Sats72

1. No, you've to pay to get a licence from whatever province or state you live in, you don't need to retake the test, just pay for the exchange of licence.

2/3. So while on harvest it's a good idea to contact Canadian companies and ask if they have lmo's. I went up to Manitoba and had an interview right after the harvest was over. I then went home and waited for the lmo, but while waiting for the lmo (took 4 months) to come through I went back to work in the US and renewed my CDL.
So When I got my lmo, I quit my US job and went straight up to Canada and done all the paperwork and exchanged licences (took 1 day) and started from the off.
Now the company I work for hadn't applied for lmo's before so it took a while, but if you went and seen a company with lmo's in place there's no reason you couldn't just start there and then after you got your twp obviously.

4. The harvest usually lasts between 6-9 months and the states I visited was ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, CO, TX, WY and MT.

nofrills

Thanks Mickfly, Sats72 and all others that have been kind enough to reply and give some tips and warnings.
All taken on board and will give it some serious thought before taking the next step.
I'm going to be away the whole week, so won't be able to read this board and reply, but will come back next weekend and might ask some further questions.
Thank you once again, and have a good week

nofrills

Hello All
Now I'm back and have few other questions to you Sats72 and others that would like to contribute to this thread:
1. If you start working for company in Manitoba or Saskatchewan, and conditions are not as what you had been promissed (as that's what very often happens, I read), are you allowed to change a company within those provinces and if you came under LMO or PNP program (whatever it is being called to get a PR in 2 years time), are you still able to continue with your original PR application, or do you have start from from scratch?
2. @Sats72 - so, from what I understood, you actualy went to Canada with your CDL american licence and before it expired you exchanged it to a Canadian Class A licence, valid for that Canadian province,( Manitoba, I guess), without having to go through any testing and then looked for a Canadian long haul company that would be willing to employ you and get a LMO for you?
3. How did you actualy searched for the right company? I'm interested in your personal experiences and how you found the company that you thought would be good to work for? Did you ask any drivers in Canada which company treats its drivers right?
I read so many British expats horror stories, I surely wouldn't want to end up with the dodgy one that promisses heaven but delivers hell.
I know I can not expact much as a newly qualified driver, but would like to know that whatever is being agreed is being followed with action.
4. Didn't you want to just simply go the route taken by many British drivers and head straight to the usual companies like H&R, Bison, Challenger,Yanke etc?
I'm interested in your personal experiences , what steps you took after arriving in Canada and your thoughts behind making your choices.

Thanks

Smudger75

This is from the AINP web page
Have driven in a professional capacity before coming to Canada and provide sufficient credible documentation to demonstrate your previous driving related training (hazardous goods, etc.) and work experience.
You must provide reference letters on company letterhead, dated, and signed with the title or position of the individual from the company who is providing the reference. E-mail letters are acceptable if they are sent from the e-mail account of the company that is providing the references (not hotmail, gmail or yahoo accounts). The letter must state the occupation of the employee, either HGV/LGV driver, and/or describe the work they performed which clearly indicates the equipment that was driven (articulated, semi, reefer, tanker, etc.).
Preference will be given to drivers who can demonstrate a minimum of three out of the last five years' work experience as a HGV/LGV driver.

nofrills

Hi Smudger75

A few questions regarding your post:
1. Was that reply to one of my questions?
2. Which of my questions are you exactly replying to?
3. I'm sure you are aware, as I've mentioned it several times in this thread, I'm not planning to apply for a PR and ask for an LMO for any territory, state, other than Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
4. So, would you be willing to provide a link to that quote you've provided above to a Manitoba or Saskatchewan site that would state the above quote you've taken it from.
I'm sure you've read my previous posts and are not confusing various Canadian territories' rules as I'm sure you know they are not all the same and do not all require the same related experience.
I've looked through Manitoba's and Saskatchewan's related websites and did never see requirements you've quoted above.
I'm happy to be corrected, I might have simply missed some vital information I shouldn't have missed.

Thank you.

Smudger75

Correct me if I'm wrong but this is your post is it not? And does it not say in your post that your preferred province is Alberta!!!

Sats72

1. As far as I'm aware, you can move companies but only if the new company has a lmo.

2. Yes, I exchanged my valid US CDL for a Manitoba class 1 without doing any test, but I had already got my lmo, work permit, sin, bank account and medical card which was all required to enable me to get the MB class 1 licence.

3/4. For me it was more about where I wanted to settle (rural rather than urban). A good friend from this forum got the ball rolling for me and my family and I are thankful he did, but my job is far from ideal. Saying that I like it though and the people I work for, but the conditions could be better.

The second part of question 3 is more down to an individual's desire I suppose. For me it was huge, I wanted to work and I was willing to do whatever it took to find it. Only you can decide how much your willing to put up with to get what you want.

nofrills

@Smudger75

How on earth did you manage to interpret the following:"I would prefer to go to Alberta, but from what I've read so far they require a few years of experience from outside Canada before they allow you on their PNP program" as me actualy planning to go to Alberta?
Isn't it clear for you Smudger75 that I'm aware of not having a chance without Class 1 experience of applying and getting on PNP program in Alberta?
How much clearer do I need to make it for some of you?
Where exactly in your post it states you got that from an Alberta official website, because to me you presented it in a way that it looks like it applies to the whole of Canada.
If you wanted to be helpfull and make it clear for readers you would have added some along the lines: " but make sure you understand people it is requirement for Alberta , for other provinces it might be diffrent (if you didn't know what are the requirements for other provinces)," or knowing I do not have any experience driving Class 1 you could simply say " I know Saskatchewan and Alberta do not require any experience from drivers to be accepted onto their PNP programs ( off course if you wanted to be helpfull and not try to discurage people or confuse them).

I also know you've been following this tread from the beginning, so how did you manage to miss this my post: dated April 14th 2013 at 1:13pm:

"Hi mickfly

Thanks for clarifying that.
I've also read somewhere else that Alberta drags its feet when it comes to granting PR status to all those foreign drivers, but I didn't know that it can take 4 years of waiting.
Do you think it is more of a driver's (applicants) fault, or company's in this case H&R's faul, or is this the province's fault?
That's why I would not want to go Alberta I would much prefer Manitoba or Saskatchewan, as the process is speedier there from what I've read so far from other posts.

Thanks"

How much clearer do you need posts to be written to make sure that you understand what's written in them, Smudger75?

mickfly

Nice attitude, don't expect any more info from me.

nofrills

Won't be asking you for anymore info mickyfly.
You haven't provided any info of any value at all so far on this thread.
You clearly, for some misterious reason, think Smudger75 was being helpfull posting all that carp he has posted.
If that's the type of "help" some of you people have to offer, no wonder there are so many people out there asking the same questions over and over and not getting any clear answers to them.

nofrills

[QUOTE=mickfly;10670539]Nice attitude, don't expect any more info from me.[/QUOTE

@mickyfly

by the way, where exactly Smudger75 was right and where was I wrong.
it would be interesting to see what so angered you.
It's not that I need any help from you mate.

spacemonkey

Congratulations you have more than likely succeeded in alienating any potential help you might have received from this site.

People have attempted to direct you in the best way they can, but you seem to be either extremely blinkered or riding a wave of hope and imagination in moving to Canada with no knowledge and no experience of either the profession or the country and its immigration process.

If for some mythical reason you do manage to get there, you are also going along the wrong route in angering the very community you will be living within, and no doubt relying upon.

You seem to be fantasising on a dream of moving to Canada with a wet inked HGV license and as many are trying to tell you it's doomed for failure, more so when combined with your attitude.

mickfly

OK

nofrills

If that's the conclusion you are drawing after reading these posts Spacedmonkey than I can only feel sorry for you and your fellow mates seeing things as they are.
I was given plenty of advice last weekend from people that were doing their best in putting me off doing what I wanted to do.
The only person that saw things as I saw them was Sats72 and I'm gratefull for his very accurate advice and for replying to all my specific questions I've had.
To be absolutely honest with all of you, I definitely WON'T NEED any of your help either before moving to Canada or after getting there, you are not trying to help people you are trying to confise them and put them off doing anything that would make their move speedier and easier.
That's the reality Spacedmonkey like it or not.

And if all you "oldtimers" on this board get upset with me for pointing you what you should have spotted and realised in the first place, so be it, I sure do not need any advice from this type of people.
If that's the only advice you can offer, than my advice is to keep it to yourself, as no one needs it.

spacemonkey

I can see why you assume i am attempting to confuse you as you seem to have me mixed with someone called spacedmonkey, and indeed an old timer which i have informed you in this very thread i am not.

You are mixing yourself up here. Everyone in this thread has attempted to give you advice, the only difference is Sats72 advice falls in a better light to your objective. It's not a matter of people putting you off what you want to do, it's people giving you honest advice which you asked for. Don't get upset when it does not fall within your agenda.

Then why are you here?