BCTA releases comprehensive guide to hiring foreign drivers

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LANGLEY, B.C. — The B.C. Trucking Association (BCTA) has created a reference guide for carriers looking to recruit drivers from overseas.

The 55-page International Trucking Reference: Roads, Rules and Drivers guide identifies key considerations for carriers that wish to hire immigrant drivers. It provides an overview of the trucking environment in 10 countries to help motor carriers understand how the skills and experience of an immigrant driver may translate to a professional career in B.C., the association announced.

The International Trucking Reference was developed with input from carriers about the information they require to make hiring decisions about drivers who’ve gained the majority of their experience outside of Canada.

“Given that most B.C. trucking companies are small- to mid-sized, they may not have the staff to research the background of a job applicant with foreign experience. BCTA is pleased that funding from the federal and provincial governments has allowed us to create the International Trucking Reference, a dependable, easy-to-use resource that will save employers time and help them make better-informed hiring decisions,” said Louise Yako, BCTA president and CEO.

The guide was authored by Ottawa-based training and consulting firm Graybridge Malkalm. Countries included in the guide are: India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Korea, Romania, Russia, the Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The guide provides a profile of the driving environment in each country, including training standards and commercial vehicle types.

“Immigrants who call B.C. home bring a wealth of talent to our province – talent that employers can tap into as long as they know how to recognize the skills and experience. BCTA’s project will help employers understand the working environments of qualified professional drivers who have immigrated from other countries, and give them confidence they are hiring people with the skills their companies – and our economy – need,” said Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour, Shirley Bond.

The free guide can be accessed at www.bctrucking.com/careers.

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  • need to stop looking across the pond to solve the so called hyped driver shortage.Your resources are here.Figure it out.

  • It is a shame that there is a shortage of new drivers for Canada, but a great oppurtinity for new immigrant drivers to come to Canada to drive.

    Perhaps we can help them get the information that they will need to have while driving Canada / USA. With my road reference hand book they will get all of the information that they will need. They can get the book by ebook or a hard copy by simply email me @ hdtnt@shaw.ca

    We will be in contact with Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour, Shirley Bond.

    I hope that we can help @ Hammer Down Truck n Trailer / ceo: Gary Ball

  • It is time for both the Federal and Provincial governments to change the status of the professional driver from unskilled to SKILLED, this is now a profession that requires much training, and definatly requires skill! A national standard for drivers would also be an asset, companies must recognize the value of a well trained professional behind the wheel!

  • Again, there is no shortage of drivers there’s an abundance of cheap carriers not wanting to pay drivers a proper living wage.
    If there was a shortage, store shelves would be empty, gas stations would be out of gas etc…
    And driver’s pay rates would have risen dramatically.

    Please stop perpetuating this myth the associations want you to believe so they can keep driving rates down at the expense of those who actually perform the work, often risking and costing them their lives.

  • The solution is simple truckers stop bitching and start voting since the days of trudeau the liberals have engaged in social engineering under the guise of cultural diversity and to ensure its sucess they financed it with your tax money. So vote for your liberal BC govt and federally vote for another trudeau and carbon taxes that will come right out of your pocket and quit bitchin the rest of the country doesnt care because they hate you because thassociations dont engage in any worthwhile programs to fix this problem just more regulation against you. Want their attention band together and sway the vote like unions students etc. Quit griping find common ground and fire a few politicians especially cabinet thieves nothing gets a politicians attention more than ripping his snout out of the gravy boat.

  • The BCTA. and the OTA. were both contacted this week in sept. of 2014 about what needs to be done about the the problems the truck drivers are having. A small group of truck drivers have told the fed government to not allow any OTA. ,BCTA. or APTA. member to be allowed to bring more than 2 drivers per year until the current problems are looked at. The OTA. does not want to hear those problems despite letters phone calls and vists by truck drivers to their office. I am hearing the same thing from Truck driver who used to work for APTA> companies. This is also happening in B.C. When I went to the OTA. today they did not want to talk about the problems in the industry or at the customer docks. Some of the Problem customers are OTA. members and it seems that they think the federal government will not enforce fair treatment of truck drivers, and as Canadain truck drivers keep quiting they will be able to bring in more TFWs.

  • Stephen,
    I read what you wrote about trying to contact various provincial trucking associations with concerns about TFWs. From what you wrote, it sounds as if this was an organized effort, or at least an effort conducted on behalf of a number of drivers. If so, I’d love to hear more about your efforts.
    Carolyn Gruske,
    Editor,
    Motortruck Fleet Executive