VICTORIA – Certain transportation sectors are being hamstrung by a shortage of qualified drivers in Canada.

Factors impacting capacity are felt more acutely in seasonal sectors like fertilizer transportation, says president and CEO of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, David Bradley.

Speaking to the North American Fertilizer Transportation Forum, hosted jointly by the Canadian and US Fertilizer Institutes, Bradley said the hazardous nature of the commodities hauled in the fertilizer sector – and the high level of training and special commitments that come with it – drivers are harder to find.

"Because of the seasonal nature of the business, there is often not enough iron and people when you need it," said Bradley. "For carriers the challenge is what to do with the drivers and equipment the rest of the time.

"That’s a smaller pool of drivers from which to draw upon and ultimately leads to higher labour costs."