Canadian scam

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

With reference to the truck driving job’s offered in Canada that some of you guy’s have mentioned.
The company concerned states that it is acting one the authority of Canadian provincial governments and that they are involved with a recruitment campaign to recruit drivers and mechanics.
I emailed this company to point out that they cannot obtain work permits or visas for british drivers and that the HGV licence is not recognised so please stop trying to take money for things they cannot achieve. I got a response, at 3.00am this morning which shows that they are not a Canadian based company but a UK based one. They gave me a line about things i alreday knew but they choose to ignore.
I know of several friends who have HGV 1 and the relative financial backing ie; Sponsership from companies but who still cannot get work permits or visas. Truck driving in the USA & Canada are classed as ‘Unskilled labour’ and so does not qualify for any visa.

This company claim they do not take money from drivers untill they get a job offer, but all that means is any company can tell you in writting that you have a job once you have the relevent work permit / visa and CDL A. Once you have this in writting the company then charge you a fee but thats as far as you will get. You will not get the permit or visa. As for the licence, most companies will insist on you having taken a full CDL A course at around $5,000 or more. You could be lucky like me, obtain the visa through the proper channels then find a company who will loan you a truck for the test but you still need written proof that you have driven HGV 1 (with a trailer over 45ft) for at least 2 years before they will hire you.

I’m just posting this to stop any of you from getting your hopes up or worse still … getting ripped off.

2

I have recieved two emails from this company, the later being very abusive (I suspect because they have invested a lot of money in to this)

If they were genuine they would not be so offensive to me but try and prove the case, which they have not done.

If the province concerned really has such a scheme then all you have to do is contact the Canadian Consulate and find out the truth. 450 quid for forms is cheeper than 1500.

3

Name and shame them Pat.

With proof, you can name and shame under Rikki’s rules.

4

Pat.
I got some stuff sent to me about the yanks wanting 20,000 drivers in 2004. It was an advert for one company. The one who bought MS Carriers it said.

The trouble is I cant find the email.

Is that true?

5

Yes it’s true that they want hundreds of truckers, it’s also true that you’ll need to be a genius to find a way to get a visa over there without marrying a yank.

Edit: The above is correct for the USA, Canada is more sensible, try immigration.ca/ for more info.

6

For canada also try : the Canadian government immegration site

7

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a National Business Partnership with Swift Transportation to recruit truck drivers and other personnel. Both Emily Stover DeRocco, assistant secretary of labor for employment and training, and Jerry Moyes, president and chief executive officer of Swift Transportation, said the partnership will help the firm hire 20,000 truck drivers nationwide this year.

Courtesy of Transport News

That will make Swift a 40,000 truck operator

8

But will Swift be importing drivers?

9

OK, here’s the scoop, I live about 10 miles from Swifts US headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. SO let me tell everyone a little about them.

I, before I moved here permanently, was offered a job by them, they couldn’t wait to put me in a truck, I just had to get my green card, they told me they would sponsor me, but when they found out about all the red tapoe, the regular phone calls to tell me that they were still working on it, dried up. I called them and they told me too much bureaucracy, couldn’t be done.

So, now, ironically I deliver diesel to Swift…!!!

They are known locally for the drivers they hire being of very poor quality, a lot of them cannot even reverse, they hire them right out of school and promise them $30,000 first year, yes, you can make that, but only if you wanna run 16 hours a day flat out. The last I heard they paid 28c a mile, and with the fact that Swift limit ALL their trucks to around 55-60mph, ou have to run a LOT of miles to make any money. I gaurantee you seea Swift truck on the horizon, you mioght as well change lanes now cos you are gonna have too sooner or later. They also have a driver turnaround of 100%, thats the reason they can’t hire enough drivers, for everyone they hire another goes somewhere else.

I for one, wouldn’t work for them if they were the last company hiring in Phoenix, I’d move somewhere else and thats no lie.

Now the guy who owns Swift has a brother in law who owns Knight Transportation, also a Phoenix based major haulier. He runs Volvos and Freightliners, the former now being the majority, and, ironically again, I deliver diesel there too. Knight have a far better reputation and generally will hire you just as quick, but not without 6months verifiable CDL A experience, they pay at least 30c a mile, maybe more, and their trucks are 10 times nicer.

So just a word to the wise for those of you who have recieved something from Swift, bin it, or end up working for them and leaving in less than a month, thats if they can get you home in a month to quit…!!!

Regards

Stuart

10

Wheel Nut:
I got some stuff sent to me about the yanks wanting 20,000 drivers in 2004. It was an advert for one company. The one who bought MS Carriers it said.

Wheelnut,

MS Carriers of Memphis Tennessee is the company pleading for UK drivers over 10 years ago. I applied for what was advertised as a one year contract and received an enthusiastic reply with an application form to fill in. I also had to send £1.50 to Swansea for a copy of my HGV to be sent to them. This I duly did but despite having at that time some 30 years heavy experience of everything on big wheels including some American trucks I heard nothing else.

At no time on the form was I asked for date of birth or age but it was obvious from my CV that I was about 50 and assumed that this was a way of avoiding possible age discrimination laws.

More than happy now, in light of later events, that they turned me down but at the time it was annoying.

Salut, David.

11

For everyones info.

This very nasty guy on the Canadian site tells me he only chatges 1500 gb pounds to set up immigration, at todays exchange rate that works out at $3,725 (Canadian), that is 10x the actual immigration charges, so out of every applicant he is making at least $2,500. just for passing your forms on to the consulate.

12

Wheel Nut:
Pat.
I got some stuff sent to me about the yanks wanting 20,000 drivers in 2004. It was an advert for one company. The one who bought MS Carriers it said.

The trouble is I cant find the email.

Is that true?

Swift is a very bad company that can’t find good drivers. If there is an accident ahead of me I will bet that there is a Swift truck involved, last Thursday (19th Feb) within a 30 mile stretch on I 495 in MA there were 3 rear end shunts, all involved a swift truck doing the rear ending. I have witnessed the most humiliating situations that anyone could get into but it is always a swift driver in it.

They are the source of great amusement among drivers here because on the trailers they carry a sign reading “AWARD WINNING DRIVERS”.

They also offer 38c per mile so about 3 months ago a workmate of mine left ST Ann bound for them, this week he started back, he only got 1100 miles a week and no extras such as drop money or pick up money, there drivers sometimes sit for hours or days waiting for reloads … all unpaid.

13

Heck, I’d work for Swift if they got me the green card. They need to have 1 good driver :wink:

14

Im sorry this thread got corrupted a bit. It started as a canadian scam, my fault!

In the info I got there was a part about driver responsibilities, like.

Must be able to occasionally reach above shoulder level and below waist level for maneuvering and directing the controls to operate the truck.
Picking up a trailer, dropping a trailer, able to wind landing legs up and down manually and able to climb in and out of a lorry 8 - 10 times a day. It makes good reading, its on the swift site.

Theres lots more.

Sorry for the derogatory term used, Im a limey

15

I don’t know how much this Canadian company offered in the way of pay just to tempt you all but take into mind that if it was the normal US/Canadian offer of "Earn more than $50,000 a year you have to take in to mind that the exchange rate is $2.45 (Can) to the pound.
If any of you were succesful through this ‘Scheme’ after paying this guy 3 or 4 grand, then about 10 grand for the CDL A course plus accomdation set up no doubt by the company, you will pay out around 15K and earn a pittance.

Just contact the consulate as I sugest and save a fortune.

16

Without a name how do those people who were thinking of using the service know who to now not use??

17

Just don’t use any company that states it can get you driving jobs and work permits because they can’t unless you have other qualifications for residency. They are all out to make a fortune out of exploiting you .
If you really want to drive here or in Canada, just ask the authorities as I said and they will tell you the truth. They will if you want to apply charge about a tenth of what this guy wants.

18

A friend of mine told me he,d had enough and was trying to get the money together to drive in canada,I ask,d him where he heard about it ,and he was more than happy to tell me it ,was the truck stop news.So a few days later I took my break at rugby truck stop and picked up a copy to see for my self,and out of genuine curirousity(! spelling?)wrote to get the info and guess what ,was asked for a load up front,no way would I pay someone for what can be done for a lot less and my mate is still driving in england scotland etc–.Dont know the in,s and out,s but if someone,s offering a service they are going to want to be paid somewhere down the line.

19

In the nasty emails I recieved I was told ‘To mind my own and not interfere’ as this guy has invested a lot of money in advertising and expect to got a good profit in return.

In other words he is very narked that he is being exposed as a rip off. :wink:

20

Research on the old archived forums shows these threads on emigration companies to Canada

Four Corners Emigration

RockyMK’s immigration interview

RockyMK 's Made it!!

Rocky runs a forum on www.TruckNet.ca specifically to help those interested in going to Canada