dmerchound
Well-Known Member
Truck drivers and Canadian immigration
"Truck drivers and Canadian immigration
Sometimes Canadian employers are not able to find qualified truck drivers within Canada. This is especially true for certain parts of Canada where unemployment rates are very low. In those situations Canadian trucking companies are reaching out and hiring foreign workers.
..........snip..................
Copyright volation to post entire article. Follow the link.
https://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf
I pasted that before I say this:
I was too far away from what I am about to describe to do anything about it, or I would have done or tried something to try to prevent it from happening.
Last week I watched a guy from Croatia (specifically mentioned above) pull out of a driveway and make a blind side turn. He had more trailer than he had room and the trailer tandem went in the ditch nearly upsetting the whole combo. The trailer was a loaded reefer. The positioning left the trailer leaning heavily to the right and lifting the tractor drives off of the road so he had no traction to back up.
So everyone makes mistakes and there are various levels of skill out there. I get it, and I know most of you do as well, and I am consciously asking you to remove that consideration out of this discussion. Please keep reading below to get to the point I am trying to make.
Wages and rates are a factor of demand for drivers and supply of drivers to the transportation labor market. Many people who were born in this country (Canada) and the USA refuse to drive trucks because the wages are too low. Theoretically this should put pressure in the market that will drive wages up. However, when companies are subsidized with cheap labor, which is what these foreign workers are, then wages will not go up because there is no incentive for the companies to operate logically within a free market environment.
Now... I get this crap argument from all types of people who do not understand economics that "hey, nobody here wants to do it... so why not bring the foreign workers in???". These self-entitled people making these statements are typically making above average income sitting on their fat a$$es in their office buildings (many of whom are government bureaucrats) and who have the ATVs, boats, sports cars and cottages on the Georgian Bay would have to pay more at the grocery store and the sporting centers if we drivers were getting paid fairly for the hours we put in... and they are part of the problem. Sorry for the rant here, but I am sick of these people (in particular) not taking five seconds to understand why globalization is not good and is hurting North America, but I digress.
That guy who made the bad turn works (or maybe worked) for one of the five largest carriers in Canada likely didn't have a job by that evening. The worst part is that there are 10 guys (back in Croatia) in line behind him for that job, so.... it's no skin off that carrier to pack him home and take the next guy. What do you think the impact of this scenario is on the industry??? This carrier is self-insured... guaranteed... they all are nowadays because they cannot afford to pay insurance companies to cover the costs associated with what I have described.
So instead of these companies taking some responsibility and developing young drivers who were born in our countries the carriers have come to rely on government program subsidies, which is what this foreign worker program amounts to. The public is still paying for it, but instead of rates going up and the standard of living of the workers increasing, executives and owners are getting wealthy off of the backs of people like you and I and others from other countries who are considered expendable.
I'm not attacking any sitting political party or specific government official. This has been going on for years and years and is apolitical in nature. This is policy that has been used by governments to mollify corporate lobbyists. The government should have stayed out of the market and let the companies figure it out on their own. If I am wrong with any part of this assessment then please feel free to correct me.
I'm just looking for your thoughts on this. It's just a discussion. Inquiring minds want to know why wages are so low and I believe that this foreign worker program is one contributing factor. Another question I have is, is why doesn't the education system address the shortage. I mean if you're going to spend public money to bring foreigners into the country, then why not invest in our young people (which is what or public education system is supposed to be doing) to contribute in a key sector of the economy? Just food for thought.
"Truck drivers and Canadian immigration
Sometimes Canadian employers are not able to find qualified truck drivers within Canada. This is especially true for certain parts of Canada where unemployment rates are very low. In those situations Canadian trucking companies are reaching out and hiring foreign workers.
..........snip..................
Copyright volation to post entire article. Follow the link.
https://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf
I pasted that before I say this:
I was too far away from what I am about to describe to do anything about it, or I would have done or tried something to try to prevent it from happening.
Last week I watched a guy from Croatia (specifically mentioned above) pull out of a driveway and make a blind side turn. He had more trailer than he had room and the trailer tandem went in the ditch nearly upsetting the whole combo. The trailer was a loaded reefer. The positioning left the trailer leaning heavily to the right and lifting the tractor drives off of the road so he had no traction to back up.
So everyone makes mistakes and there are various levels of skill out there. I get it, and I know most of you do as well, and I am consciously asking you to remove that consideration out of this discussion. Please keep reading below to get to the point I am trying to make.
Wages and rates are a factor of demand for drivers and supply of drivers to the transportation labor market. Many people who were born in this country (Canada) and the USA refuse to drive trucks because the wages are too low. Theoretically this should put pressure in the market that will drive wages up. However, when companies are subsidized with cheap labor, which is what these foreign workers are, then wages will not go up because there is no incentive for the companies to operate logically within a free market environment.
Now... I get this crap argument from all types of people who do not understand economics that "hey, nobody here wants to do it... so why not bring the foreign workers in???". These self-entitled people making these statements are typically making above average income sitting on their fat a$$es in their office buildings (many of whom are government bureaucrats) and who have the ATVs, boats, sports cars and cottages on the Georgian Bay would have to pay more at the grocery store and the sporting centers if we drivers were getting paid fairly for the hours we put in... and they are part of the problem. Sorry for the rant here, but I am sick of these people (in particular) not taking five seconds to understand why globalization is not good and is hurting North America, but I digress.
That guy who made the bad turn works (or maybe worked) for one of the five largest carriers in Canada likely didn't have a job by that evening. The worst part is that there are 10 guys (back in Croatia) in line behind him for that job, so.... it's no skin off that carrier to pack him home and take the next guy. What do you think the impact of this scenario is on the industry??? This carrier is self-insured... guaranteed... they all are nowadays because they cannot afford to pay insurance companies to cover the costs associated with what I have described.
So instead of these companies taking some responsibility and developing young drivers who were born in our countries the carriers have come to rely on government program subsidies, which is what this foreign worker program amounts to. The public is still paying for it, but instead of rates going up and the standard of living of the workers increasing, executives and owners are getting wealthy off of the backs of people like you and I and others from other countries who are considered expendable.
I'm not attacking any sitting political party or specific government official. This has been going on for years and years and is apolitical in nature. This is policy that has been used by governments to mollify corporate lobbyists. The government should have stayed out of the market and let the companies figure it out on their own. If I am wrong with any part of this assessment then please feel free to correct me.
I'm just looking for your thoughts on this. It's just a discussion. Inquiring minds want to know why wages are so low and I believe that this foreign worker program is one contributing factor. Another question I have is, is why doesn't the education system address the shortage. I mean if you're going to spend public money to bring foreigners into the country, then why not invest in our young people (which is what or public education system is supposed to be doing) to contribute in a key sector of the economy? Just food for thought.
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