Well, the posts regarding this pretty standard trip show how things can go badly wrong.
Rang the customs brokers to confirm I was clear to cross the border and low and behold the customer, who assured me that the papers had been faxed, had failed to do so.....another hour wasted faxing 11 sheets of paperwork.
Eventually left Fargo at 11am after not even setting the alarm clock and reached the Border at Emmerson (a new crossing for me). For a change all went extremely smoothly and within 30 seconds I was in canada. Ran to and parked at the Flying J Headingley which is 13 miles from the customer and thats me, all done for the day at 3pm. The load delivers at 0930 Monday so I will be there an hour early and hopefully, fingers crossed its whipped off the trailer at lightening speed.
So, to summarise both the outbound and inbound trip.
Hrs driving: 46.75
Other work: about 11hrs not including waiting time of 7hrs at shipper
Miles covered: 2700.
Approx wage inc bonus's :$1224 (minus tax)$820
Cash spent on expenses: $55.
This trip could of been so very different had a thing or two gone my way but thats life eh.
8 comments:
Hi Phill
one thing i did not ask at interview was do they pay night out money?
faxing, is that done at truck stops?
are you taxed on your expenses?
approx $1200 for approx 65hrs is an average week? is a little better than i was expecting.
struggling to sell my house at the momment, might have to sell at a loss.
i got provisional dates as 7th or 20th of march so hopefully see you soon,
i may not comment much but i am still following your blog, keep up the good work.
cheers dave.
Hi phil,
So your take home pay is about £400 uk per week. Is that about average or a good/bad week?
Ridiculous that you don't get paid for all the other work you do that is essential to the job. Must be over $200 you should have been paid for the OW. What about nights out allowance and lunch money? I realise things are 'different' in Canada, or should i say behind the times. No wonder there's a shortage of long haul truckers in North America when the pay and conditions are such that the decision to choose a slightly lower paid job in order to spend more time at home with ones' family wouldn't be too difficult.
I am planning to come over next year to work for siemans (i only have 2 years exp. H&R want 5yrs) and i get frustrated 'cos i feel that my pay, working conditions, family and social life would not be as good as they are here. 5 weeks paid holiday, £1500 christmas bonus, work 4am till 12pm everyday, home every evening, £450 before tax, £330 after. ($840, $616).Sorry Phil, rant over. feel free to edit as you wish.
Hi Didster. Faxing is done at truckstops and depending on which one you use they either will do it for you or they have kiosks which will copy, scan and then fax to the brokers. I have just questioned today whether we are taxed on expenses and I wasnt happy with the answer which was no but the explanation seemed a lettle shady. I am going to look into this.
Night out money is classed as a meal allowance which you claim back at the end of the year. Canada and the USA pay different rates for being away from home but come 31 dec you add up how many days you spent in each country and then you can claim back a big percentage of it. Last year I claimed for Oct, Nov, Dec and received a cheque for $3350 which was nice.
The last trip was worth approx $800 net, this is pretty poor by my normal standards but if you are single,didnt do a lot of work through the week then how much more do you really need?
Thanks for reading.
Phil
Hi Graham T,
The last trip was pretty poor cash wise, its very rare that I drop below $800 unless I miss getting my time sheets in then its on the next wage.
My reply to Didster should answer your questions about night out money.
I see you mention bringing a family over, you have bigger balls than me let me tell you. I can afford to ride out the bad times as I have zero bills, the pressure must be huge on the married lads not only to bring home the bacon but to get home as often as they would like. Mind, saying that a lot of families who come over love it and manage very well. From what I can gather the kids love the place and school is now something they look forward to which is a huge bonus.
No apologies needed, after all you you put up with my rantings.
Have a great Xmas if we dont speak before.
Cheers,Phil
Heres the views of a married guy over here with wife, son and dog.
We lived on just my wage for just over a year quite comfortably as long as i was doing the mileage but when things were slow through either lack of runs or me taking more time off than i should due to family visitors or trip back to UK then we had to be a little carefull.
Now my wife is working it has made a huge difference, we have a lot of expendable income and can even look forward to some extensive home improvements next year.
Graham T, please take this advice in the spirit its offered.....
If and when you start driving for a Canadian company, try not to compare it with what you are doing now. The job is harsher, the conditions more intense and you will be expected to do a lot of things that you just will not get paid for.
Putting on snow chains, detention at customer, non payable layovers, roads closed due to weather.
Guess what, its all part and parcel of the job and your cents per mile covers it all.
Most drivers in UK are in your position and even though you may not realise it now, you have got it very easy in what you do.
We dont take breaks every few hours, we drive a lot more than 9 hours per day.
I would say this to anybody....
If you are coming over here to find the bigger better deal or to solve any kind of financial problems, then you are going to be disapointed.
If you are coming over here because you want to be here, to be a part of the North American cummunity then you will experience some amazing stuff and your family will have a better life in a friendlier and safer envoironment.
Above all remember, Canada does not owe anyone a living, take it or leave it but be very carefull for what you wish for, it doesnt suit everyone.
There you go, if everyone else is ranting then im going to have a go too. 8-)
I can't remember where I read it, but ...
If you want to make a small fortune in Canada ...
Bring over a large fortune, and get a job as an OTR driver lol.
I have had a cake walk in the UK for the last few years and I know I will be run into the ground in Canada compared to my leisurely days here, but, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Hi Mick, you have done your research and know what lies ahead. I am sure the pro's outweigh the con's for you.
As Lyndon has written above it can be done although a lot of effort is needed at times.
Goodluck and I will hopefully catch up with you next week.
Cheers,Phil
Thanks Phil, yes we've researched, and as I've said elsewhere, it's bloggers like Lyndon and you who provide a good insight into what to expect, so, thanks again.
See you soon.
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