Hello fellas I have a question and I hope y'all can help. I have been driving trucks for about nine years now and it has always been for companies never as o/o. Recently my wife of 14 years has gotten the opportunity to move to Toronto with her company and run the office there with a very large pay increase and we are very excited about that. I have notice in my research that there are a ton of trucking jobs in Canada but I was thinking about finally going O/O. Please tell me if I am missing something but here is my option. I have a 2001 Freightliner Century class with 675,000 mile in my sights that I can pay for outright so no payments. The company I spoke to said they will pay my insurance and plate and a rate of $1.40/mile. The promise 2300 miles a week and I will run out one day and home on day which will have to work for us for now. I have notice the big difference in fuel cost in the Toronto area which makes me think this is doable. However, since this part of the business is new to me I wanted to get some real world info on this plan. Thanks

It depends on how much you know about Canada, and were you'll be trucking to.

According to the flying fish hooks website the diesel in Ontario is around a $1 a liter, which isn't bad right now -that's $3.87 per gallon. But, diesel can get extremely high in parts of Canada. Plus their idea of a truckstop is a little different than ours. If you're going to be crossing back and forth into the US a lot, that's a lot of waiting time that you won't be compensated for.

In most provinces the sales tax is 15% on everything you buy, and I have heard that their income taxes are extremely high as well.

If you know a lot about Canada, go for it. But, if you're an American citizen working in Canada you may be subject to double taxation. Are you going to become a Canadian citizen?

I am asking all of this b/c it says you live in Myrtle Beach. I am not trying to be condescending or anything.

Only if you're running for the wrong company. Most major Canadian companies pay border crossings ... check their websites. I don't get paid that now as I am on a percentage deal, but I was getting $30 every time, and it rarely took me more than 10-15 minutes (prairies and west coast). In fact, I was getting paid a similar base mileage rate to that mentioned in the OP, but with the FSC, border, picks & drops, etc., and all the other payments, my effective rate was about $2.05/mile ... for all miles.

I addressed this in [LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link. .

Only if you're a dummy. There are tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Americans working in Canada (just as there are similar numbers of Canadians working in the U.S.), none of whom are subject to double taxation. Canada and the U.S. have had a tax treaty for decades.

If you want reliable information about working in Canada go to the source(s); government websites, company websites, tax accountants/lawyers, etc.

Thanks y'all for all the great advise this is one of the best forums I have been on. I intend on having a dual citizenship along with my wife since it looks like we will be there for years if not the rest of our lives. I guess my main concern is can I make a good living with my own truck. I really need to be pointed in the right direction as far as a good company to work for. It goes without saying that I am very nervous about making the wrong decision here and getting us into financial trouble. My wife thinks I am superman and can do anything I put my mind to but this is a tough decision as I will spend a huge chunk of our money to purchase the truck. If you fellas think o/o is not good right now can you tell me of some good companies to drive for in the Toronto area until being an o/o is more feasible? Thanks

IMHO ... go for it. Canadians are AWESOME people ... until it comes to money!!! Now, it was ok that everything is 40% higher in Canada when one could get $1.285CAN for his $1US (according to today's exchange rate), but what happens when the ratio is 1:1?

And the poster who posted the provincial sales taxes, forgot to tell you about the GST, which is added in most of the provinces (he's lucky - they don't add it in Alberta). This makes the effective sales tax 15% in Ontario.

Example: you go into McDonalds's on the 401 in Ontario. They don't have a $.99 menu, it's the $1.39 menu. Add 15% and that little 'ol cheeseburger just cost you $1.60. Now, that's small time money, but the math holds true for everything else. When you ride through Canada, you'll notice that most people live in apartments, or VERY SMALL HOUSES. Wonder why? Now, they love their system up there and they wouldn't trade it for ours, but it's something you'll have to adjust to.

The poster said that his wait times at the border weren't very long in the prairies and out west, but you said you'd be living in Ontario? Are you going to be crossing into Detroit, Port Huron, and Fort Erie a lot? Even coming into Lake Champlain can be horrible (remember the 9-11 wait times?). Just food for thought.

The Canadian people are great people, and unlike Americans, they know how to fix things !!! They love dogs, and they love nature. You can sit down with any of them and drink a beer and have an intellegent conversation. There are some beautiful places in Canada, but when it comes to money, they're going to take more of it. But, you might make more up there, so who knows !!!

Shoot for the moon!!

yes fuel was 1.19 liter just a few days ago just got back from Ontario and Quebec.....Income taxes are extremely high and the health care system is NOT as great as what people may think....just tok husband to a specialist who had got back from a conference and was telling about his Canadian DR friend who practices under the Canadian Nationalized health care system and the Dr's biggist colmpaint was he was tired of seeing his patient die because the govt. run health care system did not have enough money in it to cover the health care needs of the people.....when his practice was out of it alloted funds.....he closes the doors til there are more funds avaliable and he had to pick and chose which patients he could care for based on what their needs were going to cost and how much money he was allocated to work with.

8% + 5% = 15%??!!

No wonder you felt ripped off ... you done failed grade three math.



Oh, and if you think 2% is no big deal, I'll shoot you a PM on where to send 2% of your income.



And no, I didn't forget the GST, it was in the referenced post ... unless you failed readin' too.



Well, that's one of the sillier postings I've seen.

So whats the bottom line fellas should I beg my wife to stay here in beautiful Myrtle Beach, S.C or can I do pretty good up there as a company driver or o/o? I know winter is brutal there so that something we are going to have to get use to. Now that I have received some very good advise it sounds like company driver is the way to go for now. I have another question for you fellas. If I make $35,000 a year now what would I have to make in the Toronto area to live the same life? I guess the bottom line is the life you want to live.

Don't know if you could just waltz in and get a job here. Not sure.
I know I couldn't just go to Myrtle beach, walk into a company and ask to be hired.
Something about immigration and work permits.
What I would think about if I were you is this. Get your truck and try to sign on with one of the international carriers out of New York State. That way you could skip a lot of the immigration and licensing hassles, and "visit" your wife until you thoroughly check out ALL of your options regarding work permits, taxation, licensing etc.