What to check on a workplace visitPre-duty checks, waiting for cargo, shift patterns and license support

In driving jobs, overtime and commission make up a large part of pay. To compare offers, ask what assumptions lie behind a job ad’s “¥___ a month or more,” broken down into base pay and allowances, overtime, commission and bonuses. If there is fixed overtime pay, check how many hours it covers, how much it is, and whether hours beyond that are paid.

What happens after you join matters too. Under a government notification, carriers must give newly hired drivers new-driver training. How many days does it take, and who rides along to teach you? If the company supports getting a license, confirm in writing before you join who pays, any minimum period of employment, and whether you would have to pay it back if you leave.

For trucks, the first question is whether runs keep within the on-duty hours and rest periods set by the Improvement Standards. Ask to see how pre-duty check records, driving logs and digital tachographs are managed; it tells you a lot about the company’s attitude. Drivers must record any wait of 30 minutes or more caused by the shipper in their trip records, which gives you a way to ask how much waiting really goes on.

For taxis, life looks very different on day shifts versus alternate-day shifts. For buses, check for split shifts and the start times of early and late shifts; for warehouses, how forklift qualifications are handled and who pays for training.

A visit is only for seeing the workplace, but if you do work under the company’s direction on a trial shift, you may be treated as a “worker” for that day (Labour Standards Act Study Group report, 1985). Trial shifts on Cura are paid.

Driving jobs, however, have things you can’t do even on a trial shift. Without a Class 2 license and driver registration, you cannot drive a taxi or bus in commercial service. Newly hired truck drivers also need new-driver training and an aptitude assessment, so driving a commercial truck alone on a trial day is hard to imagine. You cannot operate a forklift unless you have completed the course.

Trial shifts for driving jobs are therefore likely to center on riding along in the passenger seat, visiting the office or depot, yard work and watching loading. What you can do differs by company, so check the details before you apply. At a maintenance garage, work such as assisting mechanics, washing vehicles and changing tires needs no qualification, so a trial shift can come close to the real job.