The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) is urging Ontario to complement recent commitments made by the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety(COMT) to collaboratively combat non-compliance of labour, tax and safety rules in the commercial trucking industry associated with the Driver Inc. model.
At a meeting in Vancouver last week, COMT also emphasized national safety of commercial motor vehicles with renewed a commitment to improve and coordinate federal, provincial, and territorial action on enforcement on training and licensing. These efforts closely align with recommendations the OTA has repeatedly made to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO).
As driver and commercial vehicle compliance is being prioritized by the Council of Ministers, OTA is reiterating its call that Ontario’s Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facilities (CVIF) be open on a 24/7 basis and include federal and provincial enforcement resources and the presence of all relevant agencies and departments to combat industry lawlessness.
Additionally, OTA says MTO must eliminate the satisfactory-unaudited safety rating category and implement a compliance verification regime where all trucking companies are inspected on regular basis at their place of business – like the food service oversight regime. The satisfactory-unaudited rating effectively means 80 percent of the heavy truck fleets based in Ontario have never been inspected by MTO officials onsite to perform a risk-based review for their operations and safety practices.
“Taking strong action on both these asks would be a huge step forward and proactively manage the safety and compliance risk in trucking. We believe the Ministry can pursue these measures immediately,” said Geoff Wood, OTA’s Sr VP, Policy. “Ontario is the epicentre of the Canadian trucking industry and the supply chain. “In our view, MTO has an obligation to show initiative and take leadership that will resonate with all jurisdictions as a call to action.”
During its witness testimony at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities regarding the Changing Landscape of Truck Drivers in Canada, OTA also covered other critical areas the Ontario Government should act on, including:
- Ensuring driver licence fraud within commercial truck driver licensing is eliminated;
- Provincial resources need to be dedicated to assist enforcement efforts with respect to illegal truck parking and storage;
- Known employer models must be introduced for immigration programs linked to the trucking industry to eradicate forced labour and abuse;
- Labour compliance checks must be implemented for all Crown corporations and government projects that tender contracts for trucking services to ensure drivers are not being misclassified and meeting their tax and labour obligations.
- That facility insurance for commercial trucking is reviewed, and necessary corrections are made
“Not having the scales open and MTO enforcement operating around the clock while allowing trucking companies to continue operating when MTO has not had eyes on their operation within the satisfactory-unaudited category is illogical amid this safety crisis. It needs to be rectified immediately,” says Wood. “While MTO has taken steps to address driving training, with a full-scale review already underway, we don’t see why these other issues also cannot be addressed. Together, these measures would provide meaningful change and set Ontario on a path to restore law and order.”