niagara Street as a janitor in the office, and in the dormitory section, where drivers overnighted when they stopped in Buffalo. I had recently lost my license because of speeding tickets, and so I had to ride my bike from January to April, from West Ferry and Ashland Avenue, all the way along the Niagara river snow and slush to get to work every day at 6:00 AM in the morning. Does anyone remember the actual address on Niagara Street of the Buffalo Terminal? I always wondered how many miles it actually was. After saving a little money, I quit and hitchhiked west to California, happy for warm weather. That was back in 1973 or 74, when you could still hitch-hike anywhere in the US, and get there almost as fast as driving your own car. They were nice people, though, and treated me well, even though I was about the lowest man on the totem pole, lol.

Les_F said...

For Tony Fina in the previous comment, here is a link to a map showing from West Ferry st (#601 west ferry) and Ashland down to Niagara st. that distance is clocked at 1.6miles, but I dodn't know Maislin's address on Niagara so you may have ridden considerably further. Cheers ! thanks for the comment LesF

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/42.9154494,-78.878616/Niagara+St,+Buffalo,+NY,+USA/@42.9186552,-78.8977165,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x89d313162fac7c63:0x30dd923f9b5d1638!2m2!1d-78.898551!2d42.92084

ps" you may have to copy and paste the link if it doesn\t show up as a direct live link

Jim Beam said...

hmm.. all the photos are dead links. Anyway these can be working again?

Les_F said...

I might still have some of the old photos ,if I come across them I will put them up. Many photos that were on this site did not successfully make the transition from the old Verdun Connections site over to this blog. I tried to save as much as I could from the old site,which originally started on MSN Groups, now that was a long time ago ( 1999 I think it was ,some are just lost in cyberspace I guess

debbi eden said...

My dad worked for Maislin in the 70s on haunted lane in bucks county pa ( Andalusia to be exact ) he loved it there and it actually was the last legal job he held. RIP Eddie Eden I miss you dad and hearing about Maislin brings back all the good memories from my chilldhood ; he was happy back then ; after Maislin closed he was never the same

Larry said...

Les,

I worked for Maislin as a line haul manager from 74-81 out of Albany NY. I worked while under Sam and then Steve. Like night and day. They closed down the line haul operations out of Albany in 81 and I decided not to transfer to Florida. A year later the company closed its doors. That was truly a blessing for me, I was able to take with me my full pension with me. Many of the hard working conscientious drivers I had worked with were not so fortunate. Steve Maislin, Peter Pagani, and the rest of that corporate scum should go to jail. They robbed those good men of life savings. Shame on them.

I am writing though because I lost track of some of those drivers and would love to find a way to contact them. Is there a list of names available for rod drivers out of Kearny?

Larry

Unknown said...

Si quelqu'un a des photos du camp de vacances de Maislin à St Michel des Saints, J'aimerais beaucoup les voir si c'est possible. J'ai tellement de beaux souvenirs à cet endroit magnifique.
Merci

Les_F said...

Here is an English translation for the previous post from Unkown:

If anyone has pictures of Maislin's holiday camp in St Michel des Saints, I would love to see them if possible. I have so many beautiful memories in this beautiful place.
Thank you

We originally had photos in this Maislin post/topic but obviously they didn't make the transition over to this blogsite intact. I don't know if we ever had any of the Maislin holiday spot ,but if we do come across some we would be happy to post them here.I do have an old external hard drive that I saved almost all of the old posts including the pictures,but I would have to spend some time and find the hard drive then hopefully it would work on one of my laptops which may or may not be backwards compatible to run it. I will try to look into doing something like that this year,I am sure it would reveal alot of our lost photos . Cheers ! Les

Anonymous said...

Aaron M, I knew your grandfather and father well. I was a road driver for Maislin along with them at E. Rutherford and then Kearny, NJ. If I remember correctly after Maislin your father was a road driver for Ryder/PIE out of Bath, PA. I remember seeing him in the later 1980's at the Spring Valley, NY terminal when he came in there. I worked at Ryder/PIE there for a time after Maislin.

Joe K.

Anonymous said...

Larry,

I ran Albany turns more times than I can count out of E. Rutherford and Kearny. My first trip for Maislin was an Albany turn in May of 1974. I may possibly have a list of the Kearny road drivers somewhere in my papers. I'll keep you in mind if I can ever get around to finding it.

Joe K.

Unknown said...

Hello
My name is Carol Roe. My mom was the dispatcher for Maislins in Latham early 50s out of Texaco gas station on Rt 9 in Latham, NY. My step father drove for many years as well as step uncle; Vito and Frank Sansone. Many fond memories of Sam and Alex; we used to spend time with them in Canada. Any family member reading this please reach out..(Carol Mickens), facebook.

Unknown said...

Hello
My name is Carol Roe. My mom was the dispatcher for Maislins in Latham early 50s out of Texaco gas station on Rt 9 in Latham, NY. My step father drove for many years as well as step uncle; Vito and Frank Sansone. Many fond memories of Sam and Alex; we used to spend time with them in Canada. Any family member reading this please reach out..(Carol Mickens), facebook.

Dave said...

I worked with Jackie for 8 years

Dave said...

I worked with Jackie for 8 years

Anonymous said...

I worked in the Kearney shop, when they closed down.
Jim A. Worked with Charlie Angerstein

Rick Keene said...

Anyone remember David Henry Keene from Maislin ?

Unknown said...

Maislin was my first driving Job worked dock before that back in 1978 best job sad it closed.

Unknown said...

My father, George Janson, was the safety person for Maislin. When they reorganized, his last four paychecks bounced. I remember going twice to the camp (in St Michel des Saints?) when I was 10 and 11 years old. From our home well South of Albany, NY, the Canada-US border was about the half way point in the 8 hour trip. We went in the Summer, June or July, but on some nights at the camp there was a frost. Our parents told us the forests were very large and we were to stay in sight of the camp at all times. If we lost sight of it and couldn't find it we were told to just sit down and wait to be found, not keep wandering. This would give us the best chance of being found. Over the years I have heard many stories of a group or family lost in a large wilderness where the one that tries to go for help and is the only one either found dead or never found while the rest of the people that stayed put were rescued. I wish more people would learn that lesson that I was taught so long ago and that I have never forgotten. We loved playing football with the Canadian kids. Each day we would alternate US rules versus Canada rules. I remember my older brother told them no swearing in French! But, of course, that's where I learned to swear in French.

Anonymous said...

Oldtimer 11

If Les F is still around. The name of Niagara Street changes to River Road wgem it enters the Town of Tonawanda. I don't remember the street number but it was just before you got to the South Grand Island bridge, About 8 miles by bike.

Les_F said...

Thanks for your input 'Oldtimer 11' always appreciate info on any stories we have posted. Glad you surfed by and found this site. Somewhere stored in some old hard drive I think I may still have the actual photos that were once in this Maislin post,but since some were copied or linked from other internet sources that have overtime disappreared,that caused them to not show up properly here ,I will at some point try to replace these old photos again, It just takes time. Again thanks for your info.
Cheers ! Les

Sneezy said...

Best trucking job in entire myetro area saully was great to work for

Anonymous said...

My dad Joe Dunst ran the road outta Kearney NJ prob for like 5 years till they closed. He loved that job mostly ran up to Lasalle,Cleveland & Richmond Va.He was the #1 casual driver for years the wanted him on the main list however his normal job he drove a concrete truck in nyc.,because that job was very sporadic & seasonal he filled in those long gaps especially in the winter with maislin.

Anonymous said...

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the comments on here! Does anyone by chance remember John & Ernie Whittaker or George & Billy Riches who worked for the company many moons ago? They probably worked there in the 60's-80's.

Unknown said...

I worked for Maislin in Lasalle from 1973 to 1980, my father and mother worked in the head office, I worked in the terminal, started working as a biller in the Export Department, ended up supervisor and finished my employment in the OS&D Department, working with people like Francine Bouchard, Langis Sergerie, Don Foster, Thomas Payent, Paul Themens, Guy Girard, and could relate a lot of stories about Maislin. It was because of Sam Maislin that I married my previous wife, I remember Sam calling employees on the pager system they had in the terminal, and having to speak in front of everyone to a speaker on a column in the office, answering to Sam in respect to one of his customers looking for his freight, or getting clarification about something... Sam and Sidney getting into an argument in Sam's office in the terminal and pulling a handgun to one another. Sam and his big Cadillac and his chauffeur/bouncer driving for him.... A lot of good memories and some different, I remember a raid by the RCMP and them confiscating all kind of paperwork, working in OS&D I was asked about freight that came into Canada from the US without being declared to Canada Custom (maybe truck parts or tires), but... as you know... when working for Maislin, you need to know what to say and what 'not to say'... When my father passed away, Maislin provided a truck for my family to move all his belonging, driver was in overtime, and worked till late at night to move everything and, all was looked after... Sam fought for my family to get payment from the insurance company (Great West) for my father's life insurance they didn't want to pay, then one day I was called in Sam's office in the head office on Newman Blvd, and Sam gave me a cheque for $41,000 made to myself and my sibling... my father's life insurance had been paid.

Anonymous said...

In 1999, maisliner was in business on Dollard in Lasalle. They started expanding and bought their very first tractor for me. I remember a month later going to manage and picked up the very first nee trailer they bought. I was a 32 foot city pup with air ride. I walked in with a check for $15,505,

Anonymous said...

My uncle Pat worked as a terminal manager at the East Rutherford terminal back in the late 60's. It was located on Rt.3 west and Rt. 20 . They tore it down in 1972 to make way for Giants Stadium.

Les_F said...

Thanks for surfing by, Maislin's sure had a lot of people working for them over the years.
It's amazing how many of us knew someone who worked for them. And as witnessed here,many people still manage to surf by and leave us a little richer with some of the history.
I really should try to find as many of the photos that have seemingly just disappeared from our original story here. I know I did save a lot of Verdun Connections content from it's early years,but inexplicably some pics just vanish.
Cheers ! Les
and again thanks to all who still surf by.