GTA container truckers on strike

by Truck News

BRAMPTON, Ont. – More than 600 members of the Container Trucking Association of Ontario (CTAO) are on the fourth day of labour action.

According to the CTAO, container truck drivers who work as independent contractors have not seen a raise in rates in a decade, even for inflation, despite rising costs including insurance, fuel expenses, plate changes, and vehicle maintenance.

The association, that represents drivers who transport intermodal containers from rail yards, gave advanced strike notice on September 8, 2015 at 12:01 p.m.

“We are struggling to survive. See the data of the last 10 years. Insurance, fuel expenses, plate charges, truck prices and maintenance expenses have gone up and our wages have gone done. We are in serious trouble,” said Jaswinder Brar, CTAO vice-president.

The CTAO claims a culmination of factors including low rates, high operating costs, extensive wait-times at rail yards, long working hours, and the increased cost of living have created an untenable situation for drivers.

“Truckers want to be regulated and classified as skilled work,” said Patrick Rhodin, CTAO president. “Lots of abuse and exploitation is going on in the absence of that. Root cause of most our problems lies in this.”

CTAO says it will continue this labour action until an agreement can be reached.


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  • They put the rates so low to get the jobs that they priced themselves out work. Remember the saying so no to cheap freight.

  • The owner operator days are over,the cost to high,the revenue to low.stop bying trucks and get out of it.being slaves to the big corporations is not the way. Those days are over.

  • 10 years ago these same guys cut the rates to get all the work from the ports forcing good people out of the business. Now, they’re complaining about their own downfall.
    They’ve done the same to the aggregate business and are now working on the general trucking business.

    • Some how u r right Dennis I am owner operator in aggregate business what I feel person who is in the middle of company and truckers, they don’t let u do business straight with any companies .I think truckers get blamed.