dingbat

We all have something going on. Listen to those who are trying to help and in the end trust your instincts. They are usually right.

shelly1

Very well said and never a truer word spoken

silentwispers

HI all
been reading what nobby has been saying and i do feel sorry for him, its like this in Germany as well and probably every where else if you get in too the wrong firm the wrong dispatcher its not going to work is it,NOBBY don't pull yourself down go for a different firm, at the moment of time your over there use this to your advantage don't give up, go to another firm and hold your shoulders high, we cant be all lucky at the first time how ever good we are. if it does not work at least you tyred. i do know what I'm talking about, worked for very bad firms did not get paid, other firms driving bent. been lied too all the time from the dispatcher, working and living here in Germany, and now trying for Canada if it does not work at least we tyred and when were old and grey, we can honestly say we tyred.(((( And not but only if we did ))))THE BIG IF
Pete

loafy

Hi Nobby,
That is true what you say about the PNP programme which is the only draw back as you have to go thru it all again but i think if i had gone to all that trouble and money to get there and set things up i would at least try someone else. If for arguments sake it took four years to get it right and that is not along time all said and done the time flies when its going good i know i used to think where has that year gone when i did the long stuff. I know Kindersley have put you off but there have to some good companies who treat you right. Are you single there or have family or a partner, i guess you have to think what is best for them too.
Koogar must be having the time of his life at the moment but he is single so no probs with things that can distract you from the job, which is a big part of the long haul driver, you do forget about friends and family when you are away for those amounts of time not that you completely forget but its so easy to get caught up in what your doing and things just drift along from one day to the next.
Koogar's blog is well worth a look and there are some good pics there as you say must have a good camera.
All the Best

LOAFY...

Lylesie

hi everyone,this our first visit to forum and quite surprised at all the different views.i have been around trucks all my life and at 42 years of age seen more or less all what is out there as an owner driver.i gave up long haul continental after constantly being undercut and being expected to run non stop.my wife and i have two young children and are looking for the better life.we have looked into oz but have now realised canada is far easier than oz,however i am not looking with rose coloured glasses. all my life i have chased the "golden pig" only to find he bathes in castor oil every day.i had 5 years of driving on the continent as an employed driver mainly on groupage and fridge work and found all the cowboys in our green and pleasant land expected me to work all day-drive all night,hence returning to being an owner driver and gave up the continent 3 years ago to a far better living and more time at home.my children are now possibly going to be expected to learn hirdu at school ,can't play out as we used to as kids and sick of constantly being hammered by our government.we have decided to give canada a go.i have spoken to three different companies who all seem different.i hope that for once in my life the decision made is the right one,hard work doesn't scare me,after all all roads lead home,but can i earn enough?but just maybe there is a better life for our kids,i am sorry for those of you whose dreams have become nightmares and happy for the success stories among you.i would be happy to share any info and happy to accept any advice forthcoming.my wife is 33 and kids 9 and ten,boy and girl,and i am prepared to go where ever to give them the life they deserve after what they have been through with me,any thoughts or advice?good luck all.

loafy

Hi lylesie,
Well you will get a cross section on here and a few slaps too, but whatever you do dont take it to heart after all it is a forum.
I personally am leaving the UK as soon as i can to make a new life with whatever they throw at me, like you i have done the can you just get to bristol market in the morning from wherever you maybe and driven till i see bloody elephants in the road, until i realised the only winner is the importer and so stopped doing that lot and moved on the longer stuff and it got there when it got there.
My only advice to you is that maybe any driver going to Canada should maybe go first test the water and then bring the family over later if it can be done money wise, this way you get to try before you buy kind of thing. I have been told on good authority that team driving is where you will make a good living, so on the whole i would say yes you can make a good living, but if you live say in a four bedroom detached house with double drive and cars and bikes or whatever floats your boat in the UK and dont owe thousands to the greedy banks and life is good stay there you must be doing it right anyway . On the other hand if your life is shit and really see yourself doing the same job seeing the same lazy arse blokes who you have to work with then i would give it a go as you never know whats round the corner mate.

Best of Luck and any help i can give just post.

LOAFY

Lylesie

hi loafy,
thanx for welcome,probably same as yourself sick of all the bullshit in uk,have a reasonable living with own 44t fh and own trailer,nothing fancy but its' ours and can honestly say don't owe bank a penny [only cos they think owner drivers all related to bin laden]but trying to look at bigger picture and hope to be able to give ourselves a better life,done my share over water and would still be there except for unfair foreign competition,but life goes on and i am a big believer in bite off more than you can chew and chew like ####!
but on a more serious note need more out of life than we have now, not material things so much but quality of life.talked about doing as u said going out solo then family to follow,know of few lads out there all friends of a friend,hoping to meet with one in near future,he's coming back for his family,says best move ever.he is on for a company called rh transport i have chance there also i have spoken to erb international in baden ,they were very helpful and very family orientated,but still cautious it was only on phone but were really helpful offering either east or west coast with varying times away,must admit canada to mexico sounds a bit of a challenge and obviously high mileage = better wages but will keep plugging away,biggest concern is how a lot of people here think of immigrants is it the same in canada do you know?i live at the top of a big hill in west yorks and now know how custer felt at battle of little bighorn!we are surrounded!!!!!
thanx again for encouragement and good luck,will keep you informed cheers mate.lylesie:

shelly1

Hey Lylesie
I also live in west yorkshire at the top of a very big hill and surrounded so to speak. we might be neighbors

I think that people sometimes come across as scaremongering, it maybe just how different people word things or maybe they can't find the right words to say how they feel or what they've gone through,
some of us have gone to hell and back, and if it makes just one of those reading think with a level head, then thats all any one of them are trying to do.
you see some of us burn't the candle at both ends are now regretting it enormously.
We sold house, lost all our belongings, and generally made a mess of things because we where striving for that quality of life we thought we didn't have here.
Its a very wise person to take advice when others are telling you don't listen, do what you want to do.
I don't think its anyone's intention in telling you not to go but just to go with caution.
If you don't have to sell up then don't, if you can afford to try it on your own first thats probably the best thing to do for you all.
Canada is a wonderful place, but don't lose everything you have on a chance, yes chances are there for the taking but not at the expense of family happiness and security.
shelly

shelly1

Pete

If you think that Westcan are looking out for you
you re sadly mis-informed, things went wrong for us because my husband decided he wasn't taking no more shit, no more lies, he was told at his interview he'd be earning so much per year, he would have litrally had to work 24/7 to earn what they'd promised, and others agreed

why go to another country to just survive,

You move to another country to have the life you dream about here?

He stood up to them one day after he done a 22 hour training shift the day before, and told them a few home truths which of cause they didn't like and now were back in the uk, they thought because we'd up rooted our lives and moved half way around the world we would't dare go home.

No way, lifes not about living to work, you work to live and live the best life you can,
you make a chioce like that so you can live a better life, not just to move the life you have somewhere else.

Im not a stupid wife or mum that got up one day and thought i know we'll move half way around the world to Canada, we where sold a lie.

Don't let them fool you, it's a business and businesses are there to make money, there not there to watch your back.

We where also told that its a family orientated company, yeah sure what about the families they've ruined, asked about them, asked them how many have returned home any why?
when we went out we where told 2 families had returned.

Ask them How many families are still together and how many have split up because of what they went through.

I also thought that living most of my married life as an infantry wife would stand me in good stead

What a load of tosh

I was sick to death of other wives telling me where my husband was going and what he was doing
Very much like army life everybody knew your business before you did.

It might be the life some want but its not the life i went there for.

shelly

jaydog68

Shelley - I have been following all these posts with interest as my family and i are moving to Moose Jaw to work for Westcan in the near future. Although i can sympathise with your situation and wish you all the best back here in the UK, I feel i need to give another opinion across for the benefit of all those people reading these threads with thoughts of moving across.

Lots of people come back to the UK for various reasons, and also from various companys - not just Westcan! The whole package is definitely not for some.

But in our opinion the retention rate of UK drivers that have achieved PR in Moose Jaw and have stayed put at Westcan and not moved on to 'pastures greener' speaks for itself.

The many families that we met on our research trip seemed happy and content with their lives and the kids especially - why would these people blatantly lie to us about how good their lives were just to get us out there??!!
I know i would certainly tell the truth to others if asked about my experiences with the company.

We are not looking through rose coloured glasses and have agreed that this decision is right for us, and that is taking everything into consideration. We too were in the army and have travelled the world and know that nothing in this world is easy, but what you make it, and know that Canada is for us.

I hope you realise why i needed to reply as others have the right to hear stories from every angle. Good luck for the future.

Jayne xx

shelly1

Thank you jayne for your reply

Yes you are right, of cause you have a right to reply and yes you are happy with your research trip, but you have to agree both side have to be taken into account,
you have spoken to many families that are happy and settled in moose jaw,

I was only pointing out that there are also many that didn't settle, and as a result have lost more than they ever imagined they could

we are all adults and we all have to account for the choices we make in our lives
The point i am trying to make in what i have said is to just be careful, life is hard and even harder when you have to start again

I truely do wish you well

Michelle x

silentwispers

Well i can believe that every body knows before u do, that was the army life and in civil life . Ive done my army time and army driving does not compare to driving in civvy life. if u think this, forget it ,x forces drivers have not got a clue. They have to start from new in civvy life, and forget what u learned in the past. As a international driver u are on your own, no one to pick u up when u fall. Before u even start to drive, every one is on your back WIFE,DESPACHER,FRIGHTFORWARDER,LOADING PERSONAL,MINERSTRY OF TRANSPORT POLICE CUSTOMS BORDERPOLICE, and not to forget the people who hate u , CAR DRIVERS,MOTORBIKES PUSHBIKES, as u say one foot in prison one foot in the grave, and i can understand what they say 3 to 5 years experience needed in international driving. Believe me u cannot compair this with army life, you are on your own defending for yourself, army life is, away for a long time but never alone, army clarks doing your paperwork, army looking after your wives and so on,
dont take this the wrong way( we all must learn )
Pete

shelly1

I'm sorry if you mis-understood, i kind of meant from a womans point of view, the wives gossiping amoungst themselves and them knowing who was driving with my husband and where he was going to, weather he would be home or away before i did, it used to get on my nerves
But then i wanted out so everything got on my nerves
shelly

Big Truck

Shelly1,
I'm trying to be objective here:
Do you not think that "only" giving it 3 months in Canada before returning to the UK was being fair to the whole "moving to Canada as a truck driver with family" thing?
Is it not right that your husband was still with his "trainer" and never even experienced driving a truck on his own in Canada before returning home?

Without a doubt Westcan are not perfect (what company are?) but to only have given it a go for such a short time, I feel its not really giving Westcan or for that matter "trucking/living in Canada" justice!!!!

shelly1

Yes thats a fair comment,
But there's no getting round the fact that if we hadn't been lied to in the first place we wouldn't be in a position to comment about any of it.

We went out there on the belief and trust of the company that we would have a very good life and we where lied to.

We are far from being on our own in this, there are many more families like ours that decided we had made a terrible mistake, so i would'nt say that its the fact that we'd not given the company or truck driving a fair chance.

Three months of my husbands loyalty was three months more than they deserved.

shelly