Philip Hofer

I worked with Michels Canada during this time, where I ran a winch truck on challenging projects like the CGL pipeline in northern BC, the Keystone and NGTL pipleines in Alberta. We hauled everything pipeline related, including 80-foot pipe, side-booms, dozers, and excavators. My work required daily chaining up, often multiple times per day, to navigate the rough mountain terrain in northern BC and the demanding conditions around Fox Creek, Grande Prairie.

With my time at Michels I gained extensive experience in heavy haul, winch truck, mountain driving and much more. Alternatively I also did flat-bedding, fuel truck, and gravel truck driving.

Most of my work at Michels was by running a winch truck full time using scissor neck, stepdeck, highboy, and lowboy trailers. The loads I transported ranged from camp shacks and 48-inch pipe to vehicles, buses, shrapnel loads, loaders, skid steers, and more. In most cases I had to load myself using loaders, excavators, sidebooms and self-loading methods by dropping trailers or using winch lines.

I also did some low-bedding from northern BC to Edmonton for Michels, gaining experience with 9 axles. I have hauled rock trucks, sidebooms, excavators and dozers on highway along with many other pipeline related loads.

For 14 years, I worked for the same company with a focus on operating Hydrovac, Straight Vac, Semi-Vac, Water Truck, and Gravel Truck across various drilling rigs and pipeline projects in Western Canada. My role involved extensive work in remote areas of Alberta and BC, where navigating tough bush roads and handling extreme weather conditions were essential. I also managed city driving assignments for pipeline jobs in Edmonton and Calgary.

In addition to my operational duties, I held a supervisory role, overseeing 40 drivers. I was responsible for coordinating their schedules, ensuring safety protocols were followed, and maintaining efficient project timelines. My job required a strong commitment to safety, with daily meetings, pre-trip inspections, and detailed logbook management being a regular part of my routine.

I took pride in keeping our trucks and equipment in top condition, performing necessary maintenance to ensure reliability and customer satisfaction. My experience and leadership helped maintain high standards throughout all projects.

This version is streamlined for clarity while still highlighting your leadership and technical skills.

I left Bulldog to after 14 years to pursue more of a heavy haul type of career.