Mrs Rangersman

pm my husband on rangersman, he is a truck driver in Perth we came out here 5 weeks ago and has got a job with an office equipment removals company, he will be able to tell you about getting the licence, he had a class 1 licence in U.K.He will be pleased to help.
Nicola

uktruckie

Hope your loving it out in Perth, Have a pint on me.

Good luck with the removals company.

Are you driving or are you a offsider?

Is it local or nationwide?

ROBnCAZ

OK, now i'm a little worried!

I'm a Class 2 driver here in the UK. We were until recently, moving to Brisbane, whereby, transferring my license to HR is a simple case of passing a test and doing a simple reversing and parking type practical test, all for a nominal admin fee.

We are NOW moving to Perth, and after reading this thread, I am now more than a little concerned that my license will not equate to a HR license when I arrive, without re-taking the test at a cost of hundreds of dollars!!!!

Can anyone shed any light on this and or do you know any website links for the WA driving bods so that I can check the official line?

TIA

peppi

Ok...my husband is a class 1 and he only got an MR...to upgrade he would have to pay $50 to get a provissional HR licience sit a theory test (16 questions which they give you) they will ask any 10 and you have to get 8 right....then you go to a professional driving school, and he has been quoted $70 an hour but for an experienced driver 4 to 6 hours training,the irony is training is done in a tractor unit with weights all they seem to be freaking about is wether you can used a gear box. On the plus side there is shed loads of lorry driving jobs here in Perth.and he would also recommend considering taking a forklift ticket $220 for 2 days and to get the ticket.. Allot of jobs want the forklift and lorry licience or possibly consider doing what hubby does now driving buses there is no psv licience over here all you need over here is a HR licience...and a reward ticket (what ever that is)

mr mover

[QUOTE=peppi]Ok... is done in a tractor unit with weights all they seem to be freaking about is weather you can used a gear box. ]quote]

Most trucks here are American made ,Kenworth ,Mack, Freightliner, etc and have EATON roadranger transmissions up to 18 speed, most companys prefer that you are familiar with this box, as they are not synchronised like a volvo or Merc. A lot of European drivers take awhile to adjust.............. mm

uktruckie

[QUOTE=mr mover] How long are you out for. When I working for the removal company in Sydney met a Perth removal company loading from the depo and they said they are normally out for a week at a time, but don't know if thats true or not.

mr mover

[QUOTE=uktruckie] The longest trip i would do these days is ,about 4-5days to Roxby downs, 800km north of Adelaide, We do change overs,[1 family in 1 family out] pack-pick up & deliver back in town.
Dont go away much these days, too much money to be made around town .......... mm

uktruckie

[QUOTE=mr mover] What about tips from customers?

Had a few tips while in Sydney, but not many. Manly Taxi truck work?

Why do you say there is more money to be made on local?

mr mover

[QUOTE=uktruckie] Only tips we get,are" careful when you cross the road" when the guys do imports they tend to get tips .depending on how the job went.
I own my Truck so when i go away i have to cover my costs fuel/Accomodation etc, a quick trip to Mildura, say around 12 hrs i can make good money with limited expenses'.
A large packing job in Adelaide is good money and my truck sits out front all day costing me nothing....................... mm

ROBnCAZ

[QUOTE=mr mover] I learned to drive lorries (sorry, trucks) in the British Army at the age of 17. Due to the fact that a lot of the fleet in use at the time was still 'non synchro', I was taught to drive in a 'non synchro' manner - imagine this....driving test - look in mirrors before and after you depress clutch and before and after you move the gear lever.....didnt have a clue what was happening at the front of the lorry!!!!!!! Ring any bells?? Unfortunately, due to the nature of the British license, this was never recorded anywhere!?

How can I prove when I go to Oz that I CAN use a Roadranger box? (Have actually used one in UK very recently)........

Am also worried that my current class 2 license will only equate to a jobsworth good for nothing license when i get there....someone help with some good advice? Please....?

mr mover

[QUOTE=ROBnCAZ] You are better off getting in with a large corporation like TOLL holdings or SCOTTS transport,their supervisor will go for a drive with you to make sure you know what you are doing.
Stay away from the smaller companys untill you get afeel for the way things are done, and if you see any Harleys in the yard dont bother even trying ...................... mm

uktruckie

[QUOTE=mr mover] Sent a couple of e-mails to the Toll group and never ever got any reply's.

Scotts Transport has a website which I can't enter.

Will keep on looking

Oh by the way mr Mover do you work under a banner of a removal company and they subcontract you for a job?

Another thing Mr Mover did you go out there on a business visa with intent on owning a removal company?

Any help will be good

uktruckie

With regard to Scotts Transport found this on the net

SCOTTS REFRIGERATED FREIGHTWAYS

Mrs BEAMER (Badgerys Creek) [8.26 p.m.]: I inform the House of the activities of Scotts Refrigerated Freightways. The concerns I have relate to information supplied by a constituent of mine regarding the practices of this trucking company.
Page 10702
Each year there are tragedies on our roads which involve heavy vehicles. One of the many reasons for heavy vehicle accidents is driver fatigue. The Transport Workers Union has informed WorkCover New South Wales of alleged breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act concerning Scotts Refrigerated Freightways and its drivers working hours and their failure to have proper rest breaks.

One former employee of Scotts Refrigerated Freightways wrote in a statutory declaration, "I left the company because I couldn’t keep up with the hours expected." He went on to say, "Scotts drivers were forced to drive up to 28 hours without a break." This is an appalling situation in which both drivers and the general public have been placed at grave risk. A storeman for Scotts Refrigerated Freightways wrote about the pressure that drivers were under, "The lack of pay, the excessive hours for what they receive" put them under this stress. His opinion, gained from regular contact with Scotts drivers, stated:

The management at Scotts, which is a family affair, treat the drivers with neglect, short-change their wages, push them to meet deadlines, et cetera, with no regard for driver and road safety. The operation is an accident waiting to happen.

One driver gave an account of the hours he worked in a Sydney to Melbourne run. On Monday he started work at 6.30 a.m. After numerous pick-ups and deliveries in Sydney he was loaded up for Melbourne and left at approximately 6.00 p.m. and was told to be at Tullamarine by 5.00 a.m. Tuesday. He arrived at 5.15 a.m. for his first delivery. After this he spent the day making various deliveries until he was loaded again for Sydney. At 6.00 p.m. he was told he had to be back at the Scotts yard at 4.30 a.m. on Wednesday. He informed Scotts that he had not slept for 36 hours. He eventually told the company that after 40 hours without sleep he was pulling into a motel. On his return to Sydney he was informed by RTTR, a company contracted to Scotts, that it had no intention of paying him.

The company had no intention of paying him because he had the audacity to sleep after 40 hours straight work. It is absolutely appalling that drivers and the general public are held in such contempt by this company. The times that drivers were required to be with their trucks when they were being loaded and unloaded were recorded in log books as rest times. This should be of great concern to us all. Numerous drivers have informed WorkCover of the long hours being driven without proper breaks. A WorkCover investigation has made the following findings. One, there is evidence that drivers are working excessive hours, contrary to Roads and Traffic Authority requirements. Those requirements are designed to ensure that drivers do not suffer from fatigue.

The second finding is that, on the evidence compiled for the report, it would appear that the company was not complying with section 15 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act in that it failed to ensure the health and safety of drivers by not providing adequate supervision. Employees are allowed to work long hours, and they are allowed to work without quality rest breaks. The third finding is that the evidence also suggests that the company was not complying with section 16 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act in that contractors it employed were put at risk because they were required to work excessive hours without appropriate rest periods.

It is the drivers who face all the blame and responsibility. While I do not exempt from blame any driver who breaks the law, the instances I have outlined clearly show that responsibility extends up the chain, to the transport companies. It should be noted therefore that the recent measures taken by the New South Wales Minister for Transport, working in co-operation with the Transport Workers Union and industry bodies, have seen a widening of the focus of enforcement beyond just the drivers, to include transport operators.

It is often a tragedy when a heavy vehicle is involved in an accident. The sheer size of the vehicle may mean that a smaller vehicle is crushed in the accident. It is criminal if trucking companies force their drivers into unsafe, downright dangerous, work practices which put the whole community at risk. I commend the Transport Workers Union for taking this matter to WorkCover for the benefit of all the people of New South Wales. I have seen many a company take its responsibilities in the trucking industry seriously. Those companies abhor such practices. It is my hope that this company is made to account for its practices and the actions of its drivers.

http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/pro.../LA19981125036

mr mover

Welcome to the Australian Transport Industry, I could show you a hundred stories like this Circa 1981 ,and a hundred Telling you that scotts is the best company in OZ.
You have to come here and start at the bottom ,driving yard trucks[7-14 tonne] you then work your way up to a city semi [30 tonne] when you prove your self ,You can move on to the interstate semis and b-doubles, and if your really keen try Roadtrains , {boring slow ,never ending tyre changes]............................. mm

zx10r_aus

Agreed!!!