Reflections on the last 7 weeks

Where ive been in my 3 trips out


H&R Freightliners are all fitted for CB's and antennas fitted, just supply a radio, plug it in and off you go 10-4.


1 of the main roads into Winnipeg.

Moose Jaw i think ?????

Flying J, Fargo ND i think ?????

My TomTom 910 and Sirius Radio.

Me gone from blue to red (+a few pounds)

We have now been here 7 weeks today, it feels like a lifetime, so i think now is a good time to reflect on what weve done and whats happened so far.

Q. Are we still happy in Canada?

A. Yes, generally life is better than in UK, some things are very different though but i think we have adapted pretty well. We dont own our own house anymore but in the short term i dont see that as a problem, to be quite honest i personally dont think it would be agood idea to buy until we are certain that we are here for good and we cant be certain of that until we get approved for Permanent Residency, up until then any number of things can happen, so for now we will rent.

Q. How did Luke settle in?

A. Good question Lyndon, when i see him next i will ask him. In other words we never see him now, when we first came over here the schools were out but one of the neihbours came round and took him to introduce him to the other kids, that was handy as the kids were in a 300 metre radius and as everyone round here is basketball mad, it was ideal.

Then the school term started and that was it, his best friend is a lad called Miguel who lives over the other side of town and thats where he is last night. I came home last night after 2 weeks away and it was
"Hi Dad, whats for tea and can i sleep round Miguel's tonight, mum can you run us round the video store?see you later, bye" and then he was gone.

Q. How is Gizmo settling in?

A. He hated the kennels in Colchester and i think hated the flight (stuck in a crate) even more, it affected him badly and it was a few weeks before he was his old self again, he also came over to the middle of a heatwave so the weather knocked him about too. the culture shock completely overwhelmed him and he needed a lot of TLC.

Now he is doing great, the walks are fantastic, he's got is appetite back and he spends most of his time in the garden which is huge, we have also got a lot of trees and bushes that he likes to hide in. We got him booked in to the local vet clinic and last week we took him in for a once over and got his insurance sorted out, all went well, even the bit with the rectal thermometer, the brave lad.

Q. How does Jan feel about all this?

A. On the upside. Jan now lives in a lovely big house with loads of room, huge garden, all new appliances, in a fantastic township, drives a new car, doesnt have to get up at 05:00 am to go to work at Royal Mail, spends more time with Luke (when he's here) and generally lives a life of leisure.

On the downside her husband is away for 2 weeks at a time (okay lets have the clever comments and get them out of the way LOL ) and then i come home for 3 days then i'm out again.
Does she miss UK? NO
Does she miss Claire and (Colin, Tracey and Leo)? COURSE SHE DOES, SILLY QUESTION.
Does she want to back to UK? NO
Would she change anything? Dunno, shes just disapeared down to the laundry room.

Q.What about Lyndon?

A. Happy as the proverbial "pig in s**t".

I love living in Canada, i love the life, the food, the culture, the people, the shopping, big juicy steaks, iced tea, Molstons, Nabob coffee, clean streets, polite teenagers and wide open spaces.

I also love cutting the front lawn and waving back to complete strangers when they drive past, i also love the fact that it hardly rains round here.

Q. What about going into the States?

A. Everyone i have met has been polite friendly and helpful, the people who serve in the shops are unbelievably polite and everything is so positive. Bearing in mind the sort of places ive been or driven through, i think the place is very clean, and the amenities are out of this world. The saddest thing i saw was down in Nevada where miles and miles of "GREEN" have been wiped out by wildfire. The place to stay if you are on the road is the Flying J, i have always found a place to park, even quite late at night, internet is available, there are well stocked shops, showers are always spotlessly clean and the restaurants serve fantastic food.Lets put it like this, if J were to open in the UK, it would go along way to getting a lot more people into the trucking industry.

It may be just me but when you have been there, the states doesnt feel so big, its proberbly because i now see it as all separate states rather than one big lump of land, actually it feels bigger driving in Canada because the Provinces are so much bigger.

Whats H & R Transport like?

Wellllll, its a trucking company that delivers temperature controlled food products to various places in North america. If you mean what are they like to work for, then the answer is, so far i think they are pretty good. Dont forget i havent been with them long but what i have seen so far has mostly been good. Okay lets elaborate!!!!

Like i said its a trucking company which means its business is moving stuff from A to B. They are not a family liaison organisation, a housing agency or a nanny group. Yes they want you to work for them and yes they need drivers and yes they will help you settle in but at the end of the day they are a trucking company and that means they come with all the annoyancies that comes with any company in our industry.

• Yes there are unhappy drivers (tell me a company that doesnt have those)
• Yes there are loads that dont pay well ( see point 1)
• Yes you get stuck out waiting for loads (see point 1)
• Yes your dispatcher will get you to do nasty loads (see point 1)
• Yes it always rains when you have to get out of your cab (i think thats just me)

It was exactly the same at Wincantons back in UK, it will be the same in Canada, The States, Europe, Australia and proberbly anywhere else in the world.

So far i am happy, money seems pretty good, i got a nice new truck, loads are easy, driving is easy, paperwork is a bloody nightmare and they got me home on time for my days off.

Q. What is the pay like?

A. I was dreading this question, its the one question thats on the lips of every driver and every drivers wife (sorry i should say spouse, wife, hubby other half or life partner) there are a lot of female drivers over here, a lot more than in UK.

Okay well lets be realistic, you wont earn full whack straight away, even if you get good runs because you are learning the job. I got the impression that the jobs i have done so far have had slightly flexible lead times so they could afford for me to be a bit slow. Someone experienced could proberbly get round where i have been in the last 2 weeks and proberbly shave a few days off, bearing in mind we would have both done the same distance so our pay should be identical, the other driver, if they shaved 3 days off the run, would then have 3 days extra which could mean an extra 1800 miles in the same time frame.

There is also the thing of being clever with your logbook (please dont think i mean running illegal) I mean utilising your hours and window of opportunity to get as far as possible, for example if you are delivering at 11:00 and you are 5 km from your destination and you get up at 06:00 to pretrip your truck and start your logbook from 06:00, then youhave just wasted hours, its much better to have a lie in so your window starts later in the morning, that way you can get further along the road after you are tipped. I know thats a simple example but im sure you get my drift.

Q. Which is the best company to work for?

Things to bear in mind.

• Size of Company, bigger the company, more chance of timely loads.
• $ per Mile, means nothing, look at average monthly miles, then calculate.
• Locale, is it where you want to live.
• Do you want to drive team or solo.
• OTR or stay in Canada.
• What is the benefits package like.
• Go and visit, dont listen to gossip.
• Tickle box or Auto.

Q. What happens now?

Time for Sunday lunch, Roast Lamb and mint sauce.

Till next time...........................