The true cost of trucking lawlessness and the endless empty narratives
As federal and provincial authorities finally step up enforcement against the illicit Driver Inc. scam, a dangerous narrative is creeping into Canada’s trucking discourse.
The same voices that once defended this tax evasion scheme now claim that enforcing our laws will shrink shipping capacity and raise costs for Canadian consumers. In other words – ridding our highways of unscrupulous carriers and protecting lives will cost too much.
This argument asks the public to tolerate tax evasion, labor exploitation, and preventable highway fatalities just to keep freight costs low. The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) firmly rejects this premise. With 27,000 supporters backing our Stop Illegal Trucking Campaign, the Canadian public rejects it too. They are frustrated with the lawlessness in our industry.
The cost of not enforcing the law
We must be honest about the real costs of failing to enforce the law. When oversight is weak, the burden is borne by Canadian families who lose loved ones to negligent operations. It is paid for by taxpayers who absorb lost revenues meant for public services. It harms vulnerable workers exposed to exploitation and threatens legitimate businesses trying to compete honestly.
The idea that we should subsidize low shipping costs through lawlessness is unacceptable.
Responsible firms adapt and thrive through innovation and efficiency. Decades ago, Canada mandated cleaner, lower-emission truck engines. It introduced new costs, but the industry complied for the sake of public health. Similarly, in the late 1990s, Ontario faced a wave of tragic truck crashes and wheel separations. The government sprang into action, building an enduring framework of enhanced safety programs. The responsible segment of the trucking industry gladly accepted those new standards.
Eradicating Driver Inc. rests on the exact same logic. Regulatory integrity is not optional. It is the cost of doing business in a fair, rules-based society.
Billions stolen from public coffers
Consider the severe financial damage this scam causes. Driver Inc. drains an estimated $5 billion annually from federal and provincial coffers in unpaid taxes, CPP contributions, and EI premiums. That is billions stolen directly from healthcare, infrastructure, and social safety nets.
The damage to our economic backbone is equally severe. Honest, law-abiding fleets — companies that pay their taxes and treat drivers with dignity – are being systematically driven out of business. They cannot compete against a model that slashes labor costs by 30 percent overnight by breaking the law. When compliant carriers go under, Canada loses its safest supply chain partners.
Worse, this model thrives on a toxic mix of misclassified workers and forced labor. Vulnerable, often newly arrived drivers are stripped of basic protections. When a driver operates without a safety net, the pressure to break safety rules intensifies.
This is where the model becomes lethal. Fleets that misrepresent their corporate structures are overwhelmingly the ones forcing fatigued drivers to work dangerously long hours, skipping essential vehicle maintenance, and overloading trucks. They treat safety infractions as a minor cost of doing business. The tragic results are becoming all too familiar on our roads.
Enforcement needed to restore fair marketplace
Enforcement is not an economic disruption. It is the restoration of a fair marketplace. If a transportation supplier’s business model relies on labor violations and externalizing safety risks, their “efficiency” is an illusion. Their lower prices simply download immense costs onto Canadian taxpayers.
Shippers and major corporate brands must also look in the mirror. Choosing a carrier solely on the lowest cost, while turning a blind eye to obvious signs of non-compliance, makes a company complicit in labour abuse and degraded road safety.
Enforcement is about strengthening Canada’s supply chain by ensuring every operator is held to the same legal standards. The time for excuses has passed. The law must be enforced – fully, fairly, and without exception.
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Many companies operate knowing that the chances of being audited or inspected are low. As a result, we continue to see issues such as:
Drivers exceeding their Hours of Service limits.
Trucks operating at excessive speeds.
Vehicles not being properly speed-governed or monitored.
Pressure on drivers to make deliveries at all costs.
Shippers and receivers impose penalties for late deliveries without considering safety or regulatory compliance.
These pressures can encourage unsafe driving practices. Drivers may feel compelled to continue driving when they should be resting simply to avoid financial penalties or to satisfy unrealistic delivery expectations.
I believe it is time to bring together a transportation industry working group consisting of government officials, carriers, drivers, safety professionals, insurers, and shippers to identify practical solutions that improve safety and accountability across the industry.
Some areas that deserve consideration include:
Increased compliance audits and enforcement.
Stronger Hours of Service monitoring and enforcement.
Enhanced shipper accountability when delivery requirements conflict with safety regulations.
Industry-wide safety standards and education programs.
Improved collaboration between regulators, carriers, and drivers.
The trucking industry is critical to our economy, but it must operate in a way that prioritizes safety for drivers and the motoring public.
Fixing the Trucking Industry in Ontario and Canada
New Drivers, Large Accidents, and Industry Reform
If governments, carriers, insurers, and industry associations want to reduce major truck accidents, the focus should be on training, enforcement, accountability, and professionalism.
Key Facts
Commercial Vehicle Crashes Have a High Consequence
Commercial vehicle collisions account for roughly 8% of road collisions in Canada, but approximately 20% of road fatalities. This means when a truck is involved in a serious collision, the outcome is often much more severe than a passenger vehicle crash.
Training Quality Is a Major Concern
Recent Ontario audits found:
Some truck-driving schools provided only 57% to 78% of the required training hours.
Some students were asked to sign off on hours they never completed.
Approximately 25% of training schools had never been inspected and just pump drivers out as trucking companies own them.
Inconsistent road-testing standards exist across the province.
Driver Experience Matters
Insurance industry research found that drivers with less training and less experience are more likely to be involved in collisions and generate costly claims. Insurance claims involving commercial trucking continue to rise.
Canada Has Safety Standards, But Enforcement Varies or None at all.
Canada already has the National Safety Code (NSC), which covers:
Hours of Service
Driver qualifications
Vehicle maintenance
Safety ratings
Trip inspections
Carrier audits
Load securement
The issue is often inconsistent enforcement rather than a lack of regulations.
What Needs to Change, change needs to happen NOW!
Create a National Truck Driver Apprenticeship
Current issue:
Many drivers receive a licence and immediately begin operating 80,000-lb combinations.
Recommendation:
Mandatory 6–12 month apprenticeship.
Require 20,000–40,000 km with a certified mentor.
Restrict new drivers from operating in high-risk environments until experience thresholds are met.
Similar models exist in skilled trades and aviation.
Crack Down on “Licence Mills” ASAP.
Current issue:
Schools are issuing certifications without proper training. This is a fact ,you just have to look at the schools, who owns them and why are there so many, most are not training.
Recommendation:
Unannounced audits.
GPS verification of training hours.
Video-recorded road tests.
Lifetime bans for fraudulent schools.
Public safety ratings for training providers.
Make Truck Driving a Skilled Trade Across Canada
Trucking should be treated more like:
Heavy equipment operation
Electrical trades
Aviation
Benefits:
Higher professional standards.
Better wages.
Improved public perception.
Better retention.
Increase Carrier Accountability
Current issue:
Some carriers hire inexperienced drivers because freight rates are low and turnover is high.
Recommendation:
Tie insurance premiums to safety performance.
Increase penalties for repeat safety violations.
Suspend operating authorities for chronic offenders.
Publish carrier safety scores nationally.
Improve New Driver Hiring Standards
Minimum standards should include:
Clean abstract.
Verified employment history.
Road evaluation.
Simulator training.
Defensive driving certification.
English or French proficiency sufficient to understand regulations and safety instructions.
Use Technology Properly
Many fleets now use:
ELDs
Samsara
Motive
FourKites
Geotab
Technology should be used to:
Monitor speeding.
Detect hard braking.
Identify distracted driving.
Monitor Hours of Service compliance.
Improve coaching.
Technology should not replace training—it should support it.
Focus on Driver Mentorship
One of the biggest gaps in the industry is that new drivers often receive little coaching after licensing.
Every new driver should have:
Weekly coaching reviews.
Quarterly safety meetings.
Dash-cam review sessions.
Formal performance evaluations during their first year.
Strengthen Roadside Enforcement
Increase:
CVSA inspections.
Brake inspections.
HOS enforcement.
Carrier audits.
Unsafe carriers create an unfair advantage over companies investing in compliance and training.
What Trucking Companies Can Do Today
Safety-Focused Hiring
Hire attitude before experience.
Conduct road tests.
Verify references.
Safety-Focused Culture
Reward safe driving.
Track near misses.
Hold regular safety meetings.
Use coaching instead of punishment whenever possible.
Training Program
Orientation.
Defensive driving.
Winter driving.
Cargo securement.
HOS compliance.
Monthly safety refreshers.
The Bottom Line, profit is everything and owners of the company cut corners.
The trucking industry’s biggest problem is not a driver shortage. It is a professionalism and training shortage.
Most serious collisions can be traced back to one or more of these factors:
Inadequate training.
Lack of experience.
Poor carrier oversight.
Hours-of-service violations.
Poor vehicle maintenance.
Weak enforcement.
A safer Canadian trucking industry will require:
Better training.
Better mentorship.
Stronger enforcement.
Greater carrier accountability.
Recognition of trucking as a skilled profession.
This approach would improve safety, reduce insurance costs, attract better drivers.
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It would also drive up freight rates and likely increase truck drivers pay so it not happen in my opinion
Everyone knows I do not like truck drivers to be cheated and not be paid properly. We need a min standard of truck drivers pay on a hourly pay especially for all truck drivers working Dec 15 to the first of April and or haul hazmatt or cross the border on payroll. I am happy to work with anyone like I did to help get 10 paid sick days for truck and bus drivers to get rid of these bad people who often cheat new people to Canada as truck or school bus drivers and taxi drivers.