Hi people have been looking at this forum for a while with interest.
Now, I have PM’d Steve with a request for some info.
Didnt want to bombard him with too much, so gonna ask couple more questions here.
Currently only have class 2 with Hiab, doing plant, construction machinery movements. Do I definately need class 1? ( Taking Class 1 in next few weeks)
How long before partner and 3 kids, and my beloved jack russell can come out to canada?
Dont mind the hard work and time away, do that at min, well not as much as previous. But when I met the mrs i was on european van work away for up to 2 weeks at a time.
How do you find the kids are with moving countries? Mine are 2, 4, and 7.
Have loads more questions and will ask them later when I get home.
Thanks in advance.
Only replies from experienced ex-pats who have been there done it please! 
hi clarky, ive been living in canada now for 9 years, not as a driver but as a mechanic, so i cant really give a valid opinion on that side of things.
do you have a permanent job offer here? if not it will be almost impossible.
myself, my wife and our daughter all moved here together at the same time, only thing was my wife couldnt work untill she gained permanent resident status which took us about 6 mnths…
my daughter was 11 when we moved here, and she loves it, shes moved away to vancouver now and doing really well…
its tough to begin with, but people here are so friendly and helpfull, and brits are very well thought of here…
although i must say, after 9 years i am missing home lots…
on the subject of your dog, im not sure,i think i remember a couple bringing there cats with them with no problem…
hope this helps,feel free to ask anything else
if its easier to email me feel free,
stevefarr@sasktel.net
oh and on the subject of licenses, you dont need a class 1,lots of class 2 stuff here, your lgv license is only good for 3 mnths anyway, then you have to take yopur test again, although you can trade your u.k. car license for a canadian one without a test…
Dont have a permanent job offer, as I wanted to get a few more pointers first.
Thanks for taking the time to read and reply, once I get the kids off too bed, the dog, cats and chickens fed I shall email you.
ok man, no problem…
just letting you know without a permanent job offer you wont get in, you cant just move here then try to find a job…
There’s nothing to stop you going out there on hols finding a job then staying, so long as you don’t tell immigration on your way in, then when you get your LMO drive across the border and turn round and come back in.
Taking a vacation and sussing out a country for possible residency is a great way to do it. 
You would be wise to come out and look around first as you need to be really sure about the move before you commit yourself.
The children will have no major problems adjusting as it is so exciting to start and they make friends easily before they realise they are missing anyone from the UK.
As long as the dog is in good health you can get a passport for it and the whole move could be made by everyone at the same time. That said, it is usual for one to come out a few weeks in advance to get things sorted out, then the family follows when there is somewhere to live.
With the age of your youngest, your wife will have little chance of getting a job as they start school later here. First grade is at six years old. If you have a PNP nomination then your wife could get a work permit without trouble though.
Thanks for your replies guys, Looking at the option of a 2 week holiday to get a look around.
Which is a good area to concentrate on?
Depends a little on what you are looking for, and how much money you wish to spend. I have a mate out here who works in Alberta but lives in Manitoba. He doesn’t earn much more than me, and I am on with a Manitoba company. There is no way he could afford to buy a house out there.
If the cold is going to be too much then you should look at the West coast, but it is expensive there, too. If the weather is not a consideration then the central provinces, SK and MB are much cheaper and are good places to be.
spot on bobthedog.
i live i saskatchewan right now… ( go riders ) everthing you said makes so much sense
but, it takes time to get used to the canada way of life…
eventually you may think it wasnt the best move you did…
you will miss home, trust me
Thanks Bob and les,
Well me and mrs C had a talk last night, looking on some sites about the areas, weather etc etc. She is looking towards saskatchewan, I fancy manitoba, so there is a bit of compromise gonna have to happen here lol 
Turns out one of our friends mum and dad moved too some place thats sounds like a part of a womans anatomy 
So…
We are looking to try and get out there and see what its all about.
We have set a time-scale limit of within 18 months, too get out there, we got stuff we need to sort out here.
We would have liked to get there sooner but from what we have been hearing, and in order to make the move as easy as possible it sounds like the main problem that ex-pats have is having enough money behind them to support them in the event of any problems, ie able to get the right house, travel back “home”, lack of decent work.
We think that around 50 k in the bank would be enough to make the move much smoother, for the kids mainly? The last thing I want is too drag the kids around the world and end up making them unhappy cos we rushed and failed.
Do you think 50 k is enough?
hey clarky,i live in Regina saskatchewan, the place that sounds like the womans part…lol
50k is a good start, it’ll get you approx 130k canadian… more than enough to find a good place to rent for a while and buy all the stuff you need untill you can geta mortgage… sask and manitoba are the two places that will get you more for your money… everywhere else has a much higher cost of living…
some places to try for are Big Freight out of manitoba somewhere, and Edge transport or trucking?? out of saskatoon, saskatchewan… they were both hiring and traing brit drivers…
another on is H&R, not sure where they are, google them all, you should be able to contact them…
good luck
I don’t know what other qualifications you have, but the best way is to come over, look around, then try to find an employer tp sponsor you.
Canada needs long haul drivers so you will need a class 1 and you can get into Canada through the PNP. It’s kind of a fast track way into Canada but you have to qualify for the job. In Alberta, you can also get sponsored through the PNP as an trucker in the oilfields. The are many jobs for drivers in the oilfields and the work is at times exciting though you could have to spend a few days away from home and Alberta is not a cheap place to live these days but still cheaper than the UK.
I was just in Alberta a couple of weeks ago and things are sure busy.
You should maybe check out this company www.sanjel.com They pump cement down wells and other types of well servicing work.
If you decide to go over to have a look, visit Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Regina, Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton. You should also try Medicine Hat.
Best of luck to you, your family and the little Jack Russell.
Thanks to all of you for your responses,
I have been away for a couple of days, just back in tonight, been looking all over the net and found some interesting stuff.
Mrs C been surfing for the last couple of days and sent a few emails on my behalf to companies and other people requesting info etc.
Looking like Saskatchewan is where she wants to go.
Been looking at some figures for costs of living etc etc, seems quite reasonable there? 
One thing I want to ask and that is on some job vacancies it says class 1/ A?
As I have stated earlier only currently have class 2, but about to take Class 1 in next few weeks.
I am quite keen to stay within what I know and that is Plant Low loader type work, judging by the volume of vacancies within the construction/plant industry there seems to be a shortage here? Is this the case?
Nicholas I did notice ALOT of jobs on the oilfields, I prefer the specialised work to the run of the mill haulage.
1/A is class 1 with the air brake endorsement. All the normal things. You would need it anyway as you can’t sit the class 1 without doing the air brake test.