A Caledon, Ont.-based community group is asking the federal government to strengthen oversight of commercial drivers and trucking operations, arguing current enforcement, training, and accountability gaps are putting public safety at risk.

The Caledon Community Road Safety Advocacy Group (CCRSA) made the request in a brief submitted to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, citing what it describes as persistent dangerous truck activity, weak penalties, and limited visibility into driver histories.

The group says the issue is particularly acute in Caledon and surrounding areas bordering Brampton and Vaughan, where heavy truck traffic intersects with growing residential communities.

The group was formed following the death of Adrianna Milena McCauley in September 2024, which involved a transport truck and resulted in a guilty plea to careless driving causing death under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act. CCRSA argues that cases involving commercial vehicles can carry consequences that are disproportionate to the risks posed by large trucks, especially when compared with ordinary passenger vehicle offences.

Among its recommendations, the group is calling for federal action to improve auditing and expose what it describes as an underground trucking economy. It is urging Ottawa to implement a reporting system similar to the T5018 program used in the construction industry, saying such a system could help identify unreported payments, overseas brokers, and the illegal use of independent drivers.

The brief also highlights what CCRSA describes as dangerous on-road behavior, including trucks making U-turns on highways, driving at speed on road shoulders, and entering oncoming traffic from narrow roads and driveways. Members included photographs documenting these incidents as part of their submission.

Beyond on-road safety, the group points to the spread of illegal truck yards operating on improperly zoned land, often agricultural property, where trucks, trailers, and intermodal containers are stored without municipal approval.

Illegal truck yards

CCRSA says enforcement actions are slow, fines are minimal, and operators can continue to function for years while cases move through the court system. It says dozens of active investigations into illegal truck yard complaints are currently underway in Caledon alone.

Additional recommendations include creating a national commercial driver safety registry to track serious violations across provinces, reviewing Criminal Code thresholds for commercial vehicle fatalities, mandating event data recorders in regulated trucks, and establishing national minimum standards for commercial driver training and recertification.

The group concludes that lifting the federal T4A enforcement moratorium is only a first step and says broader, coordinated action is needed. CCRSA is urging the federal government and provinces to work together on reforms it believes would result in noticeable safety improvements for communities affected by heavy truck traffic.