Trucking Industry Faces Widespread Labor Law Violations, CTA Reports
Federal enforcement blitzes are exposing rampant labor and tax violations throughout Canada’s trucking industry, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA). Recent inspections found non-compliance rates reaching as high as 65% in some regions, revealing what the organization calls a systemic problem requiring immediate government action.
“This comes as no surprise to those of us who have fought tooth and nail to run compliant operations and survive for the past decade,” said CTA president and CEO Stephen Laskowski in a statement released to industry media.
Data collected from joint provincial and federal initiatives across multiple provinces paints a troubling picture. In Southern Ontario, over 60% of employers were found violating labor laws. Follow-up operations revealed a 65% non-compliance rate, with one-quarter of violators simply “disappearing” from records after being caught.
The pattern continued nationwide. Quebec inspections found 40% of employers non-compliant with misclassification provisions, while Winnipeg showed a staggering 64% non-compliance rate. Edmonton wasn’t far behind at 50%.
“When is enough going to be enough? When is government going to admit we have a major problem and dedicate the resources we need to bring things under control?” Laskowski asked.
Beyond labor violations, the Canada Revenue Agency’s personal services business pilot identified millions in tax evasion, with trucking emerging as the economy’s number one abuser of the PSB model.
Meanwhile, Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board has levied over $10 million in corrective adjustments against hundreds of trucking companies, with some individual firms facing penalties approaching $800,000.
Laskowski called on Employment Minister Carla Hajdu to prioritize increased oversight in Canada’s largest federally regulated private sector. “The number one job now facing Minister Hajdu is to bring law and order back to the trucking industry,” he emphasized.
The CTA argues that fines alone aren’t enough. Companies repeatedly violating regulations, they say, should permanently lose their operating privileges in Canada.
“Rather than face real consequences, companies are pocketing millions of dollars by not complying; are gaining market share, and putting everyone on the roads at risk,” Laskowski concluded.