How hard is it?

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS EX-PAT BRITISH TRUCKERS (INTERACTIVE)
41

Obviously in my last post at 4:03pm in the first line I should have typed “…will get me nowhere…” instead of “…will get me anywhere…” but I’m sure you’ve figured it our yourselves.

@Big Jon’s Dad

For some reason I thought you were living in Canada, not the UK, that’s why I was wondering why you be saying this: “I find the grass is really is greener in the UK for me”, so I thought you were planning to move to the UK, but your sons were happy driving trucks in Canada, so I was wondering why your sons are happy in Canada and you are not. :smiley:
Now it all makes sense.
It would be wise to investigate pensions issues, before I make the move.
If you or anyone else would have anything else to add to make me aware of things I need to be aware but haven’t thought of, please feel free to let me know. I wouldn’t want to miss anything.

Thank you all once again for all your comments.

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My sons were all born in the UK and as they were growing up they overheard my wife and I talking about moving to Canada if things became too bad or unbearable in the UK. I guess I painted a verbal picture of Canada as a utopia and a refuge from trouble. Canada was my escape route if I needed a bolthole.

When they had the chance to move to Canada they jumped at it. It has worked out well for them. They are enjoying life and work in Canada.

I can’t afford to go and start over again in Canada at my age (58) as I have too much of a good thing going in the UK to give up.

Incidently my UK class one C+E licence expires next month as my medical is due. It has been kept up as a spare string for my bow. With the DCPC and the medical being needed I’ve decided to let my licence lapse again as I’ve never used it for work. I let it lapse for 3 years when my medical was due previously but had it reinstated by taking my medical and renewing it. I did pass my test at 21 though so in theory I have 37 years experience as an HGV driver. In actual fact I have 0 years experience as I’ve not used it. Makes the 2 year experience requirement for many jobs seem a bit silly.

43

Well, made contact with H & R transport.

Very nice email back, complete with a good guide on how their process works. Apparently they will be over here early next year recruiting.

Quite impressed that they pay for the flight out! Or is that standard practice?

Any other firms that offer LMO and as much assistance?

44

DonutUK:
Well, made contact with H & R transport.

Very nice email back, complete with a good guide on how their process works. Apparently they will be over here early next year recruiting.

Quite impressed that they pay for the flight out! Or is that standard practice?

Any other firms that offer LMO and as much assistance?

Any company bringing a driver over on an LMO has to pay the return airfair by law so that is standard practice. Most companies wont have quite the set up that H&R have with making it a seemless process and all that. H&R are a large company with a large driver turnover so they are professionals at the process which will make things easier for you on that end of things, but the reason they have a large turnover and need a professional outfit to bring drivers in may be the proverbial double edged sword. In my experience, its the small companies with 20 or 30 trucks who havent got a clue about LMO’s, PNP and PR who are the best to work for. Its more leg work on the part of the immigrant driver to make things happen but if they dont have to ship in foreigners to fill their trucks, they cant be all that bad.

45

robinhood_1984:

DonutUK:
Well, made contact with H & R transport.

Very nice email back, complete with a good guide on how their process works. Apparently they will be over here early next year recruiting.

Quite impressed that they pay for the flight out! Or is that standard practice?

Any other firms that offer LMO and as much assistance?

Any company bringing a driver over on an LMO has to pay the return airfair by law so that is standard practice. Most companies wont have quite the set up that H&R have with making it a seemless process and all that. H&R are a large company with a large driver turnover so they are professionals at the process which will make things easier for you on that end of things, but the reason they have a large turnover and need a professional outfit to bring drivers in may be the proverbial double edged sword. In my experience, its the small companies with 20 or 30 trucks who havent got a clue about LMO’s, PNP and PR who are the best to work for. Its more leg work on the part of the immigrant driver to make things happen but if they dont have to ship in foreigners to fill their trucks, they cant be all that bad.

I had thought about that, and have heard mixed things about H & R.

However, how does an immigrant driver convince a small company with little or no knowledge of LMO’s etc to take the risk on employing them?
Especially when i don’t have a nice easy work record for them to go from…although i have 14 yrs experience of driving HGV’s (20 yrs of PSV’s) none of it has been in massively large chunks…a lot has been agency work, especially when i first started and when i was working in another industry for a number of years (did 2 or 3 days a month to keep my hand in).

I’ve done European, containers, fridges, flats, steel, even Heavy Recovery work, so have a fair all round knowledge.

46

DonutUK:

robinhood_1984:

DonutUK:
Well, made contact with H & R transport.

Very nice email back, complete with a good guide on how their process works. Apparently they will be over here early next year recruiting.

Quite impressed that they pay for the flight out! Or is that standard practice?

Any other firms that offer LMO and as much assistance?

Any company bringing a driver over on an LMO has to pay the return airfair by law so that is standard practice. Most companies wont have quite the set up that H&R have with making it a seemless process and all that. H&R are a large company with a large driver turnover so they are professionals at the process which will make things easier for you on that end of things, but the reason they have a large turnover and need a professional outfit to bring drivers in may be the proverbial double edged sword. In my experience, its the small companies with 20 or 30 trucks who havent got a clue about LMO’s, PNP and PR who are the best to work for. Its more leg work on the part of the immigrant driver to make things happen but if they dont have to ship in foreigners to fill their trucks, they cant be all that bad.

I had thought about that, and have heard mixed things about H & R.

However, how does an immigrant driver convince a small company with little or no knowledge of LMO’s etc to take the risk on employing them?
Especially when i don’t have a nice easy work record for them to go from…although i have 14 yrs experience of driving HGV’s (20 yrs of PSV’s) none of it has been in massively large chunks…a lot has been agency work, especially when i first started and when i was working in another industry for a number of years (did 2 or 3 days a month to keep my hand in).

I’ve done European, containers, fridges, flats, steel, even Heavy Recovery work, so have a fair all round knowledge.

i’ve been looking at all these posts with interest of late.
i plan to save over the next 2 years, by the end of which i’ll have a reasonable amount. plus i want to see what happens re canada/usa if the elogs are introduced?
i’m then looking at 3 options.
1, stay on the tour thing, if the work is there, and it remains worth doing.
2, start up on my own, (lots of ways i could go about this.)
3, try the canada thing.

if it were option 3, h+r would seem a logical, easy route in for a noob i guess, but i’m not really into the whole big firm mentality, tried it, and it doesn’t suit, i’ve always worked better in smaller family run type haulage firms.
i guess i’d type up a load of c.v’s, make my self look presentable, (which is quite easy :grimacing: ) and then book a 3 week holiday in canada. pick out 2 or 3 possible locations to visit/stay over the 3 weeks, (having looked online first for transport firms in said areas) and then go and knock on a few doors and see where it may hopefully lead?
may get a break, worst ways, its a trip to canada :grimacing:

47

chilistrucker:
if it were option 3, h+r would seem a logical, easy route in for a noob i guess, but i’m not really into the whole big firm mentality, tried it, and it doesn’t suit, i’ve always worked better in smaller family run type haulage firms.
i guess i’d type up a load of c.v’s, make my self look presentable, (which is quite easy :grimacing: ) and then book a 3 week holiday in canada. pick out 2 or 3 possible locations to visit/stay over the 3 weeks, (having looked online first for transport firms in said areas) and then go and knock on a few doors and see where it may hopefully lead?
may get a break, worst ways, its a trip to canada :grimacing:

My way was:
1 ) set-up a FREE Skype account. (I used my wife’s account, but its easy to setup)

2 ) Make yourself a Canadian Truckers CV (Google Canadian Truckers CV) scan driving licence and truck related certificates.

3 ) Pay £45 for a ACRO criminal record history (You need this, and its only really ‘Valid’ for 6 months)

4 ) Google ‘Trucker Jobs Canada’ or ‘Truck driving jobs Canada’ check out what you can online, mileage rate, wages, bonuses etc…

5 ) Write a standard covering letter asking about a job for a Brit and if they have LMO and attach your C.V and send it by email.

6 ) The ones who reply will ask you for more info and to complete their Driver Application Form, tell you that they don’t do LMO or they have applied for LMO and ask you to fill in the Application Form (Just fill it is as best you can!)

7 ) They will contact you, with many arranging to do a Video interview on Skype… (I did mine at McDonalds using their free WiFi! because my WiFi is too slow… NEVER arrange it UK time 3.30pm to 4.30pm otherwise you get the screaming kids birthday parties in the background!)

8 ) Sound enthusiastic in your interview! (The interviews I had were very laid back, humorous and friendly :smiley:) and ask them questions also!

9 ) Wait for a Job offer! :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

10 )

robinhood_1984:
Any company bringing a driver over on an LMO has to pay the return airfair by law so that is standard practice

It cost me £45 for the ACRO police check, a few hours browsing the net for jobs, reading Trucknet (for top tips! :grimacing: ) and a few hours of my time typing and photographing stuff. :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: and most of this has been done on my new smartphone when i’ve been on POA or on a Break over the past few weeks… (so you don’t even need a computer!)

48

contractdriver.

cheers :wink:
are you sorted now then, when you off.