Bylsma takes on OTA chairman role
Mark Bylsma, president of Spring Creek Carriers based in Beamsville, Ont., has been named chairman of the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) for a two-year term.
The announcement was made at the OTA’s annual general meeting on Oct. 29. He succeeds James Steed as a chairman after being a long-time supporter of the OTA and having served on its board of directors and executive committee, most recently as first vice-chairman.
Bylsma expressed his commitment to addressing key industry issues during his term, including establishing fair competition, advancing driver training reform, and addressing systemic industry issues like tax evasion and personal services business fraud.
Key goals include pushing for government action to tackle the underground economy harming compliant carriers, advocating for swift reforms in driver training and licensing, and preparing for the Gordie Howe Bridge opening, CUSMA renegotiations, and new GHG regulations.
“This [the underground economy] is an existential issue for our industry. I am eager to continue the fight until our concerns are seriously addressed by decision makers,” he told conference attendees. “We must all work together to raise the bar in our sector and demand government works harder to maintain the high standards we have diligently achieved over many decades for the Ontario trucking industry.”
Co-founder of Spring Creek Carriers with Calvin Bergman 30 years ago, Bylsma built the company from the ground up without prior experience in transportation. Today, Spring Creek Carriers operates over 40 power units, more than 60 trailers, and a brokerage division, Spring Creek Logistics.
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I wish him the best on his new position and I agree that changes must be made
Driver inc has been used by some bad actors and I think so have low wage ,T F Ws permits in a number of industries including truck bus drivers. I hope that the insurance issues in Ontario for all new truck bus and taxi drivers can get in insurance like M B or B C does
I think he needs to push joint industry and gov parking solutions. Push for drivers inc to be used for those that a genuine lease or purchase of equipment and the ability to haul at least 20 percent of the freight not from the carrier if here more than the season of April is Nov
I think his next priority should to push the ont gov to make testing br a nonprofit agency with gov over site with testers getting a min of $29 per hour for testing heavy truck and bus drivers so less temptation to take donations. Next work with those that got 10 paid sick days and the schools so we solve the issues of a shortage mechanics of both trucks and reefers units and raise the standard of driver treatment so young people from Canada will want to do the job. I also think a driver rep or healthcare worker should be a advisor to the board on driver issues so things like the 10 paid sick days and better medical coverage for truck drivers who go out of Ontario or those here as temporary foreign drivers get better medical coverage in Ontario
Many smaller trucking companies of his size have left the industry in the past 18 months and owner ops. I got a lot of push back when we pushed to get 11 paid sick days and to reduce foreign student truck drivers, and to try to get T F Ws that drive or fix trucks into the high wage streams of we as both a industry and drivers do not get a uniform standards of treatment driver inc will not disappear without causing many other issues like in the U K 5 years ago in my opinion. So you see he has a number of issues the both him and the O T A need to look at and decide a plan and decide on
They must work on the issues that affect the trucking companies while certain retail and wholesale companies are both members of the O T A and push to stop things that will make it better for drivers
So he has a very difficult position and will not be able to please everyone and good luck