OTA president Stephen Laskowski and Kriska CEO Mark Seymour headlined the National Recruiting & Retention Symposium in Burlington, Ont. this week where they discussed the beleaguered Canadian freight market exacerbated by Driver Inc. which continues to undermine the industry.
As reported by Leo Barros of Today’s Trucking-Trucknews.com, Laskowski said the rapid push to move freight before the tariffs hit provided artificial stimulus for a while.
As a trade war looms, there may be a silver lining. The U.S. president’s executive orders may assist compliant carriers, pushing the non-compliant ones out of the equation, Barros reported.
However, the spectre of the tariffs still loom large.
“There is talk about shifting trade partners, there will be nothing left of my membership,” he said. “We need to figure this out with the U.S.”
Both Laskowski and Seymour bemoaned the lack of enforcement of regulations against companies that misclassify drivers and benefit from that business model by avoiding taxes. They urged the government to step in to assist carriers who are doing the right thing and following the rules.
Switching to another hot topic, discussion moderator Mike McCarron of Left Lane Associates highlighted the “demolition derby” taking place on Highways 11 and 17 in Northern Ontario.
Laskowski said that a survey of 1,500 truckers conducted last year, about 80% didn’t want to drive on those roadways due to the conduct of other commercial drivers. He called for increased enforcement and permanent staffing at the $30-million.
Full story here.
Photo credit: Leo Barros