The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is encouraged by a recent meeting of the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety, that focused on improving interprovincial trade and highway safety.

The federal, provincial and territorial ministers held their annual meeting last week in Quebec. While there, they discussed shortcomings involving commercial vehicle safety certificates that allow for carriers with unsafe records to reestablish elsewhere. The Canadian Council for Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) said it will improve data exchange between governments and complete reviews of key sections of the National Safety Code.

“By strengthening our supply chains and enhancing Canada’s connectivity, we’re ensuring the more seamless movement of goods and people,” Anita Anand, federal minister of transport and internal trade, said in a release. “This requires constant collaboration with all provinces, territories and Indigenous communities. Together, we are building a stronger transportation system that leaves no one behind and fully contributes to every community’s economic growth.”

CTA chief Stephen Laskowski said it’s time for action on chameleon carriers, improving infrastructure and addressing internal trade barriers.

“Canada’s Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, the Honorable Anita Anand and the ministers have been working with CTA and its provincial association partners on these issues, and it’s now time to turn this energy into meaningful action by dealing immediately with competitive barriers and productivity issues that have plagued the industry and destroying compliant companies while allowing those who don’t follow the rules to benefit,” Laskowski said.

He welcomed CCMTA’s commitment to developing an action plan regarding safety fitness certificates and cracking down on unsafe carriers.

“CTA has seen a strong correlation between unsafe trucking companies and illegal activities like forced labor and immigration abuse,” says Laskowski. “We believe if there was better public data between cross-border drug trafficking and other criminal activity, we would also identify a connection to the fleets that are causing these safety issues on our roads today. It is unacceptable that some of these companies are allowed to stay on the road even after they are caught in these activities.”

He said the lack of checks and balances regarding provincial safety fitness programs have resulted in the formation of consultants who help unsafe carriers exploit loopholes to stay in business.

“The federal and provincial ministers are showing leadership on the issues that matter to those in the trucking industry that are compliant with the rules and laws,” says Laskowski. “But, again, we must have a plan to act and implement it immediately. CTA and the provincial associations are ready to come to the table to turn words into action and restore law and order in our industry.”