Hi Guys,do any of you still live in Spain and do agency work in UK ?We have a fully paid for house in Spain and have lived there before so know how things are over there.My hubby has been driving class 1 in UK for 5 years now so is considering living in Spain and making 4 6 week long trips back to UK to work.We have no rent or mortgage to pay in Spain and no kids to feed so we can live off a lot less than we need in the uk.Any helpful info would be greatly appreciated.
If anyone wants harvest tipper work in the UK (end of July to mid Sept.) in the south, we are always looking for names. Rather good money over a short period! We don’t care where you live!
hi all me and my partner are thinking off moving out to spain with our two young daughters and was wondering if their is anything special that is needed to be done i.e driving liciences or having to apply to move over their? i’m looking for class 1 work and will just keep appling to different companies. I would prefer to go to canada or australia but it’s too far for her might just keep naging at her to open her mind to the better way off life ( anything is better than living here and putting up with crash gordon running the country. 
) But spain would be a nice change, any info on this would be very much appreciated as most off the searches just fetch up the stupid companies that promise the earth.
Hi Steve. We were originally considering Spain as a destination to emigrate to and i think it maybe could be good. I got the oportunity of a job collecting repossesed cars and transporting them to the UK. I have a mate who lives on the costa del sol near Gibraltar but he struggled to get a job trucking. He works building decking and general painting/decorating at a mobile home site but he loves the life their.
The thing that put off was mainly the language barrier. Even though my wife has a small amount of Spanish ability we felt it would really be necessary to be fluent or at least at basic conversation level to be competitive in the jobs market. Also, i wanted to escape from the EU. I still think Spain would be abetter place to live than the UK.
Steve, I wish you the best of luck mate and will watch this post with interest. I have close relatives in Spain and Canada and would love to give either a try, but my other half is not for it. At least not for now anyway. 
You are more likely to get a driving job in Canada, I’d say.
To Steve 07.
Have you contacted Silver Wolf,they have depots in Spain.They use UK drivers that live or will re-locate to Spain.
Also give Steve Walker,who owns Insight transport,based in Midlands,UK,but runs to Gibraltar,and Spain.Possible change overs in Spain.
Not sure of telephone numbers.Try website or directory enquiries.
After 30 days,you need to register for tax as a resident,to get a permit to stay,If you are out the UK for 180 days a year,you would be exempt from UK tax.Its a good idea to get the passport stamped,although by EU law,its not required,it helps you show the UK tax man,the dates and times you left the UK,and came back again.Most folks buy a cheap banger in Spain,cheaper than registering your car in Spain.Ideally a camper van to tour the area,and enquire to local haulage companies.Saves a lot on hostels and hotels.Try a warehouse or van driving job,that way keep an ear open for visiting drivers that are leaving or know of a vacancy.If you get down there,visit Calahonda,it`s East of Motril,between Almeria.Not the Calahonda in Malaga.Quaint fishing village,few tourists in the summer.Loud cannon goes of at noon,daily,to signal the sardines are cooked.Tradition from the fishermen.Great beach too.
hi all thank you for replies and to tim thank you for some company names i applied to one spanish haulier based in murcia campino palmera i think the name was we want to go just no immediete rush so will wait untill everything is sorted. Will keep it updated i just want out now but have to give leway to the family not like me up and go.
Yup like the Spanish are waiting for the Brits to arrive !!!
well no they are not there is at the moment a vast surplus of drivers all drivers all over Spain.
just for example I get at least 20-25 CV´s and phone calls a week asking for work.
Take your time with your plans until this crisis starts to ease, use the time to start learning the language you will need it from day one.
beginning in Spain is not that difficult as far as beaurocracy is concerned but it is time consuming.
If you want to buy somewhere to live well now is defin itely the time to do it as prices have dropped like a stones but looking at the way the economy is going here do not expect to find a job very fast.
Tip to the unwise
stay away from Silver Wolf
thank you for the advice pal. I’m not looking at buying because my present financial status is out the window so i would sell up and try to clear it all, we just want a fresh start to look forward to and some where where the kids would have a better future. I have always wanted to move out the uk but my partner is a home bird but has come round to the idea off spain.
I was wondering if there is much change with liciences and do you have to do any sort off applying to live there or do you just need to apply for residency? At the moment i’m just trying my luck by emailing some companies asking if there’s any work, like i always say you don’t get if you don’t ask. 
Do apologise for the quetion’s but is their anything else we should be aware off that could result in us dropping ourselves init basically? Thank you in advance for any help you can give.
steve07:
thank you for the advice pal. I’m not looking at buying because my present financial status is out the window so i would sell up and try to clear it all, we just want a fresh start to look forward to and some where where the kids would have a better future. I have always wanted to move out the uk but my partner is a home bird but has come round to the idea off spain.
I was wondering if there is much change with liciences and do you have to do any sort off applying to live there or do you just need to apply for residency? At the moment i’m just trying my luck by emailing some companies asking if there’s any work, like i always say you don’t get if you don’t ask.
Do apologise for the quetion’s but is their anything else we should be aware off that could result in us dropping ourselves init basically? Thank you in advance for any help you can give.
some basic tips 4u steve,
DO NOT try silverwolf as pay is terrible and tachos are a bit ■■ say no more!!
easy to change licence any good gestoria will do it at traffico office for less than 50 euros
residency law officially ended but still better to have it just some forms in police station but good gestoria can do that too!!
language is a help as most transport firms prefer texts and conversations in spanish and you will be more respected for trying to learn the basics
as earlier post suggested buying cheap banger I’m afraid no such thing in spain, second hand cars very expensive compared to uk
campillo palmera good company with quite a few english drivers loads of fridge companies near almeria or murcia but you will have to compete with bulgarians and romanians for work and i don’t think you want to work for pennies!!
any questions pm me willing to help any members on spanish questions as i’m sure is hombre or vascoingles
As Welshboy says changing licences over is really quite simple you can get a gestoria to do it for you for a few euros but you even can save that if you find an English speaking neighbour who will go to the local traffic office with you, takes about an hour on a good day here in Bilbao, any other questions drop me a pm
thank you welshboy and vascoingles the info is very useful. Not heard anything from campillo as yet just wondering if there is any other half decent companies around the murcia area that you could think off?
Paconsa was the other side of the road, but I seem to remember they weren’t doing to well IIRC. So they may not be there anymore. I would have thought your chances with Campillo were slim as there’s loads of drivers looking for drivers jobs down there. Also not far from there is Gomez, but, I think you need to know someone to get on there.
cheers dafmad will have a look around for some numbers.
DAFMAD:
Paconsa was the other side of the road, but I seem to remember they weren’t doing to well IIRC. So they may not be there anymore. I would have thought your chances with Campillo were slim as there’s loads of drivers looking for drivers jobs down there. Also not far from there is Gomez, but, I think you need to know someone to get on there.
Paconsa ■■? you must be joking might just as well throw your licence in the bin, that is if they are still around I ahve not seen one in ages.
Decent companies around Murcia ■■? few and far between and they will be small family runs with only a couple of motors, best to start anywhere you can and then keep your ears open.
Would there be any Portuguese companies that have depots in Spain.They hire foreign drivers.
Jesus Martinez Ruis ltd,Or Patinter lda,head office in Viseu,near Mangualde in Portugal.Brites transportes lda,And Transpascual lda.Goolge for contact info.
Jesus Martinez Ruis is Spanish based in Logrono also has depot in Slowakia you can work out yourself where the drivers come from.
Patinter has half his fleet standing still with no work, most of his was running around Ford
Brites I have not seen one go past my window for the past weeks which is a bit unusual.
hi steve,
i,ve been living in spain for 2 and a half years in total and to be honest it aint easy getting a job driving over here/there!, i say here/there because what i do at the moment is commute,i work in uk and then go home,not the ideal situation but you will only really have a chance to get on a spanish firm around sept to feb at fruit season time,another thing to consider is the fact that when your rolling your earning,you sit for 3 days waiting for a backl oad you may not get paid,depending on who you work for of course,then can you get on with being away 5/6 weeks at a time?ok commuting aint ideal mate but if i work in the uk for two or three weeks then go home i know what time and when i,m going to get home .cos that plane aint gonna wait for me,you drive for the spanish and get to madrid and they turn you round back to uk or germany and youve been away 3 weeks already what you going to feel like?.
of course if you can speak fluent spanish you may get a job driving a tipper or local work somewhere,but the majority of work is fridges as you probably know already.
dont think i,m putting you off cos it is great for familes here,the education system is very good and healthcare is better than in the uk, get yourself private health insurance though because until you get a job you wont be covered on the social healthcare scheme. at the end of the day its up too you to move or not,personally i,m happy doing what i,m doing at the moment but its not for everybody and its not all rosey,but when you wake up in the morning at home and the suns shining and the sky is blue it makes it all worthwhile.
if you have sold up and you can afford too,rent a place for a year here before you buy,with prices as they are nothings selling here anyway.then if your family dont like it in spain you can plan for it,a 2 or 3 bedroom villa is normally about 400euros amonth,wifes not liking it is normal,they miss mum and shops!!
there you are a truthful look at life in spain.
good luck for the future ian
steve, by the way campillo palmera dont have anything at the moment as i went in last week and asked ,neither do transportes armedi(same area in molina de segura) ofrisa and trans detaniea in totana nothing either. so dont bother with them at the moment
ian