loafy

Dont let em rattle ya there. just do it and be a success story for others to read or weep later on this forum.

LOAFY

silentwispers

hi to all
its great to read all your messages, i think we should all go for the same firm together we are strong, and i think we would make a great team helping each other as time goes along, especially for the wives ,I'm ex services to was based in Germany and seen the world abit married a German girl stayed here, but i must say Germany is going down hill. and thats why Canada. dingbat was saying about SK, he comes from BC and that's a nice place probably the best. but its a very expensive place to live. been there its great, also Alberta and its abit flat, never been to SK. if i work for yanke i would be based in Regina known as queen city never been there, as u say no risk no gain.
loafy looking forward to seeing you in birmingham. thats great u got the day off
Pete

jaydog68

Hello Karla,
I take it your other half is ex RCT, me too.
Tell him to drop us an e-mail.
Kind Regards.
Neil

loafy

Its flat pete really flat loads of fields to get ya women in er enough of that eh
Yeah will be good to have a meet there, i'm average height, slightly plump round the middle and balding from to much of something or other probably getting neither LOL. Typical truck driver i would say. Yeah there good where i work but hey were Welsh its easy is it not yes.
LOAFY...

crazy2005

Well Well Well haven't we started something guys It seems to me there are still people out there willing to put people off OK we are all adults (or meant to be) so like I said in one of my previous posts it is entirelly up to the individual whether to come here or not I have heard of some really terrible horror stories of some brithish people not getting enough miles and not getting home etc but there are some good stories too I'm not lying about our experience out here we have had a great time, there has been problems of coarse there has if I said different would you beleive me lifes a bitch get over it cope with your problems and move on. This life isn't for everyone I no that but quit bitching about it. I'm so proud of Karla and Loafy for going after their dreams after all if it doesn't work out so what you tried
Let me answer the thread from webster.........I really had to laugh at this one...you better watch coz some of what you wrote could be slauderous I know if I was Laurie Rose I wouldn't be pleased about what you wrote but that's on your head..........As far as Scott Johnstons concerned he did I think go on a sacking spree but it was 3 years to late as far as I am concerned let me explain this...We were all taken over here to fill a shortage for truck drivers ok it was passed by HRDC thats how we were able to come through the PNP program so once some of the british got here they decided that they didn't want to drive anymore and wanted a job in the office NO thats not you were taken over here for there are plenty of Canadians that can do this job so get out of the office and drive you wimp..........Some people were saying they hurt their back or they twisted their ankle etc etc so they got into the office to work this is why I think Mr Johnston went in and told them to either go and drive or leave WELL DONE MR JOHNSTON!!!!!!!!!
See guys you get people who want to work and you get people who don't so the people who don't want to work don't come over here we can do without you.
As far as how the companies treat their drivers family I have heard nothing bad about this subject but again it depends on what the wives are wanting I know I have had to get a hold of my husband a couple of times when he has been on the road and Yanke have been brilliant however I can usually cope until he gets home anyway.
Saskatchewan is a lovely province the skies are breath taking so just because you don't like it doesn't mean that we don't and like I said to Karla Moose Jaw is one of my favourite places......By the way Karla send me an e-mail I would love to keep in touch with you it doesn't matter to me that you are not going with yanke it would be great to still keep in touch and I will help you as much as I can.
Ok guys that's it for now I'm going to stop ranting

dingbat

No one is being judged, but if you stick around this site for long enough you will read tales of people moving their entire families over based on these recruitment campaigns (not just for trucking) TV ads and a couple of vacations. Visiting Canada and living in Canada are two entirely different things, it is unfortunate that some families can find this out too far late. Maybe as you are ex army you will adjust better than most. Everyone is different, absolutely, but making your own mind up requires being informed. Getting one side or one positive opinion is not being informed. Yes I have been to SK, Moose Jaw many times in fact. Yes you are right, I do not like it. I don's know anyone in all my eleven years in this country who does. The culture shock and lack of amenities is just too much for some. I am glad you know many families in MJ already - you will have a support network waiting for you. As to Loafy's question - my family were truckers for over forty years, including my ex. He thought that trucking life here would be OK too. Yeah right.

suede

Hi

I just read ya e-mail. We arrived in Manitoba last May. My husband works for a company in Winnipeg. We came over with MPNP. I know what ya mean hand to mouth. We have done it for a year and I will not return to the UK begging. We have a 15 (soon to be 16) year old daughter and 2 golden retrievers. We came over with next to nothing, really only a few clothes, with the intention to buy over here. After 4 wks in hotel (which is where most of our money went), got a car (banger), rent a house for $1000 a month, pay our bills, get food and live day to day, I know what ya mean. Hubbie is never home, some months I never see him. On a good 2 wks, he can bring home $2000, but that is doing some miles. If ever ya need anyone to chat to give me a line [email protected]

Win

Hiya All,
I have, like Crazy, been here nearly three years. I work for one of the 'Siemens' group companies. I would like to tell my side. I am married with two children. I work 10 days on with 4 off, in Canada only, although I did two years running to the States. The job, if you like long haul is great. If you drive a supermarket trolley in UK and get home every night then expect a major change of life-style. We lived in rented accomodation in Stoon for fourteen months. We used this time to check out the housing situation, what were the actual wages and costs to live here. We found that , in the opposite to the way England works, that it is cheaper to live 'In the country'. It has it's problems,the winters being one, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. When you have lived tightly packed, as you do in England, having huge wide open spaces is wonderful, something Dingbat should remember, it is though,each to their own. As for the rumours about Doug Siemens, I for one have not heard any "new' rumours, but did hear rumours before we came here, 3 years ago, so would put such rumours where they belong, in the bullshit pile. Besides,the company would not go under because of what Doug was doing as his Dad still owns the company. While on subject of rumours, the realtor "situation' is definetly a buyer beware but it is in the UK, so treat them the same. The laws in Canada are not so strongly in favour of the buyer as in the UK , so be especially careful when buying big ticket items.
Now to the crux. I have had arguments with dispatchers here about everything I used to argue with traffic clerks in England about, impossible delivery bookings, running through the night, running bent, not being paid for 'other' work. All these things were common place when we first landed. ALL companies worked the same way, much the same as British companies did in the middle eighties. The industry here is in that same transition as the Brits were then, so expect some problems, but if you understand the problem and behave in a professional manner, nothing is insurmountable. One other thing I must mention though, family support is non-existent, and the person 'assigned' to this job is bloody useless. We do not bother asking for help anymore, as information given was quite often wrong.
Having said all that, Canada is a truely wonderful place to live. My kids have the freedom I had as a child and are not expected to grow up too quickly. Our standard of living is easily compareable to that we had in England, I don't chase my ass at work ( i earned 45k last year, 100,000 miles in 239 days) so my work experience is arguably better. To answer the question most seemed to be asking, Yes, we live extremely well on this, but that is because we live in a small town 50 odd miles from work ( stoon). Our mortgage and property taxes are very low compared to the city.
I hope this has answered some questions. It is not easy emmigrating anywhere. As long as you accept that it will be different and attempt to integrate into Canadian society as a honourary Canadian you will be successful. If you want to move to a ' little offshore Britain' you would be better off going to Benidorm.

loafy

Well yeah we have rattled a few cages here.
Firstly i dont want to insult or upset anyone in any shape or form so apologies if i have.
No one is being judged here, i think sometimes people read things a different way. Its like texting the wife you can write stuff but if they read it wrong it's not what you meant if you get my meaning, im sure its happened to all on here.
Secondly i myself have driven over a million miles in all weathers and on probably every continent in Europe so this long Haul stuff for me and Mrs Laofy is fine for us but like Win said if you drive a supermarket truck round the UK you might want to look at something else that gets you home at least once or twice a week, after all Canada is a big country too.
I know the score with the truck companies there you got to watch your back and play ball as they will get what they can for as little as possible, but have to say that is the same still here in the UK driving in Europe. They dont give a toss if your wife is having a baby or your son is doing some sort of school team thing and you want to go, and they say with hand on heart to your face we will sort something for you but you know its bollocks when you walk out the door and drive off thinking i could do better than this, but when it comes down to it how many can do something else mostly its all we know to do.
As for living there i know nothing except for the people i have spoken to and those on here who have been great, thanks to you all you know who you are and for the ones with lets say a more negative side which there has to be as you say Dingbat you are not judging just telling your side, which is it not what this forum is all about...

Life is what you make and if you make you will live it. (Quote My Father.)

Have fun all,
LOAFY

shelly1

WOW
There's definitely been some missiles flying here.
I have followed this thread with much interest, i find it mind boggling that people are still arguing over the same subjects year on year on year.
Its nearly two years since we made out fateful journey out to moose jaw to work for westcan, and its 18 months since we returned.
reading my previous posts will explain why we returned so i'm not going into all that again.
People like me, and there's a lot more of us returnee's than some of you would like to believe, follow the forums on here but no longer post, i'm finding it really hard to sit back and watch the events unfolding that have happened to us in the past, happening all over again to others.
We came back from Canada with nothing, we had £300 in the bank, we had to sell all our belongings to get back to the uk, we'd lost our home, the life that we where used to, we'd no schools for the girls, our lives where in tatters.
It frightens and disgusts me that the canadian government are still allowing these companies to lie and cheat honest people that are only in search of a better future for themselves and their kids.
Yes there are families out there that have come good but there are meny more like me and mine that have lost out big time.

Sandra from westcan is a very lovely lady we WHERE very good friends until i told my story and yes she will help you, she helped me but she can only do so much, she's not incharge of the company and she has her own and her husbands jobs and backs to look out for at the end of the day, and bare in mind that people move to other countries for all different reasons, some vow never to return to the uk come hell or high water, each for there own reasons, but they sell you the life they know you are looking for, they tell you what you want to hear, and the truth gets somewhat stretched out of shape.
Before we went out to start our new life, i had become friends with a lady called lisa, who husband was working for kindersley, she was having it really rough time of it, no money the kids where living on beans on toast and they couldn't get home, i knew that would never happen to us we where too smart.
The last time i spoke to her she told me to be careful what i wished for, the only thing i wish for now is that i'd listened to her in the first place.
Shelly x

silentwispers

hi Shelly
sorry to hear what happened and its good to hear you have got back on your feet, Ive been trying to find out from your last posts what happened., but cant find the right one, i know its stupid or a big favour to ask could u tell us what happened to you and your family, you could save us a lot of tears, so bad at westcan ? please tell
Pete

silentwispers

To be eligible, Saskatchewan trucking firms must: this is only for the firm

have been in operation in Saskatchewan for at least five years;
have no compliance issues with the National Safety Code (NSC). The Carrier must supply a Carrier profile and have a satisfactory safety rating. Verification of Safety Performance and Carrier Status will be confirmed by the Highway Traffic Board.
primarily do long distance shipping that required cross-border traveling (inter-provincially or internationally) or overnight travel.
submit a Long-Haul Trucking recruitment and settlement plan that will describe the company’s plans for:
this is what the firm must do for us
Recruitment and Screening of foreign driver applicants;
Orientation and Training of foreign drivers recruited; and,
Settlement Support for Immigrant Employees and their Families
or read on http://www.aee.gov.sk.ca/immigration..._Trucker.shtml
pete

shelly1

I would'nt quite say we where back on our feet, far from it
I still have good days and bad, just at the moment the bad days are out weighing the good.
unfortunatly for us losing everything well it all got too much.

I never thought that eighteen months on i would still be taking a day at a time, me being the tough little cookie that i was, i was coming back to the uk and getting on with my life picking up the pieces. but life caught up with me and knocked me for six.
and a day at a time is just enought to cope with right now.

shelly

martin bray

hi, bit new to all this but could you find this info.the forums i have read dont make very good reading. myself dont fancy working all those hours dont think its fair on my partner and child to be away all that time. martin

Big Truck

Just out of interest,
have any of you looked at Big Freight Systems out of Steinbach near Winnipeg?
They are a few guy's who work for them that post on the Canadian drivers forum at www.onlinetruckers.co.uk and they seem to find BF good to work for.