CTA offers budget suggestions to stabilize supply chain
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has submitted a plan for the Canadian government to address the commercial driver shortage and help secure economic recovery by stabilizing the supply chain.
“Currently there are over 23,000 truck driver vacancies in Canada, and this is expected to increase to over 55,000 vacancies in 2024,” CTA chairman Jean-Claude Fortin said. “This shortage of professional drivers is having a negative impact on the supply chain and by extension the economic recovery of Canada.”
Recent data made available to CTA shows a 30% to 45% decrease in the availability of trucks year-to-year for the North American business community. Other data shows that load volumes have more than tripled at times when compared to last year. The number of trucks available in some instances declined from about three trucks per load a year ago to 0.5 trucks per load currently.
The alliance recommended the following measures be contained in the upcoming budget:
- The government approve Trucking HR Canada’s proposal to the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program (SWSP). This proposal focuses on shorter term support to help address barriers for new entrants entering the trucking industry.
- CTA would like to see widely available and long-term new training funding support established for trucking, like forgivable grants to cover entry level training costs.
- An institutionalized wage subsidy program to support the onboarding/training of new entrants into the industry. This is needed to support post-licensing on-the-job training.
- CTA would like to see the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) application process streamlined, a recognized employer program introduced, and a seamless path to permanent residency created for our sector.
- Establish training tax credits for carriers to support investments in their training programs and onboarding new drivers.
- Establish a national Driver Inc. enforcement campaign to ensure current drivers are not working in the underground economy and that their rights are protected.
- Establishing a federal-provincial heavy truck rest stop infrastructure program to support commercial drivers.
Have your say
This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.
No foreign drivers or training assistance money except for disabled people until a min industry wage rate is set with overtime and proper medical care for sick or injured
Nice article, I’m a trucker with a poor income. The easiest way to get people interested in trucking is raise the wage as there thousands of drivers who refuse to work for such poor wages.
Not easy to a achieve, but please don’t call it a driver shortage when far from the truth.
-
Over a 100,000 truck drivers in ont doing other things. I know of about 60 truck drivers that got sick or injured and ended up homeless. The ont gov and the trucking industry needs to better
No shortage of drivers if they got overtime hourly pay and proper medical supplies or proper food and temporary housing if necessary. Thee race to the bottom is very bad. Just a shortage of good receiver and safe Parking
The highways are closed again today in northwestern Ontario it snowed and tractor trailers are the reason
It is no secret what was holding the steering wheel soon Canadians will not be able to travel thanks to the CTA
The federal government of Canada is so corrupt. The citizens of Canada are at risk of a dictatorship. They should of listen to the truckers. I know that I will do everything to stop the change of digital banking and the future children of loosing the freedom our for father’s worked hard to give us. Trudeau government has created so many crimes and the cta has helped them not helped the drive. So sad this country has become so corrupt.