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Here’s a cautionary tale for people looking for potential carriers to stay away from Northern Gateway and company owner Frank Castleman.
Last week, we set up Northern Gateway in our system to complete a full load/heated service move from Rexdale/Mississauga to Calgary. It was picked up this past Friday, with promised delivery in Calgary for 22 December at 7:00 am.
As soon as the truck was loaded, a number of red flags became apparent. There were two pickups for this load but only one was made. When our dispatch repeatedly tried to contact Frank, there was no response. We have a due diligent process for every new carrier we set up, including the checking of trade references. Our dispatch decided to check again on a positive reference using the number provided by Northern Gateway, only to have Frank answer the phone! He was very annoyed and demanded to know why we were calling his customer.
Yesterday, Frank contacted us stating that due to our “poor credit” that the load needed to be paid for in full prior to delivery. We stated that, first off, his claims regarding our credit is completely bogus, and secondly, prepayment was not negotiated when he accepted this load; however, he and Tony (dispatcher and accounting person) insisted that they must receive these funds prior to delivery. We did send a small portion of what was demanded late yesterday afternoon.
This morning, Frank emailed us demanding the balance saying that the load was sitting in Thunder Bay and would not move until he was paid in full. At that point, we checked to see if there was anything about Northern Gateway on Inside Transport – sure enough, we learned of another carrier’s experience with these people. We contacted them and with their invaluable help learned that the load was still sitting in a Mississauga warehouse. We were able to go in, recover the load, and assign it to another carrier.
In the meantime, Frank continued to pester us for the money, saying that the load would not be delivered in the morning until received. He insisted that the load was sitting in Thunder Bay and would be delivered at 7 am tomorrow morning. Our company owner called him around noon, telling him that we just took back the load and that all dealings were off – despite that, he still had the audacity to maintain that the load was sitting in Thunder Bay. Anyways, it was a heated exchange ending when Frank hung up.
I think it may be a lot to hope for, to see that people like Frank Castleman and Northern Gateway cease to being a fact of life in our industry. However, we are extremely grateful for the fine community within the Inside Transport platform, and wish you all a wonderful and safe Holiday however you celebrate, and happiness and prosperity in 2023!
Last week, we set up Northern Gateway in our system to complete a full load/heated service move from Rexdale/Mississauga to Calgary. It was picked up this past Friday, with promised delivery in Calgary for 22 December at 7:00 am.
As soon as the truck was loaded, a number of red flags became apparent. There were two pickups for this load but only one was made. When our dispatch repeatedly tried to contact Frank, there was no response. We have a due diligent process for every new carrier we set up, including the checking of trade references. Our dispatch decided to check again on a positive reference using the number provided by Northern Gateway, only to have Frank answer the phone! He was very annoyed and demanded to know why we were calling his customer.
Yesterday, Frank contacted us stating that due to our “poor credit” that the load needed to be paid for in full prior to delivery. We stated that, first off, his claims regarding our credit is completely bogus, and secondly, prepayment was not negotiated when he accepted this load; however, he and Tony (dispatcher and accounting person) insisted that they must receive these funds prior to delivery. We did send a small portion of what was demanded late yesterday afternoon.
This morning, Frank emailed us demanding the balance saying that the load was sitting in Thunder Bay and would not move until he was paid in full. At that point, we checked to see if there was anything about Northern Gateway on Inside Transport – sure enough, we learned of another carrier’s experience with these people. We contacted them and with their invaluable help learned that the load was still sitting in a Mississauga warehouse. We were able to go in, recover the load, and assign it to another carrier.
In the meantime, Frank continued to pester us for the money, saying that the load would not be delivered in the morning until received. He insisted that the load was sitting in Thunder Bay and would be delivered at 7 am tomorrow morning. Our company owner called him around noon, telling him that we just took back the load and that all dealings were off – despite that, he still had the audacity to maintain that the load was sitting in Thunder Bay. Anyways, it was a heated exchange ending when Frank hung up.
I think it may be a lot to hope for, to see that people like Frank Castleman and Northern Gateway cease to being a fact of life in our industry. However, we are extremely grateful for the fine community within the Inside Transport platform, and wish you all a wonderful and safe Holiday however you celebrate, and happiness and prosperity in 2023!
