My story of trucking in North America: 6 Months since I landed in Canada.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

6 Months since I landed in Canada.

Hi everyone, sorry for the lack of posts and pictures but the truck is still in the workshops and I have been staying in the Sandman Hotel as I am not keen on the idea of taking another truck for a trip and possibly losing mine for god knows how long as it has everything I own in the world inside.
So, 6 months on since I came here and to be honest it has flown past. I started looking into coming to Canada about 2yrs ago and possibly my biggest regret is not coming sooner. That could of been a bad thing as now H&R have adapted to having European drivers and have changed there perspective on things which didnt happen in the early days. So how has it affected me?
I have never earned so much money.I now consider myself to be well off and discounting my healthcare contribution everything I earn is mine. I have never planned on saving for my old age as I wont be around that long, as soon as I cant wipe my own backside and some young girl has to do it its time for me to say "goodbye".
I have seen the most fantastic scenery, met incredible people and ate food that should of cost a weeks wages but its been given for free. Some of the lads I now call friends are the best I have ever had and hope that many more are to come,its the same sort of the friendship as being in the army where you would trust your mate with your life but not your wife.
I look forward to everyday and still get a buzz when the satellite beeps to tell me where I am going and to me as I enjoy driving its priceless.
To summarize the good points, I have money in the bank, can make good money if I have spent too much yet still can afford to blow cash in Vegas and not worry about it. I have seen roughly 60% of the States and still have a vast area of Canada to cover which in itself is something to look forward to.
The bad points have now fizzled out as they are really only the differences between UK/Europe and N.America and the way things are done. Sitting without pay is always going to be a problem, running bent without extra pay is going to grate the people who do it, I think you all know my answer to that, dont do it!
I cant really describe the being away from home bit as I left home at 17 to join the Army, then drove 13yrs european so I dont really get homesick. I do however miss human contact as some days you might drive all day, not go into a truckstop then go to bed,before long you realise its been a few days since you spoke to anyone. I have on occasion left the Interstate just so my satnav talks to me and tells me to drive straight on and join the motorway.
Am I glad I came? Without doubt!, Regrets? Not coming sooner!
As for people thinking of coming here, if you are single I think you are a fool for not giving it a try. It basically will cost you nothing, you will have traumatic times because its all new but there will be good times which outweigh the bad times 100/1.
I have the utmost respect for the families who come here, they must be under huge pressure and if I was still married I am not sure if I could make the decision to make the move. It seems that they all have a good life and the major plus point is that "troublesome" kids now excell at school and look forward to going. I would not hesitate to swap loads with a married man so he could get home, they deserve it and I would help in anyway.
As for the company itself, H&R Transport. Everything I was told would happen has happened. I earn more money than they quoted, I do the work I am expected to do. There has been nothing hidden and its a relief when you are really annoyed or stressed about something that a simple phone call results in a "We will sort it,dont worry about it" attitude.Personally I think they are a good company and as of yet have given me no cause for concern.
I have to say that tonight I have had a good drink, I dont know why but it just happened. I say this because H&R has a zero tolerance on alcohol while you are in charge of a vehicle and it could of been a lifesaver for me. I drank a huge amount whilst in the UK but literally overnight I stopped drinking. I respect the opportunity that has been given to me by H&R and that was enough to stop my drinking which I believe is a blessing.
I am relly glad I came over here and if I had to leave tomorrow it would be a sad day.

No comments:

Your bank, its your choice.

I have already covered a bit about credit here but something has come to light.
When you arrive in Canada you will be taken to a bank and an account will be opened for you.
You are no way obliged to open an account at a branch you dont want.
I have had a few hiccups lately with ATB, the latest being having to wait 2.5hrs to have it authorised for me to be able to but my new laptop as I was going over my daily withdrawl limit.
If you are not happy with your bank then you can always change it, just as I am about to do

Rubbish pic but I have seen it

The Salton Sea is an inland saline lake, occupying the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink, part of the larger Colorado Desert in Southern California, north of the Imperial Valley. The lake covers a surface area of approximately 376 square miles (974 km²), the largest in California. While it varies in dimensions and area due to changes in agricultural runoff and rain, it averages 15 by 35 miles (24 by 56 km), with a maximum depth of 51 feet (15½ m), giving a total volume of about 7.5 million acre-feet (9.3 km³). Sea inflow averages 1.36 million acre-feet per year (53.2 m³/s).

Facts about Canada

Canada invented the baseball glove in 1883
Canada does not own the North Pole.
Santa Claus does !!
Its population equates to 3 people per square Km
Canadians rank 6th in the worlds standard of living
Canada has almost 2 million lakes
Cigarettes and Alcohol are cheaper in the UK
Hockey is the national sport
The word Canada translates as "Village"
it has the longest highway,7604km long
Canada has 42 National parks
25% of the worlds fresh water is in Canada
Second largest country in the world
There are 3 oceans on 3 sides
Canada hs the worlds longest coastline
population is roughly 33 million
6 million of those speak french
It has six time zones

Winter is coming and its serious

A few weeks ago my night heater packed in through the night. I woke at 2am and the temp in the cab was -2. I was freezing in my pants and summer quilt. I told a canadian lad about it and received the biggest bollocking. How was I to survive if I got stuck somewhere for a few days in temps as low as -30 ? Basically I would die so the need for proper winter clothing is essential and needs to be in the front of the mind of lads coming over in the winter time. I have added a list of what I consider essentials and a rough guide to the prices.

Bank accounts and Credit

When you arrive in Canada you will be taken to open a bank account which is easy enough. Unless you can prove your credit worthyness from the UK its unlikely you will be offered a credit card. You will need one in the USA unless you pay cash for everything. The answer is to put cash up front. Mastercard/visa will give you a card if you put say $500 up front so in theory you are spending your own money but it will build you a credit history in Canada. Its worth budgeting for this before you arrive over here.