Hi all i am 21 and driving class 1 at the moment . I have been in haulage since i left school so have 5 years experience sort of . I have been driving vans since i was 17 moving my way up to class 1. I really want a new challenge and was after some advice as where to go . I read about shortages in canada , new zealand, and australia . I am single with no ties so can just go really . where is the best place to go any feedback would be great thanks in advance rich.
With all due respect mate, you can’t run before you can walk, you’re 21 with a class 1, so you’ve been driving for almost a year at most, I would be very surprised if anyone would take you on, Canada, for one, insists on any immigrant worker having 2yrs experience in the job they are going to do.
Keep at it for a couple more years & get a bit of experience under your belt & then have a look around, I’m over in Canada & believe me, it’s well worth the wait 
When did you pass your class 1 bud as I know my bro in law whose 21 done a young drivers course and effectively passed his C+E when 18 so he effectively has 3 years experience on the artics.
Your best bet is look online or in back of T&D mags. They also reckon you need a couple of £k’s to get you settled in… This something you have or can get hold of?
s2rich:
Hi all i am 21 and driving class 1 at the moment . I have been in haulage since i left school so have 5 years experience sort of . I have been driving vans since i was 17 moving my way up to class 1. I really want a new challenge and was after some advice as where to go . I read about shortages in canada , new zealand, and australia . I am single with no ties so can just go really . where is the best place to go any feedback would be great thanks in advance rich.
make a cv up, email it to loads of companys, at the worst they can only say no thanks.
im 22, nearly 23 and struggle to get class 1 work let alone class 2 work and ive been in the game since i was 17, had my hgv for nearly 17 months now… you need to just get your name out there and take any job before moving anywhere else.
I am driving class 1 at the present time so have a job . I know you need experience but is that in class 1 because as i say i have been driving for 4 years in variations of vehicles . Getting a few grand together will be no problem even if i have to sell my classic audi quattro . Thanks for the replies
s2rich:
I read about shortages in canada , new zealand, and australia .
From my research in to this subject (so far);
Australia - truck driver isn’t on the list of ‘skills’ that you could use as grounds to apply. Best bet is if you have got family over there (or a fortune to invest as an ‘entrepreneur’).
New Zealand - the reason they have a shortage of drivers (although I still don’t know if you can apply to emigrate there as a truck driver) is because thier own drivers are all emigrating to Canada!
Canada - not entirely a bed of roses (but where is??) but the better bet for emigration! Look into PNP, a scheme that effectively ‘sponsors’ you to emigrate to Canada as a truck driver. PM me for some links to sites full of info specific to this.
BTW, there is ‘rumour’ that some fplk may well have been taken on in Canada with a similar amount of experience as yourself . . . . .
I’ve only been driving Class 1 for 15 months and am 25, have 4years in driving jobs though, mostly 3.5ton. I made a few enquiries and it seems I can get a job in Canada, only reason I haven’t gone is i’m not reallt ready yet, and the current situation makes selling cars/houses a good way to lose money, and the pound is worth only 1.8 CDN compared the the 2.1 not long ago. Ask around and if there’s company’s that need driver’s they may consider you.
Thanks for the replies guys really appreciate it . I would personally prefer canada because you can run to the states . So just basically e-mail canadian companies my cv then . Should i get a job offer first or a visa ? How long does a visa normally take thanks again rich
s2rich, if you’re non-HGV experience counts then go for it, AFAIK you need the job offer before you’ll be issued with a work permit, there are 2 main ways to get in, the 1st is through the PNP, this is a long drawn out process that involves the Canadian Government accepting your nomination from your prospective employer, it’s the one to go for if you’re taking your family & planning on applying for permanent residency.
There is also the HRSDC programme, this is the quick route, all you need is a job offer from your potential employer & they need to get an LMO (Labour Market Opinion) this certifies that they have tried to fill the job with a Canadian & are unable to do this, they are then able to employ a foreigner to fill the post, this is just a formality, all they need to do is prove that they’ve advertised the job, a lot of the larger companies have this in place already.
If you go down the HRSDC route you will get your flight to Canada paid (& the return too if you decide it’s not for you) & a work permit for 1 or 2 years, during this time you can transfer to the PNP & then apply for residency. One thing that you need to take into account is that you will need to take a new driving test, the Canadians do not do a straight swap for your HGV, the car licence is ok though. You also need a clean criminal record to get into the USA.
One last word of warning, a lot of the firms using immigrant workers are not that good, after all, if they were then the Canadians would all be queueing up to work there, but in that case use it as a stepping stone, you will have to reimburse the company for training, but that’s only fair.
As long as you have no problem with being away & working weekends, it’s a very good place to be, some firms go away for 10-14 days at a time, some do a couple of short trips per week, but whichever you get, you will almost certainly end up heading out on a Friday or Saturday, getting time off is no problem, but it’ll normally be in the week, after a time you’ll get your weekends off but as is usual that only happens to the long serving drivers.
None of the companies I know out there are bringing anybody over until May 09, this is because of the weather, at the moment the whole of Canada is covered in snow & until that clears in late April there is no training, so you have time to make enquiries, if you need any help with anything, you know where I am.
Also as far as I know the PNP requires you to be 25 so you might have to stay on a VISA until you’re eligble to apply to the scheme.
Newmercman, you say you have to reinburse the companies for the training. How does this work exactly? I was under the impression most companies funded your training and test fees etc and aslong as you worked for them for a fixed period (2years or whatever it may be) then the cost was absorbed by them, obviously if you leave early you pay a percentage of it.
Does it not work like this? The company I was in contact with required you to pay upfront, specifically before you even have your visa for the training and test fees, they’re all at your expense. It struck me as odd, surely you’d be better off in that case just going over there, taking your licence yourself and then going jobhunting with your newly aquired CDL., imagine a lot more companies would consider you then, could you do it without a fixed address though ie on holiday.
Thanks again for the replies guys especially newmercman . I would probably take the get over there as soon as possible route and then apply for residencey etc because i mite not like it after all . If they are not taking on before may then that gives me plenty of time to try and fix things up . I take on board what you are saying about the jobs and if they were good the canadians would be doing them . We all have to start somewhere and i have had it all my career being the young kid so not a problem . The 14 days away thing not a problem it will only be me so im fine with that . Thanks again guys rich
Kiowan,
Yes that’s right, you stay for a predetermined period & you pay nothing, you leave before that & you pay, that’s what I did with BFS, it all depends on who you work for as to the percentages & time limits.
As I’m sadly very much the wrong side of 25 I’m not aware of any age restrictions on the PNP, but there could well be.
There are a few people that have done everything without a fixed address, they live in the cab & use the company as their address, I personally don’t like that idea & you stand a better chance of being accepted for residency if you establish yourself in the country.
For what it’s worth, IMO the best way to do it is to get on the PNP scheme through an employer, but do all the paperwork yourself, that way the company has no hold on you & therefore has to look after you a lot better, I wouldn’t touch an agency with a bargepole (not that I have a bargepole & I don’t know anybody with one either 
) all they do is fill out a few forms & rip you off.
I wouldn’t pay anything up front at all, there are a few people taking advantage of the immigration programmes as well as the agents, if the company cannot afford to put you through the training then it doesn’t inspire confidence in their financial position.
so is it best to get a job offer and let them deal with the pnp etc . I take it they will know what has to be done etc etc. Thanks again rich
OK. My tuppenceworth.
As far as I am aware, there is no age limit on the Manitoba PNP. Lee was 24 when he got his nomination through.
I see no reason why you couldn’t do your driving test here on a holiday, although you would need to surrender your UK licence first, then you would have to surrender your CDL when you returned to the UK. But… I know that you have a certain amount of time in which you can change back to the Canada licence without having to resit the test should you go back for some reason. I think it is 4 years but don’t quote me.
The PNP programme is not always drawn out and lengthy. You could conceivably get your nomination through within 3 months but I wouldn’t bank on it, That would be where the company you apply to help with the paperwork and you apply for your immigration as you go. It’s just more hassle in the beginning than going on the HRSDC.
HRSDC is a temporary, non-renewable work permit. Once it expires you are meant to leave Canada for a minimum of 4 months then reapply with a new LMO number. In reality, by the end of your 2 year permit you should have PR and it all becomes moot. If you haven’t got residency by then then the PNP will issue you with a letter of support so you can get a new WP, but you would need a good reason why you don’t have residency by then.
Bear this in mind, as it is an important piece of info that companies do not want you to know. The PNP nomination is YOURS!!! It has nothing to do with the company other than that they have stated that they want you to work for them. The reality of this whole thing is that you are, theoretically, all on HRSDC to begin with. That is how the firms start out. They apply to the province on your behalf, but that is the extent of their hold on you. Should you find yourself working for a moron then you can change job by finding it for yourself. Once you are nominated you need only get an offer of a job.
PNP is provincial govt. PR is Federal. So under HRSDC you are in a three stage programme. First, the company wants you so you get a TWP, then the Province decides they want you so you get a letter of nomination, then the Federal govt decide they want you and you get your residency. It took me 2 1/2 years, but that was my own decision.
As for jobs for younger drivers, I couldn’t say. I am way past the stage where I can decently ask as I am OLD now!
Whats the job situation like in Manitoba/Sask?? I ask because i keep hearing all this talk of a shortage of drivers in Canada but there isn’t a driving job to be found where i live in Ontario.
There are jobs around in the Prairies. I just changed again and my old boss is looking for 2 as I write this. It isn’t biting here as hard as in ON as we are in the centre so work can go anywhere uch easier than from the east.