B.C. adjusts PNP to permanently include long-haul truckers

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VICTORIA, B.C. — British Columbia has made changes to its provincial nominee program (PNP), including making a pilot project that includes long-haul truck drivers a permanent part of the program.

The PNP provides accelerated permanent resident status to qualified workers from other parts of the world, based on labour market and economic development priorities, the province announced. Long-haul truck drivers have been included in the program on a pilot project basis under the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled category of the PNP.

The B.C. Trucking Association has been lobbying to make the inclusion of truck drivers permanent. The province announced the change is effective immediately.

B.C. also announced it will begin more aggressively marketing its PNP and regional business opportunities to immigrants internationally, with a strong focus on Latin America, Eastern Europe, Russia and India.

The province also indicated it is lobbying Ottawa to increase the maximum number of nominations it is allowed. It’s currently limited to 3,500 nominations.

“The changes announced today will significantly enhance the effectiveness of the BC PNP in promoting job creation and economic growth in B.C.’s regions,” announced Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation. “The program is a vital component of our jobs plan and one that benefits every region of British Columbia through job-creating investments and by helping to meet the growing demand for workers in key sectors of our economy.”

While the BCTA lobbied for the permanent inclusion of truck drivers among the accepted occupations, not everyone was in favour. Larry Hall, head of the North American Truckers Guild lobbied against the move, arguing the province was overstating the earning potential of long-haul truck drivers and misleading potential immigrant workers.

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  • What a crock! Importing truck drivers. There is NO shortage of truck drivers but rather a REAL shortage of good paying jobs for truck drivers to go to. Is good paying freight stacking up in BC and it isn’t being moved? I highly doubt it. Driver wages are stagnant so where is the shortage. Drivers are a commodity like oil and corn and we all know what happens when there is a shortage of those two items.

  • There are many residents of BC who would like to get in to our industry but can’t afford training that will provide them with the skills they need to be employable. We should be investing in Canadians first!

  • I’ve been an owner operator in BC for 32 years. I’ve never seen such low wages and poor driving skills. You get what you pay for. There is NO driver shortage but a shortage of qualified drivers willing to work for substandard wages in substandard conditions. Obviously, this is driven by the large carriers that want a large source of cheap labour.

  • I have been in this industry for 40+ years and have seen changes come and go and most of them “not good..”. The idea fits right in with the Electronic recorders which basically allows the transportation company to hire an ape and turn him loose behind a wheel and hope he hits nothing..

    I am fortunate that I am in the twilight of my career, and I don’t have to tolerate the “knot heads” behind the wheel.. I can retire at any time. There is little or no “esprit de corps” to pass on to the new drivers because they don’t give a damn.

    The trucking companies just want everything delivered as quickly as possible because the larger organizations pay a lease on the power unit to the bank and the bank wants the best utilization of equipment… Why do you think most companies strive for 12000 mile months to be recorded by a driver…Its pressure from that avenue…

    There are very few companies running today that give the driver the “right to decide” when it comes to illness,inclement weather, or safety concerns.
    Soooo… when the old timers quit or retire what will be left???…a bunch of foreigners who can barely speak and read the language. These are the people my wife, kids, and grand-kids will have to dodge when they drive down the highway to the next town or city.

    AND what is left for the fellow left in the industry??? low wages.. no pride…

    To those people who are promoting this horse sh*t .. WAKE UP … make this industry attractive for a Canadian…. Train our own people first..

    But then again.. government thinkers couldn’t follow an elephant up the middle of Main Street after a snow storm, so how would we expect them to make any sense out of a solution for this problem..

  • The idea that there is a driver shortage is a lie. There is a shortage of good paying jobs. I have been driving in B.C. for 23 years and the skill level has dropped over the years as drivers leave the industry for greener pastures. Keep lowering the bar and myself and others will leave too and the underskilled drivers can run this industry into the ground. Hopefully they will not kill a family member on the roads while they do it. Wake up pay a decent wage and the seats will fill up on there own and the rest of the world can keep their own drivers.

  • been driving for years,haul fish,haul oil,food,vancouver island to winnipeg,ontario,the us, and the same thing everywhere i go,there is no shortage of good drivers,but a serious lack of pay. seems to me like companies make up this crap to hire tfw and keep the wages low. that is the problem and has been for decades, shame on them,our hwy need to be safe,the government needs to address this wage issue ,when you consider the hours of service you work when driving and the wage you take home,there is a problem,a very big problem. wages are the issue here,alberta pays well,new brunwick pays well,bc pays peanuts. but tfw will not be received well here ,let me tell you, enough is enough. they are going to have problems with all the truckers,it’s a wage increase we need,not some dumb ass tfw that can speak english and read road signs,fuck that crap. it’s not going to work. they wont be welcome. pay the drivers you cheap bastards. that’s the issue here not tfw’s.

  • I came from Jamaica to Canada from 2012 driving all over Canada I have no problem with the weather changes I head a guy comments speaking about experience what is experience no man is born with it its something you gain through training learning and applications . And then you adjust to different road conditions examples speed limit 100km/h but road conditions say you can only do 30 km but sometimes weather conditions says get off the road and park. I have seen a lot of drivers ignore both road and weather conditions and end up in the ditch . The bottom line is to obey the road sign and adjust to road conditions

  • What a crock! I have my class 1, but good luck getting a job if you have no experience. 0 at fault accidents in 24 years of driving and no traffic violations etc. I have 2 problems with getting a job. The first is I have no class 1 experience, and the biggest one is I am the wrong gender! I’ve lost track how many times I have been told I should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, or being told “Sorry we don’t hire women. This is a mans career.”