europe?

Hey Manthon, forget the EU, I was stationed over here from 1983-1992 in the Army (Field Artillery hua) married some local chic (cute blonde) got out and bin living over here since driving long haul, local etc as a civilian. I've tried everthing man but it's hopeless pay and the benefits are terrible. Hier in Germany you get paid monthly lump sum average is about 1900,00€ before taxesmostly less plus about 10-15 per deim for overnight thats it! Regardless how far you get your only allowed to drive a total of 9HRS a tour then you have to rest for at least 11HRS it's the law and it's recorded in your truck (sord of like a black box). The autobahns are always backed up, overcrowded and exspensive as hell plus restrictions so you get no were fast (all trucks are governed to about 55mph). All the east side block countries all haul for less so when a local driver does'nt agree on the salary they just replace him with either a Polish, Cech, Romanen etc. all in all I could probably make more money flippen burgers at MC than doing time on the autobahn and thats why I'm headin back this summer to FL I've seen enough of Europe. And remember, a gallon of Premium Gas here cost 5,70$

Take care and be safe.

 

I'd like to go to Europe and work. Not as a driver, mind you, hell no. I'm interested in Germany, but I wonder about the EU work visa. Is it hard for a gringo to get such a visa?

 

You can forget a work visa for Germany (Arbeitserlaubnis; there is no EU-wide work permit), unless you're truly qualified in some hip job sector (IT above all, advertising, graphic design, etc.), are prehired, and speak fairly unprekär German. And they want more than Wie geht's?, mind you. If you only speak English (or some other language), you're one option is the tourist industry, but there too preference goes to the bi/trilingual. Even teaching English is pretty much wrapped up for Western Europe; they're all going to Prague and Russia. The only likely job for an American in Germany, apart from spending a few months in[SIZE=-1] Würzburg [/SIZE]with the Army, is the no-pay Freiwillige Soziale Jahr, i.e. cleaning up trash and changing Uma's bedpan, which young German citizens do to opt-out of military service.

Just find another country. Germany is more trouble than it is worth, if you want to work there. Besides, too many of them don't have jobs themselves. Or go there, get a place to stay, try to make friends with local business owners, and maybe something will turn up, but I seriously doubt it. I suggest going to Denmark and getting a newspaper route, which immigrants in that country rely on for bread money. I'm sure if you really, really want to work in Germany, you could move to Kreuzberg and get an under the table job with some Turks or other foreigners, but that's not really working in "Germany"...

Anyway, I met a native German who started out trucking there. She didn't mention any of these restrictions to me, but we only talked about it for a few minutes; she said it was a lot of fun. Said the state-sponsored training class (!) is limited to a handful of people; three in hers.

 

Ahhh what a lot off opinions considering europe here!!!

Why is european trucking not better then American????

Or the other way around?????

Well i think it is a personal thing, i mean! when you are from north-america then the grass always looks greener at the other side as a lot of drivers from here think that for working in the us or canada.
In europe it is buisy but in countrys like france where you have to pay for the highway it is more easy going then in the netherlands where i come from.
I saw somebody here post something about payments!! it dipence on what you can do!! lokal drivers are doing about 18/1900 euros a month but international can earn up to 3300 euros a month incl. insurance and more bennefits also they earn a wages for spending the nights abroad per 24 hours that pays a 45 euros extra. this is money for heaving a meal etc etc.
The former eastern has a lot off drivers to coming to other countrys in the west for work but they do not deliver the quality that wetern drivers do.
so now a few years further as this all started way back in the 90" they all go back to there home countrys to work there because europe is getting more open now.
A driver from poland who has to go to spain for the same company where a dutch/french driver etc etc for work is doing longer over the trip then the other ones, dont ask why!! its a fact.
So now the european company are asking for more western drivers again and now they have a problem ( the companys ) like in holland we need a total of several tousands of drivers and in germany!! hell they need more the 50.000 drivers lokal and/or international and i am not joking!!
The company now see that the western drivers deliver more quality so the are willing to pay more for them.
But hee in the states you have more room for driving bigger trucks then in europe.
But on the other hand we dont need all those bigger trucks because we are more at home on the weekends.
I work for TNT i guess you know this company and i work weekends as well but!!!!!! only 6 in 1 year no more no less. 2 times to norway and 2 times to sweden and 2 in italy.
The rest i be home on friday afternoon/night and saterdaymorning/afternoon to start back again on mondaynight or theusdaymorning.
We have a cyclus of 33 weeks where our program is written in so i always can plan my time off if friends wanna come over i look at the cyclus and say: yes thats ok or no sorry i have to work. but then and then is ok.
so thats the nice part of my job.
But it i always had a wish to drive a truck in north-america, and only drive smaller trucks in europe.
But the truck i have is under supervision off an american company because DAF belongs to Paccar.
So i have an american heart beating under my ... when i am at work that give a bit off satisfaction.

greetz
Ronnie.

 

In regards to the last post regarding trucking or living in Germany or the EU. I'm gonna be straight up, it's expensive and getting worse. Germany is a beautiful country and you are in a matter of hours almost anywhere in the EU but the cost of living is getting very high and still rising pump gas cost around 5 bucks a gallon tax on everything but food and plants is 19%, clothes are about double than what they are in the states and real estate is about or a little less than abroad. Inflation was over 2% last year and wages still do not match the inflation rate which leads to under paid employees applying for a welfare check even though they work 40hrs a week to make ends meat. THERE IS NOT A MINIMUM WAGE LAW YET!
Other wise the Social system here is good, you can get lucky and find a company who pays what you deserve but then again cheap labor here is still on the rise, Truck drivers from the east block countries have stormed companies in the west and drive for a quater of what the local driver would do, there are alot of restrictions here as far as trucking goes and alot of inspections along the way and that's really getting bad. 15 yrs ago it was a respected good paid fun job now old drivers are giving up there jobs and going back to do another trade. I'm still here because I started a new relationship other wise I'd bin gone on the next plane. Sure they need drivers bad but nobody wants to drive anymore because the wages are in the basement. Too many operaters that do know a #### about running a company and handling employees, but the EU is giving out Trucking Certifications like candy. Last but least the rich are getting richer and the poorer are moving out. Last year over 100,000 german citizens relocated to another country and rising hell they even got tv shows now about this, that's sick.

 

Hmmmmmm, maybe not in Germany butt in the netherlands there is.

And the "ossies" are on there way back home again, more and more drivers are needed all over europe.

 

This can often be an advantage. Often when I drove in Germany on B roads I heard on the trafic info on the radio that there was 30-35 miles of standstill on the highway I would have used if there had not been a ban.

 

Driving from country to country is not a big problem in Europe nowadays. Since the Europain Union (EU) is there, borders don't have checks anymore. There is a free travelling of people, work etc. from country to country. It's only for country's that are united in the EU so if you go to the middle-east or whatever you still need a licence (I think), and probably you will be waiting at the borders for a long time.

If you want to move to Europe, I would go to Sweden or Norway. But what I've heard, living is quite expensive in Norway. I know some truckdrivers from Holland and one is now driving from Holland to Sweden every week. I can tell you, driving in Scandinavia is much much better then in the rest of Europe!

 

Living in Norway is more expensive than in in Sweden, but you can work in Norway and live in Sweden without great problems.
In the company I'm working for we now have 3 living in Sweden because of the taxes and expenses.

But they have to travel about 2-3 hours to get to work, but that time shortens if you work for a firm that is closer to Sweden.

 

No offence. but:

1. All trucks with GVW more than 7.5 t (in some states 3.5 t) must have tachograph - this device limit your driving time (at 9-10 h/24 h and you have a limit time to do your daily driving program at 13 h, from the first move of the truck) and "tell" everything about driving time and stop periods, on the traffic controls. This can be good, or bad; depend of the point of view of the moment.

2. There are some highways with 3 lines, but, most of them have 2 lines and almost everywhere (in all countries), you have passing restrictions, in the day time (between 6.00-7.00 in the morning, to 19.00-20.00 in the evening). And yes, you must stay in line some time, because the speed limit is 90 km/h, by law and the trucks have speed limited between 84-93 km/h or close (I drive almost 1 year a truck with speed limit at 84 km/h!)!
Man, EU is not England: with high speeds exits with 2 lines, for changing highways, no passing or speed restrictions for the trucks, compared with the cars and 4.5 m high limit.

3. In weekends and legally hollyday (which are different from country to country, or from county to county, in same country), there are traffic restrictions for trucks (except refrigerating trucks, only with loads on "+", or some ADR loads).

4. COE trucks are more then 85% and the percent, is possible to increase (Scania stoped the T model in september, last year - T model was "longnose"). The maximum lenght for a 3 axle solo prime mover is 7.5 m, maximum lenght for a articulated truck (tractor+semitrailer) is 16.5 m (over this limit, you'll need a special permit) and maximum lenght for truck with trailer is 18.75 m (over this limit, you'll need a special permit). "Flatnoses" are not bad cabs, speaking about comfort and are more efficient (for total lenght of the chassis), but not so safe like "longnoses" cabs.

Regards! Mihai.