Nova Scotia plan to end 80/20 deal sparks trucker backlash
The Nova Scotia government’s plan to tear up an agreement that ensures work on road contracts in the province weighs heavily on Wayne Bolivar.
He owns 12 trucks, and employs 20 people including drivers, mechanics and office staff and says that this will have a huge impact on his business and staff.
“I won’t be able to afford to stay in business. Every little company will be trying to cut a side deal for the contract. It’ll just be dog eat dog until only the strong survive,” he said.
He says about 1,500 truck drivers’ livelihoods — along with others in related trades and services — are in jeopardy.
Doug Faulkner, president of the Truckers Association of Nova Scotia (TANS), said that Fred Tilley, minister of public works, issued a letter Aug. 13 stating the 80/20 agreement would be terminated at the end of 2025.
He added that TANS, an association of aggregate and asphalt haulers was formed more than 50 years ago. In 1994, the 80/20 agreement was created requiring that local business would supply 80% of the trucks needed for road-building using rates set by the government, while the contractor could bring in the remaining 20%.
The association has 475 members, some single truck owners and others with larger fleets.
Liberal leader wants government to reverse decision
Interim Liberal leader Derek Mombourquette called on the government to reverse its decision, saying it could lead to major job losses for local truckers at a time when Nova Scotians could least afford it.
“We can’t rip the rug out from underneath small businesses and truckers. Ending the agreement without proper consultation or a clear plan leaves people and communities vulnerable,” he told trucknewscom.
The letter from the minister states that the province is taking a leadership role in a Team Canada approach to reducing trade barriers and the 80/20 deal is one such barrier.
“Beginning in 2026, trucking services for Capital Highway contracts will follow a market-based government model,” said the letter obtained by trucknews.com.
The government will honor existing contracts signed before Aug. 13. The minister did not respond to trucknews.com’s request for comment.
TANS’s Faulkner said citing free trade as a reason to end the agreement is not a satisfactory explanation. He added that TANS members hardly every go out of county for work, so this decision affects small, local businesses. Besides the hundreds of drivers affected, there are also people associated with the industry, including tire suppliers, repair shops, fuel companies and back-office staff who will take a hit, he adds.
Faulkner said the association is reaching out to lawmakers to keep the 80/20 rule in place. He owns a 25-year-old Western Star and was busy working when trucknews.com contacted him.
“It is difficult to focus on work during this kind of situation,” he said.
Safety concerns
He added that the association was not consulted. Mombourquette also said that Liberal lawmakers were not consulted and only learned about the decision after truckers in Cape Breton informed them.
Trucking company owner Bolivar said the government move will affect safety. Presently, TANS members ensure their drivers and trucks are safe.
If truckers start cutting rates in a bid to secure contracts, they will start neglecting maintenance leading to safety issues, he noted.
As he watches the situation unfold, Bolivar fears the end of equal opportunity along with business.
Have your say
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Sounds like Tim Houstan just gave Municipal -Dexter Contracting the golden ticket .
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Changing this agreement seems a step backward . A move to interprovincial cooperation should not put existing agreements at risk.
Well a lot has to do with immigration, the feds allow the trucking companies to bring in drivers when there is no shortage, they pay them pennies on the dollar, then the born Canadian truck driver and company get out our of work due to undercutting rates. Most Canadian drivers and companies play by the rules, but these foreign drivers don’t know what the rules are not do the companies that hire care what they are.
I do know I watched it happen in my own province Ontario
, a load that I got paid 1800 now moves for 1100 but not on my truck. It’s time for the feds to stop immigration and look after it’s on born Canadians before we have no Canadians working and all foreign drivers that have already destroyed most of Canada by bring their scamming ways and their dirty laundry to our shores.
This not fiction this is fact.
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You are absolutely 110% correct. Those are facts. I to am from Ontario and have seen this play out for far to long. The owner operators are a thing of the past here. One guy can’t make it on his own with 1 truck. Rates are at the bottom end which is enough to cover fuel for the day with enough left over to get a sandwich forget about maintenance nothing left. All of Canada will and is in a mess. Not to mention the carnage on the roads. Drove down rates and increased insurance. The asphalt and gravel trucks around T.O is an abomination shouldn’t be aloud to be in a field let alone the busiest hwy in Canada. These trucks will make it to Nova Scotia they go in packs. I’m from Sarnia way and that’s all I see for construction trucks around here Brampton which is 3 hrs away but yet the county hires these guys cuz they are CHEAP. Who cares about safety they are CHEAP
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No one. No one cares about safety when they can get cheap rates.
However, there is a very simple solution. One that I doubt any politician, whether they are municipal, provincial, or federal, has the guts to implement … make the company, and the person, responsible for hiring carriers responsible for the carriers actions while they are conducting business for, and on behalf of, the company/person that hired them.
You want to see business take a sudden keen interest in safety compliance … just add in that one little regulation.
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Amen..they know exactly what will happen..the government doesn’t care..they are going to destroy this country and its well on it way..
The province is responsible for paying for all the road repairs, and therefore, every citizen of the province is paying for road repairs. Why would the province want to pay $700 more for every single truckload, when they could open up the market and get it for significantly cheaper?
It may suck for locals and a few businesses. But at the end of the day, it’s saving millions of dollars. It’s called a free market. Even the gentlemen in this news story that was being interviewed said, ‘only the strongest companies will survive’. I was unaware how passionate people are about weak companies that can fail if they don’t have work handed to them.
This is so short-sighted. Economic certainty (or the lack of it) has always been a problem in the trucking industry. Cancelling the 80/20 will lead to the province being flooded by rate-cutting, Gypsie operators from out of province and probably result in reduced highway safety, less local employment, less quality in the services provided, potentially increased emissions and more churn in the industry.
Think about this next time you see a dump truck on a road job in Ontario … The MTO doesn’t even believe in their own CVOR system enough to require their own contractors to have been audited SATISFACTORY or above to work on Ontario roads projects.
The very government body that requires, by law, carriers to be safe operators, does not require them to be proven safe operators to win and perform government contracts !!!
I 100% agree. This decision will cause the same problems as we have here in Alberta. Companies lowballing fir the work , with no regard for safety or maintenance ,lower pay for drivers and putting workers in a position where they have to spend long periods of time ,working away from their families. It’s lose lose for everyone except whoever getting it done cheaper for their shareholders.
As a seasoned professional driver with over 40 yrs experience, growing up around the industry, I believe that the government is trying to eliminate the independent end of the industry. It gives them more control, opens the door to the immigrants to come in, most of whom are subsidized, whether by the government or the “church” and create an unfair advantage that discriminates against regular Canadians trying to carve out a living. Not to mention, the unsafe protocols that will without a doubt, make the industry less safe. I see the dangers more often now, than say 20 yrs ago. The highways are. More dangerous than ever now, I know I’m not the only one who sees it. Sad to see the government ruin everything they touch these days. Thanks for the opportunity to say my piece.
Respectfully, Todd Ward.
Cheap rates by carriers who don’t give a damn about vehicle or driver safety – low wages with abuse of temporary foreign workers and no maintenance on vehicles – all costs lives. Is this the direction we want our industry to continue to travel???
Wake up people!
More East Indians taking over, too bad some of these politicians wouldn’t follow these guys around for a day, let’s face the truth here they come here get there license at a Punjab driving school, most of them couldn’t drive a nail in a board and now our wonderful government puts them in trucks, take our jobs,haul freight for next to nothing and get subsidies from from our wonderful Liberals. Go to there country and try what they are doing here (Good Luck) They have the trucking industry in this country ruined so let’s put an end to it before it is totally destroyed. Have everyone follow the same rules and put an end to subsidies…… Anyone heard of a level playing field.
I am not currently a TANS member but I do work alongside the industry for a major contractor as an operator in the trucking industry. I feel that we all need to step up and come together and voice our opinions (TO BE HEARD) and put an amendment to this decision to be rid of the 80% 20% agreement. There are a lot of individual and smaller family businesses that rely on this as their future. That being said! This decision will unfold into unknown circumstances that will take effect if they go through with it. I’m here to share my gratitude of the TANS and willing to come together as a fellow trucker and voice my opinion to help in any way shape or form to put a stop to this decision!
The problem is too many truck drivers that are driving down rates