Any UK truckers here that moved to Canada?

Hey 00Gambit.
I would concur with the advice regarding Manitoba. I emigrated from Yorkshire a good few years back to Steinbach, MB to work for Big Freight systems hauling flat deck Canada and US wide.
After gaining permanent residency I joined a real nice family company hauling reefers mostly down to the South west states. Texas, Arizona and California.
Best people I have ever worked for and fast forwards to today and I am a proud Canadian citizen and also an owner operator although I still haul for the same company.
Emigration from the UK to Manitoba definitely worked out good for me in the long term.
Although it is a more difficult proposition now than it was then, I feel that if you can find a way to make it work then you could still reap the same rewards potentially.
BTW. I don't think it is possible to obtain a Canadian CDL without actual status in Canada and by that I mean a work visa so you would have to find the employer and have the job offer first.

 

You are pretty much correct in what you say.
It is both difficult and futile to try to make a comparison.
I am a bit out of touch with company pay rates as I have owned my own truck for the last 5 years so obviously pay my own salary.
When I was a company employed driver I grossed $70 - $75k which was subject to tax of course although long haul drivers can expect a nice refund from Canada revenue every year which can easily be $4 - $5k.
I have no idea if or by how much the average salary will have changed by now.
Even if you convert the CAD currency to GBP it is not going to answer your question because you are not going to be buying anything in the UK with it so the comparison is pointless.

 

00Gambit As a general rule the further west you go in Canada the higher the pay rates.
I live on Canada's west coast. The winters are milder here and the summers not as hot.
I have a commercial drivers license but I work as a mechanic mostly on trucks. I tried to retire at 60 last year but a local truck shop made me an offer I could not refuse. There is a shortage of qualified people in all professions in Canada.
One of the problems in the trucking business is that hauling contracts go to the lowest bidder. If a company has a contract and they are making money when the contract comes up for renewal someone will bid lower and take the contract. This makes it tough to make a living as a driver or an owner operator. I have seen quite a few go broke over the years.

 

I live on the wet coast too. Be careful if you have your own truck. Most of the companies out here are scam outfits. Contract or not, you'll end up having to go to court for non payment. I myself have 3 cases in various stages of the legally system. Be aware, that while Vancouver is not very cold in the winter, go east and you'll find it fast. If you don't know how to chain, learn. We have mountains here, real mountains. The rates here are either less or more than elsewhere, depending. But the cost of living is sky high. Gas and fuel prices are obscene too. There is still money to be made pulling deck or specialty loads. I doubt you'd like some of our grades in the winter coming down with 145,000 lb gvw. Anyhow, the first rule of thumb is BC stands for bring cash. Hope you have lots, otherwise, you're better off staying east of here. Good luck.

 

Hi I lived in Canada for a year if you can get over there you will love the countryside out there I did the driving is easy to get use to please let me know if you get over there I would love to move back there

 

Ha ha ha your in for a big surprise if you think there will be no bugs in Canada, once the snow clears and the weather warms up watch out. But yeah in the colder months you'll have no worries if you don't mind putting up with slippery icy conditions, personally I'd choose the bugs any day over slippery icy roads. And by the way it is not scorching hot through out all of Australia, perhaps parts of the Northern Tropics in Queensland, Northern Territory, and Western Australia it will be quite hot in summer however much further south in New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania the summers are much milder with the occasional heat wave that will last a few days but then again when you think about it you can even get a heat wave in Great Britain too.

 

Hi Gambit,
how did it go? Did you make it?

Like my name reveals, I'm from Bavaria. 14 years in Manitoba, still with my first employer.

And I do agree to many of the previous posters. You seem to have your act together.

Good luck in your journey.

 

probably a lot Easier to get out to Canada when you made the Move Merry Christmas