bigbluebear

Hi , Im a class 1 driver in the UK (Scotland) , Im thinkin of tryin my luck in Canada (Alberta area) I also have 8yrs HydroVac experience and a UK HI-AB certificate, I just dont know where to start , theres to much info on Wiki and all the other malarkey , just needin somebody to point me in the right direction here !
Thanks William

Gremmie

Go this way, Read every thing in Wiki, then read every thing on the Canada immigration web site. Then come back here for the fine tunning, sorry pal their are no short cuts.

kb33

This is a pretty good place to start ...

www.westcanbulktransport.com

ESP if you want to move to Alberta ( best province )

Gremmie

so speaketh the man that has seen 2 provinces and would give his right arm to live in BC

kb33

OK put it this way .. If I were starting again I would still use Westcan and Alberta to get into Canada , Anything east of Calgary doesn't interest me (mainly because of the harsh winters ) and I have seen Saskatchewan and would probably think Manitoba looks about the same , Working with a guy from Toronto and don't like what I hear about Ontario .. Job prospects etc
The Yukon is nice but a bit remote
At the moment the money and prospects are in Alberta and an ideal place to start a new life.
BC figure's in my retirement plans , Maybe the Island , dunno yet , But I could hardly advise the OP to start looking there

xxdb

If you have the points for immigration, you could give it a try. There are plenty of truck driver jobs in most places, and especially up north in Alberta round Fort Mac.

Just speaking out of the proverbial, but you should check if you can trade in your UK license directly for a class 1 here. You might be able to or might not.
It's only recently as far as I know that you were able to swap UK licenses. In the good old days in the 90s you had to retake your test completely and start out as a noobie again.

As to work. It might be easiest to get a driving job in fort mac but be warned it's brutal trying to get a place to stay up there and it REALLY is freezing. (Those who think Calgary is cold haven't seen anything compared to Fort Mac).

But if you manage to get something and work away at it for a couple of years to get the all-important "Canadian Experience" then it could be worth it.

Gremmie

Your UK Class 1 is not valid any where in Canada, you must retake the test here, and depending on which province you come too also your car licences.
As for working up in good ol Fort Mac that boat has long sailed, just find a normal trucking company in a normal town or city.

kb33

Also there isn't a points system for truckers , Its all done under PNP , Which involves getting a job offer from a suitable employer who then applies for an LMO which enables the driver to obtain a work permit upon entry to Canada .

So all in all a pretty clueless post xxdb

mickfly

"Just speaking out of the proverbial, "
He wants facts ( a forum search would be a start) not hot air!

dave_lol66

And be stuck in Canada all winter and never see the USA

kb33

That was fine by me , Only time I want to see the USA is when I'm on holiday .

Plus Westcan do a 6-3 shift now , So its maximum 5 nights away

dave_lol66

Now that would suit me

dave_lol66

They do seem to have sorted out most of their problems, unlike the other major recruiters

kb33

Yeah they are the Marmite of Trucking companies , Some guys been there years , others hate them.

HeadingNorth

I would avoid Alberta to come to Canada.
Right now it's taking 13 months minimum to get your PNP,add the 6 months working for the company and you're lucky if you get your PNP much before 2 years here-then you can start the long haul for PR which is currently taking well over a year at Buffalo.
Saskatchewan has easier rules for PNP and is taking off with oil,gas and diamonds work prospects!
Oh, and Westcan have a couple of terminals there,in Moose Jaw the Brit guys are treated like gold!