U.S. visa suspensions a warning Canadian trucking must heed: CTA
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is warning that while the U.S. suspension on new visas for foreign truck drivers won’t have much, if any, impact on Canadian drivers, it should be seen as a warning to industry to clean up its act.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X last week that the U.S. is immediately pausing the issuance of all visas to truck drivers which require them to operate in the U.S.
The visas being suspended don’t apply to drivers in Canada, but in a subsequent release, CTA said “Canada must view these events as a wakeup call to clean up the issues within our system or risk potentially facing similar restrictions in the future.”
The visa suspension followed a Florida wreck in which three people were killed after running into the side of a trailer in the midst of an illegal u-turn. The truck driver was allegedly in the country illegally but had obtained a commercial driver’s licence in California.
Here at home, CTA says more oversight of driver licensing regimes is needed. It pointed to a June 2025 CBC investigation that suggested “bribes, forged documents … rigged testing and ‘buying’ of licenses” is not uncommon.
The alliance says it has provided government with a step-by-step plan to improve truck safety and oversight which must be enacted right away “to reverse the escalating trend of deteriorating truck safety and lack of truck driver professionalism on Canadian roadways.”
The CTA is also calling on the feds to close immigration loopholes that allow Canadian carriers to exploit temporary foreign worker programs.
“Among many other recommendations, CTA has repeatedly called on the Government of Canada to introduce a Known Employer Program at the front end of the immigration process. Done properly, this would cut off access to immigration programs for the unscrupulous ownership groups and restore integrity to the regime,” CTA said in a release.
Otherwise, it points out, the Canadian trucking industry – including safe, reputable carriers — could be caught up in the U.S. visa reforms.
“Government inaction on revamping trucking immigration programs, federally and provincially, has led to this situation we are in today. It is not acceptable that those who follow the rules and operate legally be caught in the net the U.S. is casting,” CTA stressed.
“The announcement by Secretary Rubio should be the clearest signal yet the non-compliant segment of the Canadian trucking industry which erode the integrity the driver licensing, training, safety compliance and immigration systems, must be dealt with immediately.”
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.
-
In Canada they just open a new trucking company other family ect if to many infraction or accident)In Canada these companies need to cleanup their act.There is melt but to many( I won’t say what group avoid the laws and most not ones born here)
All I can say.I delt with company hired driver and explaining he must understand per trip and write all minor and major.
A number of people including myself have been pushing for better treatment safer drivers with more training. Some groups in Canada opposed that and call people who support this with a certain word that starts with R
You need a better understanding of English to drive than fix a truck. In my opinion with the large trucking associations do not clean up in both Canada and Mexico Pressure will be placed to limit cross border truck drivers
There’s a big syndicate of Punjabi truck drivers in Canada. Liberal NDP and Conservatives all political parties are aware of the Sikh vote bank. Millions of truck drivers visas were issued to the Sikh Punjabis. This is not fair to Canadians and rest of the world. We need to stop this Punjabi truck driving monopoly.
If they can read and write and speak English how would they be “caught up in this” that would mean they are legal to drive?
Ontario trucking associations is a joke and just wants money nothing about bettering the industry!!!
You’re saying that this won’t impact Canadian drivers. I believe it will. Anyone crosses the border is under US laws. If a driver is stopped in Florida, they must obey the officers making the stop. I’m sure the French drivers won’t have too much trouble with thier accent. But, our immigrate drivers might if they cannot speak English or read “Jack and Jill”.
-
Then maybe they should learn English first. I have zero problem with qualified drivers, but They have to be able to read the signs, and communicate with officials
-
I strongly agree, companies that I go to, all complaints are non- English speaking drivers do not understand basic instructions… so learn English, read signs, signals, warnings, SPEED LIMITS, construction awareness, and be tested, you should have no problems.
-
It is of my opinion here in Canada that the trucking association does not have enough laws to protect the people on the streets. The Canadian government must monitor the trucking companies in this country, especially those that are involving East Indians that it seems like are always the on es driving these trucks nowadays! Stiffer penalties should be enforced! I also would love to see the government lower the speed limit by 10 km per hour for all truckers (tractor trailers) because the weight that they are hauling and if they had to do an emergency brake it’s going to take a long distance for them to stop. Yes, it might take longer to get there, but the people on the Canadian roads will be protected a bit better. Also. One more note: a comprehensive English language test that must be be passed before obtaining any class license.
-
I absolutely agree to lowering the speed limit of trucks and load haulers.. it is normally 20 miles less in other countries. I constantly come across huge rigs trying to upspeed me and outpace other cars and suvs on highway 400 in Ontario (Toronto/Barrie)
-
George, if you slow the truck down even more then more people will die because the 4 wheelers always get impatient and pass on double solids yellow lines, or on-ramp merges, on corners, turning lanes etc. More collisions will be caused by 4 wheelers taking risks to get around the slow trucks. Now teaching the truck driver the skills it takes to maneuver a rig more thoroughly like an apprenticeship program where there are different stages of weight the trucker can haul, will definitely make the roads safer. But we would all need to get used to higher prices for everything, even more than we are now, as the cost of having experienced journeyman drivers will need to be passed on to the freight rates which in turn increases costs on goods hauled. Its a tough subject to sort through and fix.
It’s high time that our governments do in fact change the way drivers get their CDL. As a commercial driver I have seen the bad behaviour out on our roads. If you don’t speak or write one of our official language you shouldn’t be allowed to drive a commercial vehicle. Every time that I rewrite my CDL I see that new Canadian are writing their CDL with an interpreter. I always asked myself if they are actually giving the answer to the driver who is applying for their CDL. How can a person be able to do their job without the knowledge of the language? This is not only for CDL drivers but for all drivers in general.
There needs to be more regulation on melt training, too many foreign drivers are buying licenses in the eastern side of Canada, Ontario ect, driving schools should be government run and regulated, no more translators or license trading, every body coming into the country should have to start over and qualify step by step, and trucking itself needs to be a red seal 5 year trade, limited by weight class and length, as to provide proper training, still too many inexperienced drivers in 70 to 90 foot combinations with little to be experience and unwilling to learn properly.
-
NO instead have gov set up non profit testing with gov oversight get rid of private testing in Ontario and private sector truck and car insurance. Also require all trucking companies that run into ont or across the borders from the U S to buy trip permits if they self insured
The O T A needs to hire 2 full time people to investigate complaints from drivers and lease ops against trucking companies
I am a migrant who came and follow the procedures and law in acquiring my truck license. For the asian community, they arrive this week and next week they have a truck license. Its happening. The govermrnt knows about it. Will they do something about it? I think only when someone from there family is injured or killed.. its all about MONEY. Politicians get what they need and turn a blind eye. Take a look at 80% of truck accidents. Who are the drivers?
My thoughts
Why is it that when a truck driver turns 65, he has to have a physical every year? And he also has to get tested every 5 years for his Driver’s licence, but a person that just has AG. Licence at the age of 17. Never for anything until the turn 80.
-
Only in ontario, which is sad and it is discriminating at the worst I’m originally from ontario I am almost 70 and I live out west to get away from all that. I don’t have to retest until I’m 80 which I don’t plan on driving a truck for the rest of the years. I’m planning on retiring in the next couple years but that’s ontario for you and that’s sad.
Trucker Inc. Is the culprit again. Poor folks have enough problems without their own countrymen treating them like slaves
High time to clean up the mess created in trucking industry by unscrupulous and dubious companies and licence issuing centres/illegal and fake licenses so obviously rampant in GTA too.
Alot of us know what the biggest change in trucking in the last ten years plus is and alot.of higher ups do too. The higher ups have just been Scared to say anything about it but as a driver we see it 1st hand all the time. The higher ups still will not say what it is but maybe they will start doing something about it…
It’s about darned time. The Canadian side has been eroded for so many years, and it’s evident in the every day traffic collisions, unprofessionalism, non compliant foreign workers without a care in the world. Can you say flip flops, feet up on the dash, cutting people off without a care. WTG President Trump…!!
Canada should have its truckers be more responsible years ago, our government is totally irresponsible also for all wrecks and damages these truck drivers that can not speak English either
Most truck drivers are professionals that take pride in their job. Some of the accidents or crashes you see makes a person wonder if the driver got his license putt of a popcorn box.
All imagrants that got there license in the last 10 years should have re write there license in English and pass a driving test by a reputable sertify agency. We know most of them bought there licenses outright or attended a school that was run by imagrant conartist for cash only. I drove truck for 40years and bus for 10years, so I’ve seen pretty much all there is to be seen on the road. The last 10 years of my driveing I’ve seen them do carless mistakes that would not believed and I’ve seen a lot people die from there careless mistakes and few fellow driver’s that were the best of the best…
As a professional driver i see the carnage left by unskilled( NEW ) Canadian drivers everyday and have had many close encounters with unskilled drivers of commercial trucks in the rockies of bc. Something needs to be done. They are an accident looking to happen and they do everyday
The system in Canada desperately needs an overhaul and New Canadian drivers need to be looked into. My friend was rear ended by a “new Canadian” driver. When the police arrived they discovered he was driving a transport with a G2 license. This is a learners license for automobiles. How many people have to die before they start addressing this?? My son is a transport driver, what he sees on the 401 with the Indian drivers is frightening.
THAT’S THE WAY IF CAN’T OPERATE A TRUCK IN SAFE MANNER U SHOULDN’T DRIVE A TRUCK THAT’S WHAT I Say EH!!!!
I agree that there should be more accountability in the trucking industry in canada. Truck Training schools are at the forefront of this. Schools are not being held up to the highest standards they should be. They are just revolving doors making money is there only priority not putting safe and defensive drivers on the road. I understand it is a business and profit goes hand in hand with that but with hundreds of new schools popping up under cutting the few good training schools out there I believe that the rules and regulations governing these institutions need a complete overhaul as well.
All Canadian drivers are already caught in this issue with “tougher driving laws” as of July 1st 2025 with speed monitoring with half or more commercial trucks are still driving at high speeds in the GTA so that’s a joke!! We are still seeing accidents involving truck drivers, people dying in VMA not just with commercial but regular drivers because of under educated Foreigners coming here on visas and driving Canadian streets and highways without knowing Canadian law and yeah that’s what they do, once their caught they close that business under that name and start another one and YES THEY HAVE THE MONEY TO DO IT they just opened their very own AIRLINE and a licensed corporated business does not fall on the individual as it should they should be arrested and charged the same as the driver if people get hurt or pass away due to a visa truck driver who technically should not be driving in any state or county until they have achieved Canadian status PR (permanent residence) not TR (Temporary residence) any licensing of any kind.
Then we might see safe roads but it’s not just visa holders it’s everybody. We live in an angry world right now and I have seen road rage from every race and that is a SERIOUS problem too, because our own government needs to set in law because right now it doesn’t matter if someone in front of you slams on their brake and causes the accident due to road rage it is the back person who is to blame which is wrong. And now that I’m here Let’s talk about the excessive hawking energy. T. A. Did you know that it is illegal to hunk due to impatient list? Yes, sounding your horn should only be used as an emergency, not because you are impatient and you want somebody to move out your way That causes anger and road rage as well. Until our Canadian law enforcements do something about it, nothing will change. And that’s why these people are getting away with it because they know this.
THE CANADIAN SYSTEM IS A JOKE.
Something does need to change within all of us because we can’t rely on our law enforcement to do it for us.
100% right but you’ve allowed this to go on for years and years and have done nothing absolutely nothing about it and I’m talking about the CTA you people there at the top encourage this and did nothing about it and now that the US has stepped up and done something you’re talking about it while talking is cheap do something about it
The us problems are caused in a great proportion due to Canada’s lack of oversight of it’s trucking industry.
I’m in the trucking industry. If we have many drivers on the road now, from Trucking schools that used corrupt teaching and exams while licensing, how many drivers? Why not bring these Driver’s in to be re-evaluated?????. Wouldn’t this be the right thing to do? How much damage have? Or will be done? From these obviously unqualified drivers. Who’s in charge?
-
Please retest all drivers that got a driver permit in the past 5 yrs if go into a city of over 290 000 people or cross the border of Canada and the U S
Also from now on unless the driver is disabled put a truck driver permit into 3 parts first 50 000 lbs next to 90 000 lbs the 3rd step to 140 000 lbs above 90 000 lbs requires 300 hrs of truck maintenance work and training in basic repairs and first aid CPR and be able to pass English and or French please?.
We need to expose fleets and shippers who are exploiting Tempary Foreign Workers.
Jail time would soon correct the situation.