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Canada’s trucking industry at a crossroads as safety and compliance concerns grow
Recent audits and police probes found weak training, licensing fraud and maintenance lapses as temporary foreign worker approvals topped 8,100 in 2024.
- Decades of deregulation have reshaped Canada's trucking industry, with recent audits and police investigations uncovering significant shortcomings in truck maintenance and driver licensing. These gaps raise serious questions about public safety and worker exploitation.
- Christopher Monette, director of public affairs for Teamsters Canada, said the shift began when Canada eased trucking regulations in 1987, creating what he called a 'cutthroat level of competition' that displaced high-standard carriers.
- An Ontario auditor general report in May found serious training gaps at private career colleges, with some students receiving just 59.5 or 81 hours of instruction, below the 103.5-hour requirement. Police laid 24 criminal charges in January for alleged fraudulent commercial driving exams.
- Some trucking companies misclassify employees as independent contractors under the 'Driver Inc.' model to reduce costs. Monette said this practice cuts workforce costs by 20 to 30 per cent, disadvantaging compliant operators and exploiting vulnerable newcomers.
- Kim Richardson, senior adviser with the Professional Truck Training Alliance of Canada, argues restoring confidence requires strict enforcement of existing laws rather than new legislation. Experts suggest recognizing commercial truck driving as a skilled trade could improve professionalism.
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23 Articles
23 Articles
The Toronto StarReposted by 
Loonie Politics
Loonie PoliticsCanada’s trucking industry at a crossroads as safety and compliance concerns grow
In the depths of winter more than 20 years ago, Kate Shingler set off on the Plaster Rock Highway, a remote two-lane route cutting east-west through the dense wilderness of
·Toronto, Canada
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Winnipeg Free Press+20 Reposted by 20 other sources
Canada's trucking industry at a crossroads as safety and compliance concerns grow
In the depths of winter more than 20 years ago, Kate Shingler set off on the Plaster Rock Highway, a remote two-lane route cutting east-west through the dense wilderness of central New Brunswick.
·Winnipeg, Canada
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Total News Sources23
Leaning Left17Leaning Right0Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution85% Left
Bias Distribution
- 85% of the sources lean Left
85% Left
L 85%
15%
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