craftbeerpaddy

I'm a 25 year old HGV C+E driver with 3 years experience of driving a 44 tonne tipping bulker. I've just received my IEC confirmation which will give me a 2 year open work permit upon arrival in Canada. Having spent 6 months travelling across Canada in 2008 and returning to visit friends since, I have decided that I would like to settle in Canada permanently if at all possible. I'm looking for some advice as to which cities members of this forum would recommend for job/wage prospects and the ease of being able to stay beyond my provisional 2 year visa. I have friends in Vancouver, Saskatoon and Toronto.

neilg14

Out of those 3 choices, Saskatoon by a million miles, probably the blandest of the 3 places but it'll tick all the boxes you've mentioned.

flat to the mat

A lot depends on what sort of trucking you wish to continue with , regards long/short/regional haul versus family time and enjoying the country for what it is .
Saskatoon delivers most options and would be my first choice , the thought of Vancouver or GTA sends shivers down my spine nowadays , dreadful places compared to life on the prairies .
Seimens Group could be worth a shout at the moment .

Juggernaut1064

Not sure if its still the case but you use to have to at least cross provincial lines as part of qualifying for residency, find out if thats still the case as a local or city job isn't any use to you till your a resident if thats still in effect, major shake up recently so im not sure.

scrubbedexpat133

Def Saskatoon for the same reasons as above. Even if the place is not what you want you can always move on once perm.

Milanuk

Saskatoon for sure. I got my PR here and am still here in Saskatchewan.

craftbeerpaddy

I was thinking of flying to Canada in April and spending the summer in Toronto before heading to Saskatchewan to secure longer term employment. Would passing the class one test in Ontario have any drawbacks? Also once I've secured a job in Saskatchewan, how long would it take to gain PR?

Juggernaut1064

Class 1 (CDL) is provincial but you can transfer it, likely just a medical to change it to a Saskatchewan CDL
Might be easier to pass a CDL in SK though much less traffic etc but the choice is yours.

Edit: A little early for summer (April) lol

craftbeerpaddy

Yeah slightly early but I have to activate my IEC before April 22. So it's just a case of exchanging my car licence on arrival and then going straight for my class one?

Juggernaut1064

yes, what province are you going to i forget ?
Ok Ontario lol just noticed, you definately getting your CDL in Ontario ?

craftbeerpaddy

Yeah, that's the plan. Pass my test in Ontario and work/enjoy the summer in the Toronto area catching up with friends. Then head to Sask to hopefully secure a job that will lead onto PR through the SNIP program. Can anyone recommend any truck training companies around the GTA?

neilg14

Because drivers can't get PR through PNP in Ontario, the only drivers there will have moved after PR and I don't know of any on here.
All the big companies will have terminals around the Toronto area, if it's not for long, you might as well work for one of them ie. H&R, TransX, Bison, Challenger, Celadon & many more.
The advantage with the bigger companies are their wage rate is the same across Canada, whereas the ON only companies tend to not pay very well.
If you go onto various companies websites, they will tell you which terminals they are hiring in and the rate per mile.
You could also google kijiji & enter province, jobs, drivers& security and have a look at any that interest you.
Also jobank.ca & indeedjobs.com.
overtheroad, the drivers jobs magazine is also online.

Kazmann

hello Craftbeer
did u manage to find a job as a trucker under the IEC? which state did u move to?

neilg14

Canada doesn't have States, it has Provinces.

Kazmann

thank you for clearing that up for us Neil.

well done.