Hello all, went to Emigrate 2005 some time ago and they still say that truck driving is not classed as a skill, however I have seen on the net a migration company is looking into recruting truck drivers from the Uk so watch this space.
You may like to goto The next show is 07-09 October 2005, at Sandown Park Racecourse.
Book your tickets early and get there early as a mass of people will be there
Roly
Has anyone heard of companies recruiting UK drivers to Australia, I am trying to help my uncle and his family out here but not having much luck.
Thanks Ian
I have not heard of any companies recruiting for drivers in Australia. You would be best to find out what the criteria is for emmigrating by contacting the relevent authorities. The driving jobs are available but whether you can emmigrate with truck driving qualifications only I dont know.
You’re best to ask in the ex-pat’s forum mate. And look for boots, he’s an Aussie. Ask him. I’m not sure about Oz, but they do hire foreign workers for the harvest there, try: outbackinternational.com.au/index.php for details.
Thankyou, I’ll look there. Unfortunately truck driving isn’t required by the govt in OZ so they are having a hard time getting in, and they have already been fleeced of 1200 quid to find that out.
Cheers
Ian
Ausian, and for that matter anyone else who needs to know about Oz.
Try sending our very own ’ Boots ’ a PM, he is a TrucknetUK member and an Aussie driver that is pretty clued up. I believe he is currently in Melbourne.
We also have another Aussie on here, but the last we heard he was back over here in the States again and has’nt been on the site for a while. His TrucknetUK user name is Skippy, If I remember rightly, apart from driving in his native Oz, he has also driven in the UK as well as the USA, because of his international experience he may be aware of the Australian Governments requirements.
One more thing, you may get a better response if you posted this on my Ex-Pats forum.
Will reply to the PM’s this weekend and at the moment it looks like the old immigration story of Western Nations"Truck driving isn’t classed as a skilled proffesion etc etc" but there could be light at the end of the tunnel,driver shortage,whilst not as severe as USA, is getting worse.
Did you try the New Zealand email address for Linfox?
The best bet is to try small country/regional carriers and I will try and find a few sites.Also a few of the agencies might be able to help you out,will get some of the “reputable” sites as well.
The licence of a UK Trucker isn’t recognised here but to do the Australian semi test,according to most Aussie States,is very straight forward and you blokes have the added advantage of having right hand drive experience 
Thankyou very much,Linfox was the company that we heard were hiring, I’ll check to see who has been approached
The USA may have a severe shortage of truckers (despite some 30-40% of the vacancies being due to job churn) but they don’t want to import people to do it. Good luck with getting into the Antipodean lands. MY NZ colleagues always told me NZ was a wonderful place to live. If I’d not gotten into Canada, I’d have tried down there next.
Got a few email/sites that you blokes might like to try out.They are advertised in Australia but you never know your luck 
Main recruiting sites;
www.careerone.com.au
www.mycareer.com.au
Search under “Transport” etc
Another harvest site,good way to obtain your Australian semi licence plus you get the all important “Experience”-Yes I know the frustration of having your previous trucking experience counted as zero in another nation 
www.jobsearch.gov.au/harvestrail
A few major transport co’s;
recruit@scottsrf.com.au Scotts Refridgerated
bfl@bunker.com.au Bunker Freight Lines
shane_falkiner@linfox.com.au Linfox Melbourne
frank.spina@ksgroup.com.au K & S,one of the largest transport co.
personal_melb@toll.com.au Toll-The biggest trucking co in Australia
Websites;
www.nolanstransport.com.au Queensland based trucking co
www.roadmaster.com.au Sydney based fridge co
Agency that specialise in transport:
transport@australianpersonnel.com.au
Also a few Aussie trucking mags/newspapers-they might be able to point you in the right direction;
www.ownerdriver.com.au Owner Driver mag
www.truckinlife.com.au Truckin’ Life
bigrigs@qt.com.au Big Rigs paper
It could be easier pushing you-know-what uphill in regards to emigrate here(there has been no simple answer on immigration/visa laws between Australia/England and USA),but give it a go and if I find out any more info it will be posted on.
As for immigration department and or immigration agents,it is very complex and very costly,some people do succeed and others are taken for a ride.Hopefully there will be a trucking/transport company that can steer you in the right direction. Good Luck!!
A few employment agency sites that employ truck drivers;
www.horner.com.au
www.drakeintl.com
www.workforce.com.au
www.compassgroup.com.au
www.peakpersonnel.com.au
www.nu-stream.com.au
www.trojanworkforce.com.au
www.ipa.com.au
www.hoban.com.au
www.adecco.com.au
www.kellyservices.com.au
www.skilled.com.au
www.catalystrecruitment.com.au
These are mainly in Victoria,most have offices around Australia
hi
i’m an ex pat living in south australia. been here for about a year now and enjoying it. you’ve been given some good advice already. there is abit of a driver shortage here although nothing on the scale of europe. i work for one of the companies mentioned, that being toll. very impressed with them. if i can help with any further info let me know, but it’ll be a difficult one if there’s no other trade to back you up. as for getting a licence over here, i used my 16 years artic experience to allow me to get MC licence (up to B-double/double roadtrain-not triples) however, i had to stand my ground and was told that on one else would get the same dispensation. usually you have to build up from group to group with a years experience in between. the other problem as well is that when you do get the licence then there is a lack of checkable references (does this sound familiar?)
however, if you can get in and do get a job i’m sure you’ll find it worthwhile. cant see me heading back to europe in a hurry!!
good luck
paul.
Boots,
Fings certainly aint wot they used to be in Oz. I didn’t recognise a single name from the list you quoted from my time there 40 odd years ago. I spent a whole day walking the length of Burrows Rd., St. Peters in Sydney trying to get a start with the likes of Mayne Nicks, Altrans, Yellow Express, TNT (then still just Ken Thomas’s Aussie co.), Brambles, and many more. Not a sausage. Mainly because most owned loads of trailers pulled by ODs, not because I didn’t have a NSW artic licence. Therefore didn’t bother and headed north for Queensland where they weren’t so picky. By the way, I started my Oz career in Darwin and the NT authorities readily changed my UK licence without a second glance in order to pull 2 or 3 trailers, but in Sydney because my UK one said ‘heavy motor cars’ (this was before testing came in) and my NT one just said ‘lorries’ (yes, really) and neither mentioned the magic words ‘semi-trailer’, I needed a test.
Sorry all this is of no help Ian, but I am saddened at the way of the world these days, with it being easier than passing through the eye of a needle than get into Oz. This is just the way we in Britain used to treat Aussies to my great shame when Aussie mates tried to follow me back to England, despite the other way round being so easy.
My first visit to Oz was as a seafarer who jumped ship in Sydney and then, although they were obliged to expel me, the authorities actively encouraged me to ‘go bush’ for a few months, after when with a clean work record and no other ‘record’ I could slip quietly into society. Don’t suppose that would work these days, slipping into Darwin or Wyndham in the middle of the night and getting work a thousand miles from anywhere? No, I thought not. As I said, times have changed. 
Salut, David.
Thanx all, we are giving it a go 
Hi,
Have tryed goin down the work visa route?If ya get a job offer from a reputable company you can stay for up to 4yrs.Hopefully the governments around the world will get their fingers out by then and reconise that Truck Driving is a skilled trade.
This is an option I am trying.
Today in the Australian Press there looks as if another 20,000 places, on top of the annual intake of migrants, will be passed by Australian Parliment due to the "Skills shortage"Mechanics were mentioned highly but not Truck Drivers-full list not released yet and if trucking is will let you know.Transport Minister has a bit of nous,he was an ex-Driver,so fingers crossed!!!
Lately UK Transport companies have been advertising Down Under for drivers and last week Sideloader Mechanics/Operaters were also being sought for work in UK and Europe,with assistance etc in relocating,visa’s etc etc.
As well Canadian trucking firms are recruiting here as well and a USA transport company advertising for diesel mechanics in an Australian trucking magazine.
Getting a bit like Nurses in that there is a worldwide shortage and companies around the Western World headhunting nurses to work in their nation.As long as we arn’t classified as a “Proffesion” it will be hard to justify any government to include trucking in their skills catergory.
Might be worthwile making inquiries at Australia House,but don’t get your hopes up too high at this stage.
Boots
did i read that right boots? your transport minister is an ex driver? good god man! that nearly makes sense! in politics! 
australia is looking quite tempting
Hey, we used to have a senator that was a former driver here in the US, and he was on the transportation committee.