In 2013, when Offaly man Eoin Kennedy left Ireland for pastures new, he never envisaged that he would be running his own haulage set-up in Carnduff, SK, Canada, called Rafter JE Custom Hauling.

Eoin spoke to the Irish Farmers Journal a couple of months ago when he was on the road hauling, it was about -5C and the sun was just about to rise.

“I am originally from Offaly. I worked in the US in 2011 on a combine crew and I loved it, so I said I would go and do that again in Canada back in 2013 when work got quiet in Ireland.

“I moved out to Canada in October 2013. When I first moved out here, I was mainly working with a combine crew, but it didn’t work out as planned.

"Then I had a friend that I stayed with for a few weeks and his employer gave me a job.

"I worked there for four years and then I have saved up enough money to start up my own business.

"I met my wife in 2015 and in 2017 we bought the truck together, so that’s how it all happened.”

The truck

“The truck I drive is a 2013 International Loanstar. It is 500hp and when I am fully loaded I weigh about 63.5t.

"I literally haul beet, barley, oats, peas, beans and sometimes I haul speciality products like DGD which is distiller’s grain or pellets.

There has been days it has been -30C when I have been out on the road

“I do an awful lot of local runs, so I could be doing three or four runs a day into the same elevator, but when I am hauling fertiliser I could be going six or seven hours one way for a load. It literally depends on the commodity.

"Out here in Canada, there is a lot of feedlots. I will be taking the calves out to Iron Springs Alberta area, there is an awful lot of feedlots in that area.”

Long hours

“I can do 70 hours in seven days or I can do 120 hours in 14 days. I run a 17/7, so that means I can do 70 hours over seven days.

"In a normal day, I can do 13 hours of driving over a 14-hour work period, which is over a 16-hour timeline.

"That means if I work 14 hours, I take a 10-hour break or I can do 14 hours over 16 hours and take two one-hour breaks.

“I love it over here and I wouldn’t change my decision to move out here at all. I never planned on staying out here this long, it’s only when I met my wife I decided to stay. I love the lifestyle out here.”

Getting the licence in Canada

“It was very easy to get a truck licence when I moved out here.

"When I worked in the States I had my licence, so I just done a refresher course to learn the laws for Canada, but now it’s after getting extremely strict since the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, which was a really bad accident where a truck didn’t stop for a stop sign and 16 people were killed on a bus.

“Since that accident, the laws have got extremely strict and you have to do training courses and certain hours of driving.

"I was lucky when I came here - the laws were a little less strict. It is a good thing that they have gotten stricter, but the cost to get your licence has also gotten higher.”

Expect the unexpected

“I am mechanically minded in some aspects, but I have a really good mechanic who does the jobs for me."

Eoin Kennedy

"I was down for two months this year with engine trouble. I had to get a new top end of the engine done, but the main thing is being prepared for being stranded on the side of the road, especially in winter.

"It can get so cold, 90% of the time I always have a bag with me. I am lucky that most of my runs get me home every night and I would say I get home 95% of the time.

"There has been days it has been -30C when I have been out on the road.”

Plans for the future

“I just plan to buy my own cattle trailer and my own flatbed trailer to haul bales. I don’t plan on buying trucks and hiring people to drive them for me, unless it’s going to be my kids that want to drive for me. I am happy and content to be doing my own thing on my own.”

The difference between Ireland and Canada

“The distance here compared to Irish lorry driving would be one of the main differences.

"There has been days here where I have done 1,200km in a day.

"I never drove in Ireland, but I do have a lot of friends that drive - that is the one thing that they can’t get over is the mileage that I cover.

"I would also be pulling an extra 24t to 25t compared to Irish hauliers. The roads in Ireland wouldn’t be equipped for bigger trucks.”

You can follow Eoin on Facebook @rafterje·Agricultural service