Welcome to canada

[bobthedog]

This is my final say on this. I simply don’t care what you think. I stand by what I have posted here and elsewhere. My point has never changed which is something none of the detractors can claim. Robk goes wherever he thinks he can be most toxic. BT simply trys to antagonise. Gumbo, well I don’t know what happened to get you so very worked up and I really don’t care. I don’t want to know. Sufficed to say that you are clearly seeing things from a different viewpoint to that of a month or so back, when you pm’d me telling me not to let BT get under my skin. Of course, now you consider me a liar. I am intrigued to think how you might think that but, again, don’t care.

So, regarding the little quote from my website. The entire site was created initially to prove a point. The quote you posted was written about a year and a half ago, and I still stand by it in reality. I have had a clash with one particular individual who has the ear of another. The clash actually started when one of the members of this forum contacted me asking about BFS, then came to visit and stayed. He caused the rift by coming to say hello to me, then electing to come to my home for dinner instead of the other persons, simply because we had been communicating for a while and sort of knew one another. He is still at BFS, too.

Why did I say how good they were to me? Because they kept every promise they ever made to me. They went way beyond that when AJ was so ill. I owe them loyalty for that, but nothing more than loyalty.

When the ■■■■■■ blew in my car, I called Eric for help and he came and pushed my car into a safe place then loaned me his own vehicle to see me through. The company helped me to arrange my house and mortgage. When it got really cold and my car wouldn’t start, a manager drove down to pick me up.

All sorts of things which mean that, despite having clashed a couple of times with some, means that I am prepared to give the company the benefit of the doubt and to continue working hard.

You could not possibly have known this but you simply throw your mud and hope it sticks to justify your own change of heart.

Well it doesn’t stick. Why not ask Dave, Carl or Mark? Why not ask them if there is any hidden agenda. In truth, there are maytbe 4 drivers there who came because of what I said. They are all still there as far as I know. I have never received any form of payment. The only bonus I have ever got is the annual gift token for service time. A total of $50 now. The only payment I have ever received from any driver is the $250 rent I get from the driver lodging with us. Not exactly robbing anyone really, am I?

And Gumbo, I would have happily allowed you to stay in my house for free when you came to look around. I believe I told you that. If you are so shallow as this, I am damned glad you changed your mind.

As for the others, I expect nothing else.

David, how long do we have to put up with this nonsense this time?

[big_truck]

Casey:

Big Truck:

Casey:

Big Truck:
Have a “laugh” at this:

“Remember if you are not yet Resident and plan to sell a property before you are, you have to pay Canada Revenue 33% Capital Gains.”

The above is taken from a recent post made by a realtor at Brit ex-pats,
does it mean that if you don’t get PR for 24 months but get homesick and return to the UK at say 22 months you will have to pay 33% CGT on any increase in your Canadian house equity in that time
No wonder people opting to return home before getting PR end up destitute

You should have checked with your OH ( who allegedly works for a realtor in your hometown) before you embarrassed your self with this post. Surely you understand how Capital Gains works.!!

Just to put you right AGAIN,
we don’t have to pay CGT on our main residence here in the UK when we sell

Canadian residents don`t pay CGT on their residences either

So you really don`t know anything about Capital Gains, is this your point .?

For those who can’t quite grasp basic facts:
Say for instance a person went to Saskatoon to drive OTR for some trucking company via a PNP scheme and stayed roughly 22 months and still had not gained PR and then got homesick and came back to the UK.
At the same time they had made $100’000 equity (S’toon house prices are booming are they not ) in their house that they had bought when they got there,they would have to pay the Canadian revenue people $33’000 in CGT before going home,at least thats the way I read it

[bobthedog]

Funny how that’s the first mention on the subject you made about equity. The original mention made veiled hints that the 33% was on the net sale value, not the profit made.

Yet another good reason for you to stay there, then. After all, your intent to think about possibly considering a look at thinking about possibly moving to Canada in 2012 or whenever means that you may lose a little bit of your profit should you think about it, actually do it and find out that you really don’t like it here. After all, it would be a shame to sell your house in Canada to another unsuspecting brit only to find that the Canadian government may not like the idea of profiteering.

If you really can’t see how ridiculous all of this is then I truly do feel sorry for you.

It may not have occurred to you, but most people who move here don’t go on the expats sites because the vast majority of those on there came out here without enough thought, decided they wanted to go back and lost out because they have had to sell all the stuff they bought new as second hand. Some of those arrived here treating it like a holiday and wasted loads of money on 55" tellys and huge 4*4 cars, or paid more than they should for a house they really shouldn’t have bought.

I have seen this on a few occasions. Some people have arrived with $200k+ in their accounts, only to find that it is soon gone once they have bought their stuff without giving consideration to the future. $200k would have bought everything I have here, paid for the container, the cars, lawnmower and my wifes sewing stuff/ my rifles, and still have left about $20k in the bank.

If you come here with a sense of care then there is no reason for you to ever feel that you cannot cope.

Another thing. Many who go back do so within the first 9 months. Homesickness starts around the 4th month and sticks around for a year or so. Your memory gets kind about the good things and you begin to forget the bad. If you come here intending to give it at least a year and a half then you really start to feel the difference and things don’t weigh on you.

[spardo]

Well said Bob, but

bobthedog:
David, how long do we have to put up with this nonsense this time?

as long as everyone stays within the rules (see my highlight in red above).

Being provocative or simply in disagreement is, of course, allowed though.

[rickcav]

PaulB,
I can assure you I’ve no axe to grind at all maybe I’m just “twisted” (or “thraan” like we would say in NI) and just like a good debate
[/quote]

so what exactly does “THRAAN” mean being from NI myself i have never heard of it!!! or is that a county down saying?? cheers

[big_truck]

Rickcav:
PaulB,
I can assure you I’ve no axe to grind at all maybe I’m just “twisted” (or “thraan” like we would say in NI) and just like a good debate

so what exactly does “THRAAN” mean being from NI myself i have never heard of it!!! or is that a county down saying?? cheers
[/quote]

Drive out into the country and stop the first farmer you see and ask him has he ever heard the word “thraan” and what does it mean

[rickcav]

Big Truck:

Rickcav:
PaulB,
I can assure you I’ve no axe to grind at all maybe I’m just “twisted” (or “thraan” like we would say in NI) and just like a good debate

so what exactly does “THRAAN” mean being from NI myself i have never heard of it!!! or is that a county down saying?? cheers

Drive out into the country and stop the first farmer you see and ask him has he ever heard the word “thraan” and what does it mean
[/quote]

ahhhhh!! so its “culchie” speak then

[big_truck]

Rickcav:

Big Truck:

Rickcav:
PaulB,
I can assure you I’ve no axe to grind at all maybe I’m just “twisted” (or “thraan” like we would say in NI) and just like a good debate

so what exactly does “THRAAN” mean being from NI myself i have never heard of it!!! or is that a county down saying?? cheers

Drive out into the country and stop the first farmer you see and ask him has he ever heard the word “thraan” and what does it mean

ahhhhh!! so its “culchie” speak then
[/quote]

Aye,
just like the words “ferbye” and “betwix us” and the famous catchphrase:
“an ooojus ■■■■ of a handlinn” meaning “a complete balls up”

BTW,
“Uncle Hugo” on Radio Ulster will keep you right

[dieseldog6]

Well I’ve read all the threads on here, and all I can say is I’m glad I’m back in England!!! affraid I have to agree with ‘Big Truck’ on this one, but BTD is a nice guy and very helpful when I spoke to him. final straw for me was traffic office lieing to me about loads so I ended up working Christmas Day. I’m sure it will suit alot of people out there, but I’m affraid it’s not for me. Take care everyone out there and drivers anywhere for that matter.

[big_truck]

dieseldog6:
Well I’ve read all the threads on here, and all I can say is I’m glad I’m back in England!!! affraid I have to agree with ‘Big Truck’ on this one, but BTD is a nice guy and very helpful when I spoke to him. final straw for me was traffic office lieing to me about loads so I ended up working Christmas Day. I’m sure it will suit alot of people out there, but I’m affraid it’s not for me. Take care everyone out there and drivers anywhere for that matter.

DD6,
now that your home who was the company you were working for

[longwayround]

dieseldog6:
Well I’ve read all the threads on here, and all I can say is I’m glad I’m back in England!!! affraid I have to agree with ‘Big Truck’ on this one, but BTD is a nice guy and very helpful when I spoke to him. final straw for me was traffic office lieing to me about loads so I ended up working Christmas Day. I’m sure it will suit alot of people out there, but I’m affraid it’s not for me. Take care everyone out there and drivers anywhere for that matter.

What happened on Christmas day. Did you get stuck under a load or were you tipping somewhere. I’ve worked Christmas day in the past (delivering Jet Fuel), and Christmas night doing bulk sugar. Not too painful when you know ahead of time$$$$$ .There must have been something else going on with you and the traffic office.What up !

I have to say this. In my experience traffic planners have a very bad habit of not giving drivers all the details. If they offer a driver a load from so and so to so and so and it sounds perfect the driver HAS to ask,when does it load and when does it tip and how the ■■■■ am I getting home. Otherwise getting stuck in a truck stop somewhere on Christmas Day is more than probable.

In my experience the slower the economy gets the slimey-er the traffic managers become. Drivers should know that Traffic Managers’ bonuses are based on loaded miles, and they will only dead head you to the next load, no matter how much it costs in YOUR down time or INCONVIENIENCE. Of course when the economy is busy then their job (making the driver happy) is much easier.

One more point. if you don’t have permanent residency then of course the traffic manager is going to take advantage of you if he needs to.Someone with citizenship is going to tell the company where to pick up the truck if they get jacked around. There is after all a driver shortage,he can get another job tomorrow.

[bluejaysfan]

Gentlemen: I have been following this thread and would like to offer some comments.
First, I will ignore the two “Bickering Brits” who don’t seem to offer any facts at all and address the issue of Capital Gains tax.
For a Canadian citizen, one’s PRIMARY DWELLING does not get taxed as a Capital Gain. However, if you are selling with intentions of returning to Britain, it might be possible that the Canada Revenue Agency might conclude the Canadian house was not in fact your Primary residence. I don’t know; I am only offering an opinion. The only person who could answer that question is a qualified tax lawyer. The Income Tax Act and all it’s interpretations is a complex document to interpret.

I’m sorry that Dieseldog6 gave up on Canada. He ended going to work for a smaller carrier and apparently got stuck away in the USA over Christmas. Smaller carriers don’t have the same freight base as a Yanke or H&R. They often have difficulty filling trucks especially during slow periods like the Holiday Season. A truck 2000 miles from home is too expensive to run that far empty. The driver then gets stuck away.
The chances, though, of being away from home over a holiday or an important day are part of long distance trucking in North America.
That is one big reason for the so called “driver shortage”; fewer people are willing to make the sacrifices that trucking requires. It is a lifestyle as much or more than a livelyhood.
I don’t know what all the fuss is over whether a Forum Member accepts a “recruitment bonus” or not. These are paid by many trucking companies here and are completely legal and above board. I’m sure they will be listed on the recipient’s T4 slip and taxed as income.
I’ve seen comments on whether a company is “family friendly” or not. The company has hired the trucker to drive it’s truck. Family responsibilities are secondary to the need to haul the freight to it’s destination. A “new hire” will get the crappier loads so the driver’s with more senority can get their choice of time off first. These are trucking companies not social welfare organizations.

I will offer one further comment; Canada is not the UK. Things are different here and if you come expecting the same basic lifestyle you currently enjoy you will become greatly disappointed.

dieseldog6:
Well I’ve read all the threads on here, and all I can say is I’m glad I’m back in England!!! affraid I have to agree with ‘Big Truck’ on this one, but BTD is a nice guy and very helpful when I spoke to him. final straw for me was traffic office lieing to me about loads so I ended up working Christmas Day. I’m sure it will suit alot of people out there, but I’m affraid it’s not for me. Take care everyone out there and drivers anywhere for that matter.

[spardo]

A well balanced and well reasoned post Bluejay.
It isn’t just in Canada that the chips can fall badly regarding holiday times away from home. Here in France I have spent more than one ‘jour ferié’ parked up outside a closed routier. (Normally ‘la patronne’ would come out with a bagette and anything else needed though ). However I think Dieseldog’s beef was that he had been specifically informed otherwise.

Nevertheless in my view if you describe yourself as a long distance driver you should be prepared for anything. When I was a manager I told my blokes that to leave the yard on even supposedly local runs they should be fully kitted for an overnight stop.
Most of them accepted this as the norm, part of the job, but one individual on returning to the yard and told to pick up a body bound for an overnight destination refused to do so. He got away with not going on that occasion but within the week all written rules were changed to specifically allow for this to happen. In return I undertook to not give overnight jobs to drivers who had given me notice of a special event - however even with the best will in the world unforseen circumstances sometimes conspire to thwart this.

[longwayround]

Spardo,that’s the way to go, just be straight up about the situation. At least then if the driver isn’t cut out for the work he can just leave and say it’s not for him,rather than going the deceitful route and have the driver get mad and abandon the truck somewhere.

[bobthedog]

I have just been rereading some of this thread.

It appears that there are some serious misconceptions on it so I will try to put it right as a last resort, really.

First, to BT. The “clapboard house” I live in is 34 years old. It is a very long way from falling down because it has been maintained. It cost me $307 last month for my bills. That was all, minus the phone bill which was about $150. It is far warmer than any house I have ever had in the UK. It is comfortable and I am more than happy with it.
These false promises you assert are made to lure people over here are a figment of your imagination. Nothing more than that and are an issue you should resolve before you get into this sort of thing. your moral crusade is selfish and foolish. You say you haven’t been knocked back by any company here, but I doubt you have ever approached any so how would you know?

RobK, the pointless little character with no knowledge of the things you rant about. When you caught the brakes on the trailer on fire you defected the vehicle and tried to blame everyone except the real culprit for a situation which could have resulted in the deaths of innocents. You blamed the vehicle, not yourself. This kind of attitude is typical of you, and you are so superior to everyone else when you have only been driving, and none too successfully at that, for a few years. In short, you should concentrate on driving rather than ranting. The world would be a safer place were you to do so. I can back what I say here with people who have witnessed things. They are here, in Canada, and have approached me with tales which I find disturbing, not amusing.

Paul, I don’t “big up” anything. I say it as I see it. I have no reason and nothing to gain by making things seem better than they are.

Gumbo actually approached BFS and provided you with testimony that I do not accept any sort of backhanders. Mark has told you that the company I work for have gone out of their way to explain that the work here is hard, but I am not working harder than I ever have if I am truthful. Maybe as hard, but not harder. Mark told you that they have kept all the promises they made. They have for me, too. They went way beyond the call of duty at times. I will continue to be grateful whether I work there or not.

I spent some time in with Eric Slatcher today. We spoke of the things that have been said on here and he was pleased that I stood by the firm. I don’t get anything for it, and I wouldn’t take anything for it. I stand for the firm because, regardless of the differences I may have with some of the individuals there, (and one of the biggies has been resolved because of the nonsense in this very thread), I am still getting the miles, I am going on the Ice Roads again, I have the trust of the shop and of the people I need to get the trust of, I know who to see for different things and am known to them and my little shed on the prairie is still over my head because I am keeping the mortgage paid and the bills paid.

You can say whatever you wish about it, but I actually had the nerve enough to take a chance. I have worked hard for 2 years for the firm. I have never had a “Pinnacle” or “Driver of the Month” award, and I really don’t want them. I just ask for the miles, for the pay and for the hometime, and I get them. If that is too difficult for you to grasp then that is your problem. I suggest you stop trying to make it everyone elses.

David, if you think this is a personal attack on any member then you are wrong. It is my observation of the way people have acted on this thread amongst others. I do not pretend to know the people I have cited here. I really wouldn’t wish to. I am sure they would bring out that side in me I left behind in the UK, and that unpleasantness can stay there. If you choose to edit or to remove this post then that is your decision but it is not one I would share.

[harry]

Took these snaps on Sunday. Just to cheer you up .Bob!

[bobthedog]

Hey Harry!!

Long time since I heard from you. The whole thing is that I am happy. Those nice green fields in the UK mean nothing to me anymore because you aren’t allowed on most of them anyway. Also, half of them are quarantined again, I hear.

The nice buildings are old, cold, draughty and cost a fortune to heat.

Oh, and you have Gordon Brown.

Nuff said!!

[harry]

Maybe this is what you were hoping for…?

[bobthedog]

I will get the camera in again later and give you a couple of snaps from here. It is a little bleak at the moment, and is likely to stay that way for a while yet, but is still preferable to being in a country where they are so afraid of the people they have to keep telling you it is all for your own good that you cannot do anything.

If you watch V for Vendetta, it is how things seem to be going.

Guy Fawkes, where are you now the country needs you so badly?

[paul_b]

bobthedog:
Paul, I don’t “big up” anything. I say it as I see it. I have no reason and nothing to gain by making things seem better than they are.

not sure where thats come from bob, i stand your corner and you class me with bankers like daft rob!
it means absolutely nothing to me whether you take the 250 bucks or not, personally i think your a fool if you don’t but i also understand why you wouldn’t.
i know why you’ve had problems at the firm and i know who with simply because that particular person made it clear to me in the emails they sent, which to be honest, i thought was very unprofessional and didn’t really show the firm in a good light.
not sure what the crack is at bfs? seems a very strange setup to me, this eric fella is by all accounts the overseas recruiter but i must have tried at least ten times to talk to him, if not more, left messages, asking him to ring me etc etc, in three months i never had so much as a one word conversation with the bloke even when i’d booked an interview and was dealing with the imigration side of things with the company, the bloke still wouldn’t talk to me! he might be a nice fella and all that, but as a recruiter i wouldn’t give him ten bob an hour!
looking from the outside in, it seems some at the firm are happy for you to do their work for them (apparently free of charge) but others seem to have had their noses put out of joint by that very fact, i can’t weigh it up, i really can’t.
i wish you and yours all the very best but i would sugest that if you see every post on these type of forums as being directed at you personally? then i’d find something else to do with my spare time.