Travelling around Australia. HR Truck jobs for a beginner in WA ?

I am retired and I have an HR licence. These days I keep that quiet as it often leads to job offers and even pleas for work. With the skill set you describe you should be able to be a bit choosy about the work you seek. If I was in your position I would be looking to do a variety of different things and further improve knowledge and abilities. Good luck I expect you will have a ball.

The biggest problem having a very green HR licence is getting the first job.....very few people want to employ a green driver...the more hours you have the better your chances are.

If you can get something, anything, driving ANY truck it improves your employability no end.

Some of the starter truck jobs are pretty horrid.

Have you thaught about meat transport or smallgoods.....before you head off.

You may be able to leverage your non truck experience and get some hours under your belt.

Up here in QLD what some blokes do is, do a UD licence course and go hauling cane...it don't pay all that well, and the trucks are bangers, but they have always been short because the blokes with hours bugger off up the mines.
If ya dont mind flogging an old inter arround a paddock all day..it can be a lot of fun.


BTW a UD licence is UnDescribed vehicle...basically a "WTF is that" licence....some of the vehicles that haul cane with..are....um...UnDescribable....it covers quite a variety of rural harvest equipment.

I don't know what the deal is in the south...but someone has to flog something arround the paddock chasing whatever harveser it is.

Of course there is always pumping $h!%%ers.....I know if I was despirate for a job, all I'd have to do is wait for the local, liquid waste company to advertise...most people don't do that work for long.

cheers

Gidday

I don't want to discourage you but just "turning up" in the Pilbara looking for any type of work is fraught with danger. There are lots of people working there but most are fly in-fly out types on mining projects and while there are local employers who employ local people accommodation is almost impossible to find for new arrivals.
There are hundreds of trucks a week heading north out of Perth to service the region but i would think most of the jobs are Perth based.
Don't let that put you off coming, the Pilbara is a magic place.

Cheers

Hi bob, as the others say. you will like the NW. Can I add, may be hard to get into mining, have heard a few stories of that. be prepared to build up experience doing any sort of truck to start: delivery ,containers, logistics, sheep/cattle, B double etc.. put your name in with HR employment agencies, take the "unwanted stuff" ie: working over Christmas, helps get you in. I was in Hedland about 6mths ago and have done several times visiting family- semi drivers were in demand for gen transport.
more tickets the better, agree with fork, do your 'dangerous goods' as well. will need white card, etc.. work may not come with accom- its hard to find and can be expensive. $300 a week for 1 room in Hedland. c/van parks often full. even with saying all the above negative stuff, still lots of development going on, especially in gas projects . I believe iron ore sites are slowing down currently.
look at alternates or duel skilling: dozer, grader, rigging, OHS, site safety/security, TA, paramedic etc....
funny you mentioning being a butcher- one in the NW is driving a fridge truck full of meats around the towns and doing very well.
wishing you the best.
mg.

Bob,

Before you leave Vic, I'd be ringing someone like Toll, and seeing if there's any positions available at any of their freight depots. Lots of fork work, right up to 16 tonners or bigger, and plenty of chance for rigid work(local deliveries), as well as some "in yard" articulated activities. Shifting trailers, breaking up and making road trains, and loading and unloading these as well.

This is just what I see going on at the Toll depots at Mt Isa and Cloncurry, and would imagine depots in other centres are the same. There seems to be a bit of staff turnover, but think it's mainly the younger staff who haven't developed a work ethic. Have seen a couple of young blokes get their MC licenses easily, after spending a year or two, doing this freight depot work. Once you get that you can join the realm of the sleep deprived :-))

Also, in a place like the Isa, you could even get a bit of casual butcher work........that's if you wanted it :-))

Someone mentioned station work for HR, but there might be a lot of other work mixed in with only a little truck driving.

Good luck, you don't know if you don't try it,

Bob.

I would also make the suggestion of getting your license in a manual. Truck companies are apparently having trouble finding drivers who can drive a manual.

Bob,
You'll most likely have more trouble finding affordable accommodation than finding work.
Dragging the van is a clever move, but expect pricey caravan park fees as you get closer to the larger mining areas. Also consider fitting A/C to the van - plan to be in the van for a while.
Even though some of the regional mining work has dropped of a bit in the past 12 months. For the past decade if you have your own accommodation in a remote town, you'll find work easier. Employers simply don't have to provide accommodation for you.
Beware - many towns have lengthy wait lists for permanent caravan sites.
I've met many people who have done the same as you and not looked back.
Enjoy

Bob W5

Follow through with your plan my friend and take a punt on it. I know of many that have turned up and had a go over the years, successfully. The non resident people to Ozz do it by the droves.
At least you will get to see the Pilbara, a great experience to say the least.
Get your fork ticket and HR licence before you leave home is the go.

Munji