OTA Chair applauds road safety objectives; urges Ontario and Quebec to work together with industry associations to close enforcement gaps and focus on ‘chameleon carriers’
The Ontario Trucking Association strongly supports Quebec’s goal to elevate highway safety, but says temporary, unilateral measures risk masking systemic, cross-border enforcement gaps between the provinces and the rest of Canada.
OTA responded to the temporary emergency policy announced last week by Quebec Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Benoit Charette, regarding newly licensed commercial truck drivers transferring their residency from Ontario to Quebec.
Under the new policy, Ontario-licensed commercial drivers with less than two years of experience moving to Quebec must pass a practical road test administered by the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).
To achieve sustainable safety on shared trade corridors, OTA is calling for a coordinated strategy between the governments and trucking associations of Ontario and Quebec. Such a strategy could form the basis for a national strategy on these matters.
“We acknowledge there are significant flaws and critical vulnerabilities in Ontario’s current licensing, training, and carrier oversight systems, which the OTA, safety stakeholders and Ontario’s Auditor General have repeatedly brought to light,” said OTA Chair Mark Bylsma. “We respect Minister Charette’s intent to protect road users, and the Ontario industry is frustrated by the pace of regulatory enforcement at home. However, an isolated approach creates immediate blind spots. Illicit training operations and ‘chameleon carriers’ will simply shift their licensing logistics to other jurisdictions to bypass these rules, leaving Quebec and Ontario highways exposed to the exact same safety risks.”
The OTA maintains that substandard driving schools, fractured carrier oversight, and underground labour models like “Driver Inc” are not confined by provincial borders. While Quebec’s public training system is an industry benchmark, the recent implementation of Mandatory Entry-Level Training (MELT) across other entry points highlights the need for rigorous, harmonized oversight across both provinces.
The OTA believes actively engaging with its long-standing colleagues at the Quebec Trucking Association (Association du camionnage du Québec – ACQ), and the governments in Quebec and Ontario is the next best way to address these issues.
“The OTA and the ACQ have a proud history of standing shoulder-to-shoulder against predatory actors who compromise highway safety,”said Bylsma. “We want to work closely with our Quebec counterparts to present both Minister Charette and Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria with a synchronized, bi-provincial action plan. True safety cannot be achieved in a vacuum. OTA believes it requires 24/7 truck inspection station operations, modernized carrier risk profiles, and a unified crackdown on carriers who exploit regulatory differences between our provinces.”
As part of its commitment to root out bad company actors at the source, the OTA continues to advocate for Ontario to temporarily suspend the trucking stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) until a rigorous “Known Employer Program” is established – ensuring international drivers are only paired with vetted, high-safety carriers.
The OTA remains fully committed to collaborating with regulatory agencies and partner associations in both provinces to eliminate predatory schools, stamp out illicit operations, and ensure the highest safety standards for all highway users.