First ministers commit to expanding trucking pilot to slash trade barriers
Canadian leaders are ramping up efforts to streamline the nation’s trucking supply chain, tackling costly internal trade barriers that have long frustrated the industry. At meetings in Saskatoon this week, Canada’s first ministers agreed to rapidly expand a trucking pilot program launched earlier this year.
The agreement directs transport ministers across the country to cooperate on implementing measures that would improve productivity and efficiency in the domestic trucking supply chain, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA).
“The prime minister and first ministers have reaffirmed the critical role the trucking industry plays in Canada,” stated Stephen Laskowski, CTA president and CEO. “Today’s announcement to expand the trucking pilot should allow our industry, all levels of government and the contractors for these nation-building projects to mitigate costly permitting issues that create significant delays.”
The announcement comes as part of a broader strategy to coordinate major infrastructure projects across the country. Industry feedback highlighted the need to address challenges around oversize and overweight shipment permits in particular.
Specialized trucking equipment carrying materials for large infrastructure projects often faces administrative red tape when crossing provincial boundaries. Different time-of-day definitions between jurisdictions and limited permit staff availability further complicate these movements, the CTA noted.
The CTA-led initiative aims to eliminate these bottlenecks. Laskowski welcomed “the strong leadership from the first ministers” in prioritizing these supply chain improvements.
Implementation timelines for the expanded pilot have not yet been announced, though the directive emphasizes rapid action from transport officials across all provinces and territories.