TORONTO, Ont. – The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is calling for a government crackdown on “non-compliant” carriers, following news that those behind a company involved in the crash that killed 16 Humboldt Broncos are again working in the industry.

“Most trucking companies embrace a culture of safety and compliance, evidenced by statistics that show commercial vehicles and drivers are the safest operators on Canadian roadways. But there is a minority of companies who do not embrace this culture of safety,” said CTA president Stephen Laskowski. “To deal with these carriers, we must develop a national plan focusing more enforcement on non-compliant carriers and introduce a system that ensures companies entering the trucking industry are committed to safety and compliance from day one of their operations.”

The alliance is calling for a look at practices used by non-compliance carriers, and the development of “enforceable countermeasures.”

Adesh Deol Trucking of Calgary has had its safety certificate suspended while the investigation into the fatal Saskatchewan crash is ongoing. But the company’s other truck has been transferred to another carrier operating under the same address, but on a temporary safety fitness certificate.

This could be the sign of a “chameleon” registration, which involves re-registering a business under different corporate names and addresses while still being controlled to some extent by the original operators, the CTA says.

“The vast majority of responsible, law-abiding carriers in Canada are frustrated by the lack of oversight and enforcement of non-compliant fleets operating near the margins of our industry, some of which appear to have no desire to understand and comply with the rules,” said Laskowski. “It’s time for industry and government to come together to resolve these critical road safety issues by developing a coordinated national response that’s committed to monitoring and enforcement of non-compliant carriers.”