ok, so where do i start ???
 

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 :thumbup:

Re: ok, so where do i start ???
 

Go this way,:rofl: 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.:p

Re: ok, so where do i start ???
 

This is a pretty good place to start ...

www.westcanbulktransport.com

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

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

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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 :blink: and would probably think Manitoba looks about the same :rofl::rofl: , 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 :p

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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.

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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:rofl: :confused: that boat has long sailed, just find a normal trucking company in a normal town or city.:thumbup:

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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 ;)

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

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

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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 :thumbsup:

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Now that would suit me :thumbsup:

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

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

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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!

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:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

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Westcan do a 4/4,5/3 and a 5/2-5/3 schedule at most terminals now.

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Hey Kev I bet you may even think about going back to work there!;)

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:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

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Shame they have a no rider policy (unless it's a fellow employee).

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Leave the mrs at home then:thumbsup: puts helmet on and hides incase she reads this:eek:

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I did the 4/4 and still earned good money , Having worked for two other companies now and looking back , Westcan were pretty good :blink:

A bit over the top with health and safety , The money was good overall and as long as you flew the Westcan flag you were treated pretty well.

However if you dare to criticise them or there methods , they would turn on you and your cards were marked. They can be a bit short sighted and arrogant sometimes, ie When the reccession was on a couple of years ago (plenty of drivers about )they treated drivers like crap and binned you for things you would get slapped wrist for now. ( shortage of drivers )

Still the best company to come over with though , even if you have to live in SK for a couple of years :rofl::rofl: -50 in winter ..... wtf :eek:

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hi kb33, if you dont mind me asking what was u earning doing 4 on 4 off?
thanks.

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Oh, Oh, I know that one...... Canadian $:rofl::rofl:

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Think I earned $65k that year , but there's potential to earn a fair bit more than that (ie work five days a week :rofl: )

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Whilst there's someone around, can someone tell me if it is easy to renew an expired AB class 1 in another Province?

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Do Westcan still "actively" recruit from the UK and do they have many LMO's to use?:confused:

Are they still using those 400hp trucks with B trains over the mountains?!!!!:blink:
Will they just not listen that a 600hp+ truck (driven properly) will give them far better fuel returns?

Re: ok, so where do i start ???
 

Ask your potential employer they should know

Just Googled it and found this :

Re: ok, so where do i start ???
 

Why are you asking these questions ,?? :confused: You have no intention (or ever had ) of coming to Canada.

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I know how to renew it in AB, so the question is, can I do the same in any Province other than where I passed the test?

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I'm not sure , Unless you renew it in AB then transfer over in the new province .
But don't you have one year to renew then have to take the test again. Its more than a year since you went home isn't it ? :confused::confused:

send a email of to these people

http://www.drivereducatorsofalberta.com/faqs.html

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Renew then transfer, that's what I thought, but I'll ring the licensing people.

Yes, we've been back in the UK more than a year, but my Canadian Class 1 runs out this month, and I was told I have FOUR years in which to renew it without a re-test, but obviously with a medical.

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thanks for the reply kb33, $65,000 sounds good to me.

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There's not a Province that will touch you tho :rofl::rofl:

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I know, I tried applying for jobs using your name, and got the same response.:D

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That is because they were looking for drivers not dispatchers:p

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Thats coz after my heart attack my Class 1 has been put on hold, until I pass the stress tests & the atomic isotope tests, results pending this week:unsure::o

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You are jumping the gun ever so slightly!!!:o:rolleyes:

I have a mate who has just sold up his 6 truck quarry fleet, flush with ready cash and has always thought about heading off to Canada.
He has no interest in multiple nights away(young family) and Westcan seem like a good place for him to start.:cool:

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Well point him in the direction of this forum , I am more than willing to answer questions from genuine people on the subject. ;)

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Closer to 500hp than 400hp !!! I shall pass on your comments to the powers that be at Westcan coz obviously you know waaaaaay more about their buissiness than they do:rofl::rofl: Your countless years of experiance in Canada, your endless knowledge of North American transport leaves us all in total awe of your wisdom... Ooops I forgot you just spent a few months cutting the grass on a John Deere and ran a fleet of 1 truck doing gravel runs in Paddy Land :rofl::rofl: