How hard is it for an American to be hired as a truck driver in Australia?

I was thinking maybe the jobs that requries 4 yr University degrees are available for foreigners, but I'll ask anyway:

Would Australian truck companies hire American truckers?

I was thinking I want to be a truck driver in Australia because of the good weather, don't have to worry too much about too cold or hot weather unlike the US, so you can sleep in your truck relatively comfortably.

 

Write !!!!!!!!!!!

 

lol, if you think that you dont have to worry about the heat, i dont think AU is what your after..

i doubt any would bother to bring you here, but if you managed to get out here, im sure they would look at you..

it seems that the skills required are to be upright and have a pulse latley..

 

Oh yeah Lupe, summer can get pretty nasty without a Viesa (cooler) in the cab, we got heat and plenty of it over the summer months, go north and its sticky humid heat, stay south and its dry heat (Give me dry heat anyday!!).
Worse day I recall last summer was trying to sleep in the truck when it was 46c at Southern Cross in West Australia - Truck didnt have a cooler, so I gave up and got a room at the local pub, where there was nice cold pints of beer on tap to cool me off.

Over in the west (WA), they're calling out for guys to go work in the mines up north, alot of the work is remote, hot, long days, fly-in fly out (FIFO) work some do offer (they fly you from say Perth to Karratha etc). One mob that advertises a bit is Hogan Mining - didnt see anything about sponsored work on their website. Can't hurt to write and enquire i guess.

Good luck mate

 

DON,T TRUST Hogan Mining THEY ARE JUST A RECRUITEMENT MOB. Getting a job once u get over here will be easy, u may need to get a Aussie licence but that will be about it ( and correct work visa or whatever else is required by customs to work over here, but as far as meeting the criteria of transport companies you will not have an issue if you have experience and can drive.

 

Ok well here goes i've worked and driven in both Australia and in the USA and a truck driver driving B doubles in Australia and your normal 53' in the USA to work in the USA us aussies were required to get a H2b visa the company hiring us had to advertise for a required period of time if the didn't obtain the amount of drivers they could then apeal to the dept of Labour to say look we didn't get our quota then the dept of Labour would petition the INS ( Dept of Homeland Sec) and the would issue visa's . So thats how its done in the USA . However in Australia we have a few different ways for overseas workers to driver if your from a commonwealth country you can get what the call a working holiday visa which usually good for 18 months . However the USA is not part of the Commonwealth so you must apply for a 457k visa usually valid for 3 years and which also means you can legally apply for Australian Resendentcy . Most driving jobs going are with the Mining industry so check out different mining company adds and web sites for ( Dump Truck Drivers) like BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Macaurther Coal, Leightons, Theiss. just to name a few. Alternatively try the Australian Embassy web site it will have tips on apply for various visas. Hope that has been of some use to you .

 

How does the Australian trucking job compare to US ones in pay?

 

hard to compare, as to make decent money you will likley be dragging B-Doubles, Road trains ( if out west or up north ) or express.....

but i have no idea what the going rates are these days!

 

There's your chance Donk.

Do an exchange program with this driver.

 

yeah, could even set him up with a running buisness