Things are changing fast in Canada, for one 40cpm is a poor wage, especially if it’s made up of bonuses and targets. There are still companies that pay this way, but there are many more that pay a decent wage and pay you for layover and waiting time.
I’m just an owner driver with another truck and my driver earns significantly more than 40c per mile, plus he gets hourly pay for city work (tipping and loading) and a bunch of other extra payments on top. He usually works Sunday to Thursday/Friday and so far this year he has had a week on holiday in Cuba, has two weeks booked in June and will have at least a week at Christmas, so don’t believe all the gloom and doom you read, there are plenty of good jobs out here.
It used to be that the companies that brought over drivers from overseas didn’t have the best reputation, deservedly so, but immigration have really clamped down on them and they have to provide evidence that they are paying the going wage (which isn’t 40cpm) and that they are conforming to all the required regulations regarding immigrant workers.
The elog is now law to run in the USA, so running bent is no longer an option, this has led to some companies paying by the hour rather than the mile, it’s only a few at the present, but it will become more popular as time goes on, it’s a good way to attract new blood and the fact that companies are still looking overseas for drivers is proof that new blood is needed. The same applies to multiple weeks away on trips, there are lots of companies that still do that, but there are just as many that don’t, you’ll still be away all week, the vastness of the country dictates that, but there are a lot more scheduled runs available now as the industry is being dragged screaming and kicking into the 21st century.
As for where to go, that’s something only you can decide, personally I’m in Manitoba and I have a love/hate relationship with the place, there are better places to live and worse, but for me it gives a nice balance of earning potential and affordability.
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