Current state of industry / advice for new driver in British Columbia

Hi there, just wondering what conditions are like right now in the trucking industry for a new driver looking to get started? I am presently living on southern Vancouver Island but am prepared to go where the work is and willing to do over the road driving (preferably in Western Canada and/or USA) .

I obtained my Class 1 just over 5 years ago through North Shore Driving School and absolutely loved driving truck but after completion, decided to stay in law enforcement (and no, I have never worked highway patrol... ). That being said, twenty years of dealing with the bottom 1 percent of the population is enough and its time for me to move on.

I am looking at Bison, Challenger etc. and other large carriers that have new driver training programs. I know you have to sign on for an agreed period following their training programs but I am okay with that as at this stage, I am more interested in getting the best possible training when starting out. Any thoughts on these large carriers and are any of them even hiring new drivers right now?

As I have not utilized my Class 1 since completing school 5 years ago, would it be worth spending some money to take a refresher course locally just to get some recent experience operating a commercial truck again?

There is also the possibility of getting a job locally driving a transit bus. The pay is not bad but I really don't want a job where I am dealing with the general public up close and personal on a daily basis. Would this be a viable option and at least give me some "commercial driving" experience?

I know enough about the trucking industry that I am aware I won't be making a pile of money to start and the hours are long etc. etc. I am already used to working long hours / weekends / holidays / nights but it would be nice to have a job where I could at least take Christmas off...

I am mainly interested in how things are right now as far as employment / job opportunities, and for the next 6 months or so when I retire from my present occupation. I would expect that the massive slow down in Alberta and all those unemployed oil patch workers must be having an impact on the industry as well.

Any and all information and advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks for the responses and information gents. I know my training is a bit dated and I am considering taking a refresher course locally. They charge $100 per hour for driving time and I am pretty sure I would not need too many hours to ensure my driving skills are up to par. I used to be a professional mechanic in my younger days so air brakes, pre-trip etc is pretty much second nature for me. Can-Am West looks like a good company and definitely worth looking at. I will also look more closely at local work, either with BC Transit or even driving a gravel truck if I can find somebody willing to give me a shot at it. I still have a few more months to go before leaving my present career so I have time to check around and do some upgrading as needed before I start knocking on doors.

 

Thanks Pinner, that is good advice. Especially the suggestion of riding a bus. I have not ridden a public transit bus in probably 20 years but for a couple of bucks I could get a first hand look at how things work and maybe even talk to the driver and find out the pros and cons first hand. At least with a transit job, I would be close to home which would make the wife happy...

A friend of mine is working in Northern BC for a company which transports fluid etc for various drilling companies. He says they are still hiring and are willing to take on new drivers but with the current state of the oil industry I am not sure how long that option will remain open. It is 20 days in and 10 days out and they will pay for your flight there and back. I know the days would be long and the work would tough but sounds like a great chance to get my foot in the industry and learn a lot.

I have also been keeping an eye on the Site C project because I would expect they will be needing a lot of transport drivers once that operation gets up and running. Their website doesn't provide much information so I am not sure where things are at with that project. Looks like a hurry up and wait kind of situation....