I was chastised for not putting anything on another forum about driving over here.
Oh well, someone asked so here goes…
Driving a truck is driving a truck, wherever you are. The driving itself is straightforward. The trucks are longer, the trailers are longer and if you are in a KW then the driving compartment is narrow which causes a little right hand drift for a bit. Other than that, no big deal. The person who nagged me said he thought he would have to start all over, but that isn’t true. Anyone with a reasonable idea and ability can drive here. The distances are greater, and city traffic is still bedlam, but the distances between cities is much greater so you get a good amount of time to settle back down before getting snarled up again.
Most places here are on a grid pattern, so mistaken streets are generally no big deal. Go around the block and you are back where you started. Most city blocks are numeric and split into avenues going one way and streets going at 90 degrees to the avenues. The addresses will have the street or avenue in them, and the prefix of the number will have the opposing street or avenue number. Therefore, 9034 132nd Street will mean that the address is in the area of 90th avenue on 132nd street.
Rural routes are usually numbered, too, so are fairly easy.
Things that do take a bit of getting used to are things like the aforementioned distance. You can go several hours without seeing more than scattered villages. The speed limits are often strictly enforced and worth noting. There aren’t many speed cameras, but the RCMP are often around. The first time I went to Ontario, I thought it really nice to see forests again. After 700 miles with sod all but forest it was nice to see open space.
Canadian roads can be rough. They take a hell of a beating all year round, but in the winter they can be really bad when the water underneath the surface freezes and pushes the surface up in ridges. Last winter, the highway from the US border up to Winnipeg was so bad that it was better to drive on the shoulder half the time and keep your speed down to 40kms. Any faster and you would shake your fillings out. The TransCanada 1 was little better approaching Winnipeg from the East, and the Police were not interested in stopping trucks doing 80 ks in the outside lane because it was much better than the inside.
In spring, the ice melts and leaves you with mud. They put weight restrictions on many roads then, and you must adhere to them. Many of these mean that you can’t even use the road when empty because your front axle is above the load % allowed. This adds an additional worry, but your dispatcher should be on the ball and will route you accordingly.
Weights are a huge issue here. Overloading is frowned upon big style. It gets interesting when you load to or from the US, as they run lighter weights than Canada. It’s just a case of getting used to it. A little experience goes a long way, and a little thought and care can save lots of hassle. I loaded oil drilling pipe from Texas and got it wrong. I was 1600lbs over on the trailer tandem, but with the sliding bogie I was able to get the weight evenly spread by putting the axles right to the back of the trailer. Then I had to slide them back to a 41’ span when I entered Canada, but because the weights are higher here I was legal again. The fine was $114 and that was the end of it.
Everywhere you go in North America, you will find scales. If the lights are flashing then you have to weigh. They sometimes decide to do an inspection which can be interesting, too. Then again, they are nowhere near as narrow minded, petty and ridiculous as the UK version.
The biggest deal to me is wildlife. Moose are the obvious one, as they have been mentioned before. Meeting one in the dead of night when the first thing you see is him stepping out 50’ ahead is damned scary and the damage they can do is unbelievable.
But there are others. I’ve heard tell that a black bear can put a truck on its side because they are pretty low to the ground. They will wipe out bumpers, radiators, sumps and various air components regardless of whether or not you stay upright. Deer will make an awful mess, too. They seem to be rather chunkier than the Red Deer in the UK, and will take a corner out of your truck without difficulty.
Smaller animals are everywhere. Lots of Racoons, Coyotes and foxes. The worst of these are skunks. I squished one a couple of nights back, and I was almost puking when I tried filling up with diesel an hour or so later. I stuck 200 litres in and drove through the rain for a while and I could still smell the ■■■■■■ thing later on.
Driving here is totally different, yet very similar. When you do orientation/induction here, they will scare you half to death with rules and potential problems, but a reasonable mind and a lot of care will see you right.
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Thats the basics.