British Truckers Abroad

Hi everyone..Im new to this site but not to Canada, I came here on 20th December 2006 and have ben here since, managed to get my AZ licence at my own expence and have been working since I got it, hauling mainly out west to BC and to Vancouver Island, and as far east as Montreal.
Also I have married a Canadian and NO, it was'nt my way of getting into Canada.We met 4 months before I decided to come here.
The normal way of coming to Canada is this...First you get yourself onto the Canadian Citizan and Immigration site the CIC for short, take the prelimanary test to immigrate then go ahead with the Lawyers...now this is where it gets expensive. Up to $700 per section and there are 3 of them at the same price roughly...the lawyer does it all for you, all the permits you need from landed papers to your work permit..However, that does not include your AZ licence.thats your job to get. Firstly you need to get the Z portion of the licence which is'nt realy a licence...its an endorsment the A portion is your licence.the Z is the Airbreak to say you know what to look for when you are checking your breaks at the break check areas in the Rocky mountains....which is mandatory for all truckers to do no matter what...if you dont and are checked by MTO at the bottom..its an automatic fine of $10,000 and up, depending on the type or severity of the offence.
I could break down the price list for each permit that you will need but dont want to put you off coming here...I love it here..and what you have to go through..in the end its all worth it.
However, there is another way to come here.
Here is how I made it.......first, I found a company that hire foreign workers on the foreign workers programme, applied and then got an invite to come to Canada and work for them. If you have relatives here then you also get an invite from those too, stating that you will be living at their home and that they will be responsable for you meals and housing needs.All you need at this point is your passport,letter from the company you plan to work for and a letter from your relatives of support and address of where you will be living here in Canada. You can drive here on your british drivers licence for 60 days then you will need to have it changed to the province which you are living in..in my case it was Ontario...this is free to do...then the fun begins, you will need to take a written test before you apply for you AZ. Then you go and get your Z endorsment..A good company like Adanac would be good...cost $160 for a 3 day course with practical and theory involvment.
Then you go get your A licence. A company called Shaun/David from Brantford just south of Cambridge is where I went to. Cost around $700 to $1000...now remember I was doing this on my own..with no help from anyone or anywhere. So now you go for training. Around 10 days later you take your test, which you have payed for in advance, cost $75...what you learn is all in place for the test....it takes 45 minutes to do the first part of the test and its 15 minutes for the road test...45 minutes is used for the pre-trip inspection of the test....then its a 15 minute ride in a big circle and finaly you do your reversing test and thats it.
Once you get all that, you take it to the driver's licence centre and change it to your AZ, cost around $10-$15.
Thats the easy way and to be honest I would'nt have done it any other way..its cheaper too.
Once you have to coveted AZ licence...then you go and sign up with your new company....In my case it was with Challenger Motor Freight. I had to go to Buffalo in New York state to get my work permit...cost $150.. and spend 24 hours out of Country to get the full 100% benefits coverage from Challenger for when I travelled Stateside.Then all you do 3 months before the permit expires you apply for an extension..which your company does for you...but you have to remind them of this at that stage...if you dont you will be put out of service till you get it renewed.

Now remember this...I did this with just 3 peices of information to offer the immigration at Pearson Airport...my British Passport, My letter from my new employer stating my job offer,hours of employment,start date and end date (renewed after 12 months), a home address with telephone number and name of person and relationship.

If you need any more help or advice on coming to Canada or you are already here and need help...please do not hesitate to contact me..I'll do my very best to help you in anyway I can.

Welcome to Canada.

Ok foden12, that may be your way of doing things, but It may not be the best or cheapest. I found a job whilst still in the UK. They arranged some things for me and I got my 2 year work permit on arrival at Halifax Airport ($150) and 3 weeks later had a Canadian class one with air-brake endorsement ($200 including medical).

Hi Foden12,
Isn't Ontario impossible to get PR in as a long haul driver?

yes, but he probably got a work permit for 1-2 years, then married his canadian wife before it expired, applying for pr via his spouse.

Immigration lawyer? You could have saved yourself some cash, each to their own though ...

Nope...got my work permit in early 2007 and married my now wife in 2008. And started the spouce/common law sponsorship in October 2008
Its a little bit easier for the Brit to come to Canada just on his/her passport due to the fact of a long standing trade agreement between our two nations. And your passport is your travel visa.
As long as you have a firm job offer from a Canadian employer with a 12 month contract which states the start date and end date of the employment ie; employment contract signed by you and the employer. then there is no reason why you cannot work in Canada. Each time the permit is due to run out you get it renewed.(three months before it runs out you re-apply)
And if you wish to stay here in Canada you then start you Permenant Residence application within Canada.In which case you then receive Implied Status.
And as to your question about obtaining PR in Ontario it is difficult but not impossible as long as you satisfy certain conditions.
I subscribe to a site which supplies updates as to the immigration changes concerning people from Britain wishing to come to Canada.And I like to pass this info on to anyone.
I've talked to people who work for Challenger and they have said they have to work out of BC to get their PR. And its true that you get your PR in 30 days IF you are in Alberta, I'm in Ontario and its taken me this long to get where I am and still dont have my PR...So as a whole it's easier out west to get PR but no matter what Province you live in, If you realy want it..you put up with the red tape as it were. As I said earlier....in the end its worth it.
Im not trying to say this is the way to do it...just it was the way for me. I applied for the job while in England and they sent me all the forms I needed plus the contract of employment. All I had to do was to get my work permit.
For those who's companies help them with such things well power to you and good luck for your future, its only Challenger do not do things that way and dont even help get your PR. Hence I'm doing this on my own and learning by my mistakes and trying to put my expeience here for everyone to see and hopfully avoid the pit falls.

What are Challenger like with the Brits? Do they recognise that we are skilled drivers and treat the guys as such? Do you have to work hard at getting whats due to you?

They recognise the Brit trucker for what he is, an experienced driver with the kind of experience Canada needs in their workforce.
They help you when you need them to, like getting you home when you need to be, they have what all companies here have 'an open door policy' You can earn as much or as little as you want it's entierly up to you. My pay cheque was in the region of $3.000 to $3,700 for a 14 day trip out with 4 days off, drove a Peterbilt standard. The trick is be honest with them and they will do everything to help.

You can prove your alleged income can you??? Challenger are employing more and more Indians, Pakistanis or whatever they may be. Have no idea of what they are like to work for but if that is what they are doing then that should tell you something.
How long ago since you worked for them Foden? With the majority of companies employing immigrant workers you will be lucky to earn that in a month and Challenger are no different. With income like that they have no need to recruit immigrants, drivers would be knocking the door down. That income would give you around $70,000 - $86,000 pa

If only the trucking industry was so simple for immigrants!

YOU have no control on how much you earn at companies who choose to restrict the runs they give you (for whatever reason), or refuse to pay layovers when you are available for work.

What has employing 'Indians' got to do with it.???????
I left Challenger last year in June. Ive been a long haul driver for over 20 years and got sick to death of missing my children growing into adults and decided to quit the long haul and be home every night.
And as far as earning potential goes you only earn what you put into it. I tried it and had to out on the road for over a month and hated every second of it, Ive done the 6 weeks away from home sh#t when I drove for MFL in england doing Continental work. So if you want to miss your family and be on the road all that time...Why have a family.

Canada is no different to the rest of the world, there is a recession on and drivers are pulling away from the industry. Not going into the ins and outs of the recession here thats not for me to argue with anyone about. Im here to make a living and to support my family.
And as far as beating down the doors are concerned is this....every company tries its best to get the work force it needs to survive, and you look for the best company to the exact same thing.
They all promise the very best for you. And you say the same. Trouble is, there is a shortage of drivers world wide and the economy is trying its best to return. but if drivers are scrambling to get the best of the best then the others do their best to get what they can. Hence the catch 22 is in a loop.

If you get THAT job...you always look for that little something better to suit YOU and your needs..if you said you dont then I would call you a liar.
So dont complain for what you have..just complain to better the industry. We all want to earn lots of money and live well..but you wont become a rich man in trucking.

You say you lived and worked in Ontario then you know that when companies employ Indians they are getting the lowest standard of drivers available.
I still dispute your earnings, do you have proof and was that regular income or a one off

Hi Dave,
That was a one off deal for me, I was driving team with a single man and he wanted to stay out for over a month, I never did it agian.I wish I had the paper work with me right now to prove my statement. But it realy is that way, you get out what you put in.
As for the Indians ...Yes I agree they are taking sh#t pay for an otherwise skilled trade. To be a trucker the lenth of time we have it HAS to be in you for us to stay this long, but I'm also right in saying we all still look for that something better for ourselves.

Challenger ARE like the other companies, but they are realy a good company, My only bad experience with Challenger was that they dont help their foreign workers to get Permenant Residence, I'm doing it all on my own and it's a learning process for me.

How many times have you OR I sat with other drivers and asked what kind of pay do they receive..and it's always more than the next man, there is money to be earned out there but its hard work just to find it.
Here in Ontario it's real hard to find that, and out west its the same thing. I'm thinking of going to the Sands Oil Fields, there you can earn anything from $20 to $60 an hour. So it can be done.

John.

Thanks for clearing that up John, now we are reading from the same page
Didnt want drivers under the impression that they could go to Challenger and earn that sort of money every pay cheque

God no...Just wanted to prove to myself that I COULD earn something like that..but it was long hard and soul destroying...

Im like everyone else, just want to earn a decent living doing something I like doing every day and thats driving. I've seen a lot of amazing sights and met awesome people from all over the world and that was the main thing for me....knew I would'nt be a rich man driving a truck, Just played my part in the trucking kingdom.

I would never steer a person into beleiving it's an everyday event earning that kind of money.

John.

I was going to avoid this one altogether but have temporarily changed my mind..

Dave, Mark and myself, along with most others, did the entire application process ourselves so it isn't that bad a thing. I got my work permit in Jan 06 on my own. All I received was the job offer after the LMO and I took it to the embassy by hand. I have done my best to assist others with their paperwork and still have one that will be getting the help in 3 months time. I am no genius but I know my way around the paperwork now.

As for Challenger, it is good to hear positive things, but you have sort of confused me because $3000 take home for 10 days work is averaging 1100 miles per day on your own. Now I am good. I have covered 2100 miles in 47 hours and it was hard going. I would not have wanted to do 4200 miles in 4 days, although I did do another 900 in the following 28 hours along with the tip and reload.

The trip was a one deal only 5 weeks on the road driving team, I've never siad it was for 10 days, the most I've earned in that time space is $2310. Remember driving team the truck rarely stops and yes it is hard, it is long hours, it is constantly with another person whom you hopfully get along with.
I'm only speaking of MY experience with Challenger, I dare say there are those of you who would say BS.
But I'm not a one to lie about what I've done.
It realy boils my piss when someone who has apparently been or is a trucker rearely beleives in other peoples experiences just because it has'nt happened to them yet.

I think the way it is about comparing your pay stub with another driver is to stop that trend and just get on with it.
Earn your pay and be proud of the fact that you are among the most relied upon industry inderviduals that literaly keep the country and planet moving.

Foden12, how do you manage to get PR in Alberta in 30 days or am I reading it wrong ?

Mick, still banging the same drum and still not given us the names of any of these great co's to work for.

you are reading it wrong and keep up your average 10 out of your 16 posts having a go at someone

Dave, so what does he mean in his post saying "you can get PR if you are in Alberta in 30 days". then ?
Page1, post 5.

Barney
Not sure what is meant by getting PR in 30 days that must be unheard of, it takes longer to get the police checks but he states he does not yet have pr.
Just re-read your post and I read it that you thought he got pr in Alberta

Dave, no not that he got PR in Alberta but he's saying you (anyone) can get PR in Alberta in 30 days, I don't understand that bit.

and we know that its impossible.

That is exactly what you said, $3000 to $3700 for a 14 day trip with 4 days off means you earned it in 10 days.

You mentioned money. I wouldn't waste my time on that issue. You see, we have, mostly, landed on our feet with employers and are well off for it. If someone was paying me a buck a mile then I would be prepared to drive to Russia from here..

The worry I have is this. While your input and experience is valued by everyone here, there are inconsistancies which are troubling. We ALL know that it is not possible to get PR in 30 days. Dave was, I think, the first of our happy little gang, or it may have been Mark, to get it, and they were around the 18 month mark. I was after them but ahead of Lyndon and mine took 2 1/2 years. You haven't gone through the site to see that many of us have had various dealings with Provincial and Federal governments in the past.

You make the TWP thing sound a little too easy. You forgot about certain requirements and the time they take.

So break it down for us. As an example, my police check took 45 days, the LMO was quick at 3 weeks and I had it faxed to me and I signed it and faxed it back the same day. The letter from CIC took 10 days from when I applied in London but that was because I was waiting for the police check, which I faxed the day it arrived and I got my letter 2 or 3 days after that. I was on a plane 3 days later..

And I still have to use my passport, despite being a resident, to enter the US, but not to come back into Canada.

Still banging on against a company...not a person!

Who are the 'US' who asked for a list of good companies? They're out there, and you know it, now how about answering my question...who are you?

We can find many of the posters here on facebook/blogs etc, not hiding their identities, but is seems the ones who come on here being armchair warriors or claiming to speak for the masses are all hiding behind user names.

There are new users here all the time asking questions, so should they (once again) just hear one side?

When I read, as I did recently on someones blog.."I've learned to filter out all the negative stuff I read", I see someone with a young family heading for a great fall in Canada, because the negative stuff is reality and can drop people in the chit if 'filtered out' or totally ignored.

Foden just wrote... "You can earn as much or as little as you want it's entierly up to you. My pay cheque was in the region of $3.000 to $3,700 for a 14 day trip out with 4 days off."

Is that true, is it entirely up to you?

Should the figures he quotes also simply be taken as fact, and not challenged?

Turns out it was a one off, team driving!
The naive amongst us would have been working out a budget on that figure!

But, Mick, I don't only put one side as far as I know. I stay honest with my postings and will continue to do so. If someone wants to know how things have been for me then I tell them. You all know how my circumstances have been over here, and they are an important illustration of how things are.
Not just with the firms, but with the general attitude of the place as compared to the UK. When my wife was taken in an ambulance to hospital a few weeks back, the firm I am with got me back in a hurry and let me get that all sorted without chasing me or being bent out of shape. When I had my accident in June, they were excellent, too.

I don't know much about H&R really, although I have spoken to several people on there over my time here and most seem satisfied with their lot. That said, I have seen several of their trucks sat waiting around all over North America. There were 2 bobtails in Fargo last week and they would have been pushed for getting anything decent before New Year I reckon.

I still am not entirely sure why you didn't try to find something else. Dave and I both did, because we were unhappy where we were. Remember that I did so while not having my PR. There are several of us in MB would have helped you out with places to stop while you got sorted and the such, had you moved out this way so I never quite saw why you went back. I also don't entirely understand why you are still so bitter against H&R, although all your points had merit. At BF, there was a constant friction with the planners and a couple of other managers and myself, so I took my leave. Others have had no such problems.

From a strictly personal point of view, I would probably never have taken a reefer job simply because of the fickle nature of the work. Mark loves it and doesn't mind waiting but I hate sitting around.