Trucking groups meet Sarkaria, Piccini

To discuss “reversing the rapidly deteriorating state of road safety”

Update 1:30pm January 17, 2024: The list of organizations named as attending this meeting should have included the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario and the Women’s Trucking Federation of Ontario, which were inadvertently dropped from the list. Road Warrior News regrets the error.

(TORONTO, Jan. 15, 2024) — A group of associations focused on the trucking industry met with Minister Sarkaria and Minister Piccini in early December to discuss solutions to assist various ministries in reversing the rapidly deteriorating state of road safety, driver training and performance, professionalism and compliance in the trucking industry.

The group outlined the following short- and medium-term initiatives that require attention:

Short Term (Transportation)

•             Expand operating hours of truck inspection stations to 24/7 at key locations across the province.

•             Return to in-person audits as almost all current audits are virtual. Enhance audits to look at payroll records/TDG certificates to uncover misclassification.

•             Increase enforcement in urban areas and off the King’s Highways through increased joint forces initiatives (Police – MTO), particularly in areas where minimal enforcement has traditionally occurred.

•             Increase Heavy Truck Commercial Motor Vehicle RIDE programs.

•             DriveTest Centers – restrict testing vehicles to match the requirements for Training. i.e. tandem-tandem only, no trailers less than 45′, no flatbeds or chassis.

Short Term (Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)

•             WSIB enforcement blitz on temporary placement agencies (known in the industry as driver service companies).

Short Term (Colleges and Universities)

•             Combined oversight of the schools with qualified inspectors from both the MCU and MTO. This is to confirm operating status in paperwork and over-the-road and yard training

•             Mandatory instructor certification; make sure that people teaching have the necessary skills and knowledge to train the next generation.

Short Term (Finance)

•             Facility insurance for commercial trucking operations needs to be reviewed. The mechanisms for determining insurance premiums are outdated compared to the private market and do not consider the current climate for liability risks.

•             Ensure all trucking companies comply with their employer-health tax obligations.

Medium Term (Transportation)

•             Eliminate the satisfactory-unaudited safety rating category by increasing audit capabilities with certified third-party auditors.

•             Introduce automated speed enforcement on provincial highways.

•             Work with stakeholders to develop a Class A base licence with added endorsements for specialized equipment types/configurations.

•             Increase authority for MTO to request additional documentation during CVOR applications and renewals (i.e., driver payroll records, etc.)

•             Consider multi-party audit and roadside enforcement activities including CRA, ESDC, MOF, MTO, WSIB, CBSA, IRCC and OPP.

Medium Term (Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)

•             Mandatory enhanced screening of all companies using the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program.

•             Check immigration status of truck drivers to determine if they are here on student visas or temporary foreign worker program; and determine whether they have coverage or if there are unusual pay practices being used.

•             Initiate line of passive questioning to determine if forced labour is a factor – check all relevant immigration program information and if there are links to the trucking company. Follow up with audits if there are red flags.

Medium Term (Colleges and Universities)

•             Push oversight to third party to scrutinize the schools in operations, equipment, training plans and execution.

•             Create a stakeholder group to advise, assist and direct the DriveTest Centres to develop their own process of integrity for the application of testing and hiring requirements.

•             Implement a corporate risk assessment for use with the DriveTest Centre’s training, oversight and compliancy, that can also be used for the schools with their pass rates.

Medium Term (Finance)

•             Put a plan in place to review facility insurance on an evergreen basis to ensure it is keeping pace with the changing insurance landscape and those continuously attempting to manipulate the market.

The group will meet once per quarter over the course of 2025 and will be following up with both ministers to monitor progress on these recommendations. The coalition of trucking groups issued the following statement:

“As an industry we are appalled at the pace of deterioration in our sector from a safety and compliance perspective,” the group stated. “Public safety is at risk, good drivers and carriers are being driven out of the business. We have a good plan, and the ministers said they will work with us to correct this situation – 2025 will be an important year for the future of the Ontario trucking industry.”

Infrastructure Health and Safety Association

Ontario Safety League

Ontario Trucking Association

Private Motor Truck Council of Canada

Professional Truck Training Alliance of Canada

Teamsters Canada

Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario

Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada

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