I am on a mission next to alberta next month I am looking at going to Calgary and Edmonton to look for companies willing to help with a lmo, does anyone know of any companies I could approach, I am in talks with westcan at the moment and said I would call in to see them. would anyone recommend emailing the companies first or tip up on the doorstep?
Turn up on the doorstep, the companies that had LMO’s before but I’m not recommending any of them are,
H&R
TransX
Bison
Westcan
Watt & Stewart
B & D Walter
Google Kijiji, click on Alberta, Calgary, then job section, then Driver/Security, then put truck driver in search, there’s pages of jobs on there, some with LMO’s.
Google Jobbank.ca, you can search on there.
I would email as many recruitment departments as possible, find out who has LMOs and then concentrate on those when you come over. A bit of communication beforehand won’t hurt and if you let them know that you’re coming over, they may arrange for you to swing by.
As is usually the case, the firms will LMOs are either big places where you are just a number, or jobs at the lower end of the scale, there are some decent firms with them too, but don’t think that the first firm that hires you will be a job for life, they seldom are.
Thanks for the heads up, i know i will be used but so are they so that is fine with me its all about a better life for the kids could you recommend nice places for families to look at while i am over, the wife isn’t keen on city life, how is lethbrigde has anyone been or live there
i visited a while back and really liked the feel of red deer which is a way north of calgary but i think more limited in employment opportunities
if you look at calgary as a clock face then within minimal driving distance you have airdrie at 12, cochrane at 10 (my favourite place that i saw), okotoks at 6, nice little town with all you’d need and strathmore and chestermere at 3.
i wasnt keen on lethbridge but thats just my opinion, i like new and modern… it wasnt a dump by any stretch of the imagination and im sure i could settle there but given the choice it wouldnt be top of my list
i suppose it depends how much you have to spend rent/mortgage…
if you like small town then clairsholm and similar places might fit the bill
Terryx6:
Thanks for the heads up, i know i will be used but so are they so that is fine with me its all about a better life for the kids could you recommend nice places for families to look at while i am over, the wife isn’t keen on city life, how is lethbrigde has anyone been or live there
Depends where your job is, but that will probably change in a couple of years. Out of where Dereko has listed around Calgary and I am biased because I only live 15mins drive away but Okotoks would be my choice 100%, a town of 30,000 but growing and has all the shopping you need, & cinema, bowling alley, swimming pools, baseball, hockey stadium, rodeo. Also only 15 min drive to Calgary shopping mall & 30 min to downtown Calgary, 40 mins to Airport.
The housing is a lot cheaper than Cochrane, Chestermere, Airdre etc. and by far the majority of transport companies are in SE Calgary, about a 20 min drive.
To the S/SW/you also have smaller towns like High River, where I live, and perhaps not a good idea after the floods last year, Turner Valley, Black Diamond, Nanton all easily within commute to Calgary or Okotoks for shopping.
Personally, I wouldn’t live in Lethbridge or Red Deer unless I knew I was going to stay there for work, for good.
They are both long, bad commutes in the winter.
Claresholm, I think is a real crappy place to live, I stayed there for 2 weeks last year and there is nothing to do or see, for kids or adults.
thanks a lot for your tips so far they are greatly appreciated, with regards to references what are Canadian employers looking for, I have asked for a reference at work and a prior employer and they asked me what I would like or in particular what Canadian employers like to see in a reference. any advice please
I think references are pretty much the same the world over, hardworking, loyal, honest, (one I really f-----g hate) A good team player, all the usual BS that shows them you’re the best employee and driver on the planet.
Keep your CV short and to the point.
Sent you a PM Newcamerman. Cheers.
If you mean me, I ain’t got any PM yet…
I can’t see much wrong with B&D Walters or Watts & Stewarts. Gotta find the diamond in the rough.
Know a couple drivers with Stewarts and they seem pretty happy there.
I have been offered a job with h and r, but I have read way too much bad press about them, they will be a last resort I am thinking. John Stewart has asked to see me next week, he has a position available when I go over for a look round, I am also seeing westcan who are awaiting there limos all good so far.
I mentioned H&R’s reputation on a Facebook page for Brits in Canada and it went a bit wonky, as with a lot of ‘news’ the bad stuff gets more publicity than the good.
More people that had worked there had done OK there by the time everyone had their say and those that didn’t do so well were often part of the reason that they didn’t do so well.
There’s a way to do OK at H&R and there’s a way to ■■■■ it up, speak to the ones that lasted a few years and find out how to make it work and it might turn out to be a lot better than you hear on the forums as 99% of the posters have had a bad time there.
Which is not a coincidence, the ones I know that made it work didn’t post everything they did over the internet, as soon as they (H&R) see your every move on Facebook or wherever, you’ve put a rope around your neck 
I think to make it work at H&R from what I saw there was just to keep quiet put up with the BS of working in a big company and don’t speak your mind to much lol. I had a good few months there but not my cup of tea. It comes down to what sort of life style you want
True, but you got to think long term about what kind of life you want, if you want it to be in Canada then your choices are limited.
You’ve either got to be minted, a clever clogs or do your time at a job you don’t really like (unless you get lucky) so there’s not many options open to most lorry drivers, bit of a rarity to find a rich one, not many with letters after their name (except ones beginning with C or W) so find out how the ones that made it work made it work and stick rigidly to their strategy.
When you get PR, then you can move forward to something that suits your life better…
Which provinces would be best to get pr for me and the family, I am going to be coming out on my own for at least a year would I be better going with the likes of h and r in Winnipeg, I have a job offer off them and they were asking where I would like to go, or Moose Jaw with westcan if given the opportunity next week. If pr is a pain in the ■■■ in alberta then I might be better suited going to a different province, the wife doesn’t want to live in Manitoba but was wondering if it would be easier for me to do it on my own there then us all move when the rest of the family come out next year 
In hindsight, when looking at which province to choose, I would look up the different pnp requirement for all the provinces (do you have all the stuff to qualify?). These often change so keep checking back often. A lot of the stuff you need is way easier to get whilst you are still in the UK.
As an example: Manitoba PNP want a High school certificate, But they don’t tell you until you are way into the application that they want course transcripts too! Try sourcing this from across the pond!! So when looking at the pnp stuff make sure you go way in and not just skim the surface.
For MB you only need to be with your Employer for six months and have a permanent job offer to qualify… But it could still be years before you actually get your PR. If you change employer in that time I believe you would need to start the process again. So choose somewhere you could actually last that long. A couple of years with a bad company would feel like a life sentence, and could break you.
CIC only allow a TFW to be here for a MAXIMUM OF FOUR YEARS before you have to leave! You can’t return for another four years after that, unless you manage to get yourself into the PNP/PR system, then they may give you an extension. Worth keeping in mind! I know of drivers who have changed companies a few times and not applied and now they are out of time. On a plane and see ya later!
Thanks for the advice Angela, I have the drive and determination to make it all work, h and r were interested in me doing recovery for them having done that for over eight years here, so it sounded like I wouldn’t be on the road all the time. Whether this is true of not I will have to wait and see I guess, I will see what watt and Stewart have to say first, I was looking more towards with westcan as I am currently hauling petroleum but I don’t know if companies would be willing to take on foreign workers in this role or not. Thanks for all the info the guys have posted on here it has been a great help to me and my family, if I go with h and r I should be out there end of June onwards, it’s good to know there is so many off you out there willing to help others and shall endeavour to do the same for others. Thanks
If you’re experienced in hauling fuel stick with it , far better money on the tanks than vans . Will be a different work pattern though , no long haul trips for weeks at a time . Westcan will have you on Super B’s without doubt .
From what I could gather I didn’t think companies would be interested in taking on foreigners doing tank work, I had contacted a couple of recruitment companies who said I needed to be in canada first, I know westcan do super bs and was kind of hoping that they would take me on with the experience that I have and knowing that I wouldn’t be away foe weeks at a time would be a bonus, but like I said I have family and they come first, whatever if takes the kids are so excited with the prospect of leaving burnley forever and who am I to hold them back!