Advice for a newbie in Montreal

Discussion in 'Canadian Truckers Forum' started by Blueshift, Jun 3, 2020.

  1. Ol'Shusquatch

    Ol'Shusquatch Light Load Member

    234
    1,920
    Jul 8, 2019
    BC Interior
    0
    OTR worthwhile. Not today at 10,000 and 100 some odd hours of time, for a low paying job, where you are seldom home, providing you can find a job. No experience, just passed a basic drivers exam.

    Supply chains are not a problem. All business has been down. People were forced to stay home, if non-essential. No one's eating in restaurants. No truck needed to haul stock then. Car factories closed, no cars to ship and on and on.

    Class 1 or 3. Depends solely on the demand and what you want to pay for the paper in your jurisdiction.
    Then what kind of work, in what sector. Do the homework. It's your investment.
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. Blueshift

    Blueshift Bobtail Member

    15
    6
    Jun 3, 2020
    0
    @Ol'Shusquatch, I guess the local jobs might be best then, maybe specifically a snow removal gig in the winter driving a trailer.

    I see what you mean now. Well hopefully things will pick up a bit in a few months as the economy is restarted.

    I spoke to one of the local schools. They stated it is a 15hr online course, then 20hrs in the actual truck. They quoted me at around $2000, which is fairly reasonable. I guess it sort of depends on how quickly the hiring market rebounds in the next few months.
     
  4. BigHossVolvo

    BigHossVolvo Road Train Member

    1,414
    2,103
    Dec 15, 2016
    Calgary, Alberta
    0
    No OTR companies in Canada, are currently hiring new Class 1/AZ drivers. When the market rebounds, due to the fiscal troubles at Challenger, Charger, H&R Going bankrupt, TransX going bankrupt and being gutted and re-organized by CN. The only traditional training company left is Bison, and they currently don't have a single truck to spare. I haven't seen a local job, that isn't GFS in almost 3 months. You're better off going to work for UPS/FEDEX in a parcel truck lol.
     
  5. Blueshift

    Blueshift Bobtail Member

    15
    6
    Jun 3, 2020
    0
    Thanks for the reality check. The industry I'm in has been totally ravaged by the pandemic too.

    There has been a few local job postings in Montreal. Given many are driving dump trucks, I'm considering whether this might be a better idea. Does anyone have any insight into this? Also, I may need to spend the next few months learning French first, so I likely won't be completing my licence until the new year (hopefully after things recover a bit).
     
  6. Blueshift

    Blueshift Bobtail Member

    15
    6
    Jun 3, 2020
    0
    I was also quoted $2000 for my class 1. This includes 15hours in-class training, 18hours in the truck, and a truck rental for the class 1 exam. Does this seem realistic?
     
  7. AModelCat

    AModelCat Road Train Member

    27,627
    144,556
    Jul 7, 2015
    Canuckistan
    0
    I'd say the cost is reasonable. I paid over $6,500 for 40 hours in truck.
     
  8. BigHossVolvo

    BigHossVolvo Road Train Member

    1,414
    2,103
    Dec 15, 2016
    Calgary, Alberta
    0
    IMHO Dump is just as bad as OTR right now, its seasonal, weather dependent, and a good chance you won't get paid. (show up to work one day, all the equipment is gone, and phones disconnected.)

    This industry has been in huge trouble before the pandemic, this is just the breaking point. I'm honestly telling most people who ask me about Class 1/3 work, to just get a job at Costco, a Warehouse, UPS/FEDEX/Purolator/XPO etc etc, and make the best of it. Do not spend money to get a try and get a job, that you most likely won't get, or won't get paid to do. (Like Charger Drivers and O/O's right now).

    If you're absolutely set on driving tho, Bison or Prince are your best options. I've said A LOT of #### about Bison on here (They have gotten better in the last 3 years), but the reality is, they are becoming the biggest, they will hire new drivers, they don't force anyone to do unsafe #### and as much as a trucking company can; they do sorta care now. Still a huge corporate machine, but they wont kill or bankrupt you.
     
  9. Canadianhauler21

    Canadianhauler21 Heavy Load Member

    797
    1,492
    May 15, 2017
    0
    Finding work as a new driver at the moment is a bit hard. Challenger for the first time in a WHILE isn't hiring at all. Toronto market isn't too bad if you know the right people, only took me 2 weeks to find work from when I started looking. The economy is slowly gaining momentum again so hopefully that brings along something better for drivers. Not to mention some reefer companies have been basically untouched by COVID-19.
     
  10. Daplumber

    Daplumber Bobtail Member

    36
    36
    Mar 15, 2019
    0
    I'm from Montreal too and went to the CFTR school, 4 1/2 months, got hired by Challenger immediately after finishing
     
  11. Blueshift

    Blueshift Bobtail Member

    15
    6
    Jun 3, 2020
    0
    Thanks for the input!

    Overall, the CFTR school looks great. To confirm, it costs only $132 total for Quebec residents?!

    Have you found companies are hiring again following the lock-down? What was your schedule like when you started at Challenger? What was your pay like?

    They're claiming a 90% placement rate post-program. Does that seem correct, and do you think I'd have any difficulties getting a job as an anglophone with only limited French.

    Thanks for your time.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.