I am back driving in the UK just now for various personal reason’s,One of them is i am saving up so i can maybe return to do some more driving work in Canada and help them poor money grabing transport company’s,I have been driving here in the UK for 3 week’s now and not done one minute’s free charity work for the company,Should i be ashamed for being paid by the hour and no free work for them■■?.
It is a bit of a struggle at the moment as i have not done much UK work in my 39 year’s on the road,When i started driving artic’s at 22 year’s old them tautliner’s curtain trailer’s were a new invention it was all flat trailer’s and the odd box van etc,When a driver was folding up his sheet’s other driver’s would jump out glove’s on and give a hand also when reversing or changing a wheel etc,I find now that driver’s would not pee on you if you were on fire,How thing’s have changed to say the least,And this Digi Card thing my arse,That Elog is gonna be worse by the look of it specially with NO extra pay compensation to go with it mainly for OTR general transport work.
Bit of a blanket statement there, so with your vast experience are we to understand that you worked at every company in Canada?
I know two that you’ve missed out, because my previous job and my current carrier both pay waiting time, pay for pre trips and they pay for any other hold ups like breakdowns and road closures due to weather etc.
Maybe when you come back to Canada you should try to get a decent job, it may change your perspective…
You seem to be trying to rattle he cage of drivers both sides of the pond.
P,enty drivers over here will help you out, not as it used to be maybe but some good’uns still about.
newmercman:
Bit of a blanket statement there, so with your vast experience are we to understand that you worked at every company in Canada?
I know two that you’ve missed out, because my previous job and my current carrier both pay waiting time, pay for pre trips and they pay for any other hold ups like breakdowns and road closures due to weather etc.
Maybe when you come back to Canada you should try to get a decent job, it may change your perspective…
Well with my last company in Canada there was very little waiting time more than ample mile’s,I did get paid 2 layover’s though that’s all i had in 18 month’s,Also i was paid some waiting time when it ever occured.
I was treated with respect my planner and dispatcher’s were the salt of the earth and i told them so,They thanked me for saying that to them and seemed suprised that i said how nice it was to have worked with them.
But at the end of the day the respect in the pay check was not enough by any mean’s for what a driver has to do for it.
If you’ve left a LMIA vacant then I’d gladly take it up. No company is perfect, no job provides everything an employee wants. There’s good and bad in all of them. I’d be quite happy to tolerate some of the unfair practices for the opportunity to drive in Canada…
I can only speak from my own (no so vast) experience, but I’ve always earned enough to live comfortably over here. It was tight at times, but that was more to do with how much I spent, rather than how much I earned.
So are you staying put in Britain, or coming back here? It’s something we all think about doing at times. I did spend a couple of months back in Britain a few years ago and at first I loved it, I wasn’t unhappy with Canada, but seeing all my old mates and family really got to me. It didn’t last though and I couldn’t wait to get back in the end.
lmao , 39 years on the road and you can’t nail a decent paying job in Canada ? As your teacher probably told you , you must try harder . Enjoy the U.K.
Having left the UK some 15 years there is nothing that fills me with dread the though that I might have to go back to the UK to drive! but I suppose if needs must I would manage
out of curiosity what sort of earnings will you need to live a half decent life in Canada? i know some things are more costly and some cheaper but (and i know its a how long is a piece of string bit) what would be say an average 12 month or monthly cost of a 2/3 bed house in canada with bills etc vs what is earned?
what do you guys miss from the UK and what is better about Canada?
sorry for so many questions but its something i have looked and thought about but it seems there are 1 horror story for every 1 good one.
war1974:
out of curiosity what sort of earnings will you need to live a half decent life in Canada? i know some things are more costly and some cheaper but (and i know its a how long is a piece of string bit) what would be say an average 12 month or monthly cost of a 2/3 bed house in canada with bills etc vs what is earned?
what do you guys miss from the UK and what is better about Canada?
sorry for so many questions but its something i have looked and thought about but it seems there are 1 horror story for every 1 good one.
Different areas, different costs.
I’m 50km south of Calgary, 2/3 bedroom house for rent would be $1400 - $2000 in our town, gas/electric Nov - March $300 ish/ mth, Apr - Oct $80 ish/ mth.
Cable/Int/Tel $140/mth. House/Car ins $200/mth
It will be different costs for others out here.
war1974:
out of curiosity what sort of earnings will you need to live a half decent life in Canada? i know some things are more costly and some cheaper but (and i know its a how long is a piece of string bit) what would be say an average 12 month or monthly cost of a 2/3 bed house in canada with bills etc vs what is earned?
what do you guys miss from the UK and what is better about Canada?
sorry for so many questions but its something i have looked and thought about but it seems there are 1 horror story for every 1 good one.
The horror stories aren’t that common , and although recent changes of immigration criteria haven’t helped many , the disaster scenarios usually began before the flights left Britain , harsh but true .
It’s a great country ,vast and varied , with lots of opportunities to be had . What summed Canadians up for me was after the shooting of Nathan Cirrillo at the War Memorial last fall , the amount of people wearing red and white or Maple leaf insignia the following day was quite staggering , “True North Strong And Free”.
war1974:
out of curiosity what sort of earnings will you need to live a half decent life in Canada? i know some things are more costly and some cheaper but (and i know its a how long is a piece of string bit) what would be say an average 12 month or monthly cost of a 2/3 bed house in canada with bills etc vs what is earned?
what do you guys miss from the UK and what is better about Canada?
sorry for so many questions but its something i have looked and thought about but it seems there are 1 horror story for every 1 good one.
in my experience, 95% of horror stories are due to lack of research, rose tinted spectacles or attempting to live a rock and roll lifestyle instead of being realistic. ANYBODY moving to canada as a trucker and bringing his family needs to be prepared for approximately 2 years of sacrifice and frugality. The good times will come but not for a good while till the basics are taken care of -
Canada is not the land of milk and honey and is also not the golden goose but if you do it properly you can have an excellent lifestyle far superior to living in the UK doing the same job.
Unless you are very lucky and fall into a good job like I did, any company with an LMIA will be a crap job, it stands to reason that it won’t be the best job if they have to recruit from overseas.
So you have to do your time at that job until you get nominated for Permanent Residency. That differs from province to province, Manitoba where I did my immigration stuff requires 6 months on a Temporary Work Permit before you can apply for nomination, that is another six months at least and then you have two years for PR from start to finish, so you could be in that crap job for quite some time.
This is all a big downside.
The food is another downside, especially when you’re out on the road, unless you like plastic cheese
Other than that it’s alright, picking the right location is problematic as you have to go to the area you can get a job and that may or may not be your idea of paradise, but that is what it is.
Things I miss, family, friends, food and football.
newmercman:
Unless you are very lucky and fall into a good job like I did, any company with an LMIA will be a crap job, it stands to reason that it won’t be the best job if they have to recruit from overseas.
So you have to do your time at that job until you get nominated for Permanent Residency. That differs from province to province, Manitoba where I did my immigration stuff requires 6 months on a Temporary Work Permit before you can apply for nomination, that is another six months at least and then you have two years for PR from start to finish, so you could be in that crap job for quite some time.
This is all a big downside.
The food is another downside, especially when you’re out on the road, unless you like plastic cheese
Other than that it’s alright, picking the right location is problematic as you have to go to the area you can get a job and that may or may not be your idea of paradise, but that is what it is.
Things I miss, family, friends, food and football.
newmercman:
Unless you are very lucky and fall into a good job like I did, any company with an LMIA will be a crap job, it stands to reason that it won’t be the best job if they have to recruit from overseas.
So you have to do your time at that job until you get nominated for Permanent Residency. That differs from province to province, Manitoba where I did my immigration stuff requires 6 months on a Temporary Work Permit before you can apply for nomination, that is another six months at least and then you have two years for PR from start to finish, so you could be in that crap job for quite some time.
This is all a big downside.
The food is another downside, especially when you’re out on the road, unless you like plastic cheese
Other than that it’s alright, picking the right location is problematic as you have to go to the area you can get a job and that may or may not be your idea of paradise, but that is what it is.
Things I miss, family, friends, food and football.
. Enjoy the U.K. 
