New driver overseas

I assume you can apply for a visa to come and work the normal way, but I know there are limits on how many legal, productive people we can have coming into the country.

You might do some research and see if there are any Portuguese folks running truck operations, or companies that have trucks, in the US that you could reach out to. They might be willing to help out a person from "the old country" by sponsoring you for a work visa.

 

There are companies in Chicago which seem to specialize in euro drivers, often called "white volvo companies". Try Craigslist around there, look for ones that pay via 1099, which is as a contractor over here.

Also the Russian Truck Driving School in Las Vegas might have info.

 

I don't know the rules regarding immigration and foreign worker programs in driving.

I do know that we have a massive surplus of drivers, and that there is no real urgent need for drivers. Drivers are a dime a dozen around here.

 

The last time I was in a truck stop the fuel desk looked and smelled like a third world refugee camp. It can't be that hard for foreigners to get work visas.

 

You don't even have to know how to drive forward, only how to back into stuff.

 

Work as a Truck Driver in the USA - VisaPlace - Canadian & US Immigration Lawyers

 

Only a shortage of drivers willing to work for next to nothing over here.

 

G'day Rui i may be able to give you some advice not really help as it is extremely hard to obtain a work visa in the USA. Back in the mid 2000's a whole bunch of us were recruited to drive in the USA we obtained H2b work visa's this has to be done by a prospective employer it is very time consuming and can cost a bit so most companies don't bother with it. While it is true there is a huge demand for OTR drivers in the USA i don't see them making any changes any time soon to help companies in need to recruit oversea's drivers. The truth is with a population of over 300 million people there should be enough to fill the vacancies with out looking overseas, however not everyone wants to be a truck driver they'd rather work 9-5 in a nice air- conditioned office. so hence the short supply of drivers. If you can find a company that does have access to H2b visas that'd be the way to go, there are also options of getting a H2A visa that is a temporary visa issued to agriculture workers the employer must pay for your travel expenses so hence most will recruit from countries close to the USA like Mexico and Canada.