arrrobbbie

I left Canada a while back to return to Scotland.I am on here to try and put people off driving trucks for a living in Canada.It has come to my attention that some Canadian companys actively recruit in the UK.There is one simple reason for that.It has to be the most horrible job in Canada.That is why they have to go abroad for drivers.People actually living in Canada do not want jobs that pay so badly and have such horrendous working conditions.Most jobs pay by the mile.So to make a decent living you need to work like a dog.In Ontario it is legal to drive 84 hours a week .Can you imagine?Many drivers work far more illegally because even with an 84 hour week they cannot earn enough to live on.Even then the drivers have no off time for they have to sleep in their trucks,miles from home.Don't expect any Canadian trucking company to put you up in a hotel.Companys such as Bison that recruit from the UK have drivers that only see home once or twice a month for a day at a time.Jobs that pay by the hour have an average wage of only $14 an hour.To top it off most trucking jobs in Canada pay no overtime rates and do not pay for breaks.In other words if you drive a truck for a living you are treated like an animal.They treat horses better.All in all I would not recommend living in Canada to anyone and certainly not if you drive for a living.

el_richo

Surely people know what they're getting into after extensive research and contract discussions with employers.

If not, more fool them.


.

dbd33

I have to question this. Horses in Canada are beaten, pumped full of drugs, made to jump electrified ponds and eventually trucked hundreds of miles in cattle trailers to receive a poorly administered death blow. They then end up on someone's dinner plate. Better to be a donkey or a llama.

otoh, my neighbour, the truck driver, lives in a mansion and is home every weekend. Granted the truck driver has been here a long time and has some choice of routes but he seems well rewarded for sleeping weeknights alone in his cab. A cab which, I might note has a Recaro seat, wood trim, a microwave, a kettle, a fridge and a very comfortable looking bunk. I've seen worse apartments.

I expect otr trucking with a smelly partner who speaks no English is a shitty job. I'd guess whizzing around in a gravel truck 20+ hours a day out of your brain on coffee and speed is a shitty and dangerous job. All truck driving jobs aren't the same but you'd have to born yesterday to think that new immigrants at the bottom of the ladder are going to get the best runs in the newest equipment.

arrrobbbie

You do not seem to understand my post.Perhaps English is not your first language.I am not talking about new immigrants.I am talking about why Canadian companys recruit overseas.It is simply because it is such a horrible job.Otherwise they would not look overseas.Obvious,isn't it.The comments about the driver who lives in a mansion are ludicrous.All you have to do is go to the Canadian Labour boards website or indeed any website that documents jobs in Canada and you will clearly see that driving a truck is one of the lowest paid.Especially when you consider that there are no overtime rates and most of the jobs only offer benefits if the driver pays for them.Turnover rates in trucking companys are well above the norm for any other industry.In fact many companys actually have turnover rates greater than 100%.This speaks volumes.
Perhaps you eat horsemeat ,I don't.Where are these electrified ponds that they are forced to jump over?Your comments are silly,don't you think?

Gremmie

What complete and utter BS, you have generlised to the Nth & exagerated beyond all proportion. Just because you failed where thousands of others have succeded

alandoug

Take a step back....
To gain access to said jobs in Canada you need PR or to be classified a skilled worker. A truck driver is not classified as a skilled worker, he needs an LMO. He can then be nominated by the province he works in, PNP. Hopefully this leads to PR, when the job market opens up to him. You can try & land with PR, but this is a lengthty (read years) process. Many use truck driving to gain the initial stepping stone into the country in a relatively short space of time. It is not everyone's cup of tea, the hours are long & unless you really like driving you will soon hate it.

wire

Are you for real or is this a troll thread?
If i assume that this is real for a minute then you are obviously a total outsider to the trucking industry with no knowledge of it what so ever.
Why have you posted on here?
"drivers have to sleep in their trucks without the benefit of hotels???"
What exactly do you think truckers in the rest of the world do?
I already had 15 years trucking experience in Europe before i started my Canadian career and i can tell you categorically that the job over here is better and drivers enjoy a higher level of respect albeit the job is harder so they do deserve it.
Last year i earned $70,000 which is considerably more than i ever earned in Europe.
You need to either post on a subject that you have knowledge on or if you are simply a troll, wind you neck in.

lilacheart

I do agree with some of your points but there are people who do make it here and generalising does not help your argument. What you dislike may actually appeal to some people. We came out and intended to stay on the road but hubby hated it and left as soon as we had PR. Right or wrong this is what happened and we now have a great life . We have absolutley no regrets and the only advice we would give to potential drivers is be prepared for it to be hard, put your head down and get on with it .If you really don't like it you will have other options once you have PR

Gremmie

Deffinate Troll thread

Big Truck

Yes,
I agree this is more than likely a troll thread but Gremmie,
look at your reply just as Mickfly has said all along:
Its NEVER the trucking companies fault is it?!!!

Your a KNOB!!!!

Gremmie

Who is this MFly character any way,, oh i forgot he dumped his employer and went on holiday never to return, so hardly a good point of reference. But as you obviously hang on every syllable he writes it must be true, i pail into insignificance in your presence. BT for president

kb33

Typical thread about another failed UK Trucker in Canada .

Signs up with BE just to post about how bad Canada is , Without giving the REAL facts Bit like BT really

Bet the OP doesn't post more than 10 posts

Gremmie

I was going for 5 posts and no more

kb33

Well I suppose we cant criticise Mc'Fly for that !

mickfly

I have very rarely posted on here!

In my posts elsewhere I have not criticised Canada/Canadians as such, and living in the truck (with the missus) was certainly very comfortable, even in winter.
My beef was with one company who are noted as being shite!

Read the facebook posts of their drivers, and read between the lines of some of the blogs... nothing will change for family men at H&R, until they get PR and threaten to leave.

BTW: I have been doing NI (shoulda gone for a cuppa with BT) a lot recently and the nights out in laybys and having to clamber over everything to get in the tiny bunk is a pain in the arse.
Maybe I'll go back to Canada!