Bored US trucker wants to go drive in England

Funny how that works in reverse, though... huh ?

Come on, everybody !!! One and All. We got jobs.

 

Yeah, that's a good point. While I'm sure I personally will still be able to vross the channel Visa free with my US Passport post-Brexit, I'm not sure how that's going to work while driving a commercial vehicle on a work visa.

 

I had a similar question and don't want to start a whole new thread. Unlike OP, I'm American born and raised with two Scottish parents. I'm a citizen by descent and hold a current British passport. How difficult would it be for me to become a truck driver in Britain? Would my 7 and a half years in the US be meaningless? I've been wanting to move to Scotland for years now and have been feeling more and more curious about that prospect. Thanks in advance.

 

I visited a cousin in Bath, England a couple of years ago and I will admit that the extreme narrowness of the roads gave me pause!

 

Yes, and it's hard to position the car when driving on the wrong side. I was always worried about hitting the garbage cans with the mirror. Even did it a couple of times. I guess that's what I get for renting a midsize crossover instead of the little tiny cars everybody else drives.

 

Makes sense why cabovers are the standard... you really do need to see EVERYTHING in front of you! I've been hauling port containers for the last several years ( 45, 40, and 20 footers) and even they would be difficult on those roads!

 

I lived in Switzerland for 3 years. Not a truck driver yet, but my experience was that laws are strictly enforced. Traffic cameras everywhere. And folks obey the rules. Traffic just flows. I wouldn't dream of driving a truck on those narrow roads, especially thru the Alps.
Want to see the world? Join the Peace Corps.

 

I think the proportion of roads that are legal truck routes is much smaller over there, and it's much more critical to always follow them. As long as you do that, it's probably fine, or at least not any worse than Long Island and stuff. And the big motorways are totally fine, those are in better shape than US interstates.

 

New Zealand seems to be looking for workers.

I was just surfin' the Net one day, and looked up trucking jobs and immigration rules in NZ.

I was getting "Are you still interested in immigrating to New Zealand?" emails in my inbox for about two months, complete with links to helpful resources.

I've looked into immigration procedures for a few other countries, in case "push comes to shove" and I have to leave the USA.

I've found that most countries want a lot of money from you to immigrate, and want you to have six months to a year of living expenses. That's BEFORE you've moved your stuff and found a place. You have to have a job ready and waiting for you.

It was fun to play with in my mind, but I ain't going anywhere. Sorry for the long post and good luck!

 

Just go there for vacation occasionally and drive around. That way it always feels like vacation. If it becomes work it feels like work after all the headache of getting legal to work there.