A Driver Inc. crackdown in British Columbia will begin in Kamloops on May 13.
Provincial and federal agencies, including Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, WorkSafeBC, and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), will begin a coordinated roadside campaign, according to a B.C. Trucking Association (BCTA) news release.
The focus will be on vehicle compliance and identifying labor violations in the commercial transport sector.
The Driver Inc. model treats drivers as incorporated contractors instead of employees, even though they often work full-time for a single carrier, operate company-owned trucks, and follow company schedules. It allows carriers to avoid paying income tax withholdings, Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan contributions, workers’ compensation premiums, and other legal obligations.
This initiative builds on recent actions in Ontario, where federal and provincial agencies have worked together to audit non-compliant carriers and inform drivers of their rights.
The BCTA said that this sends a clear message in B.C. that companies operating outside the law are now under scrutiny. Authorities are increasing their presence, and enforcement teams are sharing information across jurisdictions.
“With support from the Canadian Trucking Alliance, these efforts target companies that avoid taxes, deny workers their rights, and place unfair pressure on businesses that follow the rules,” BCTA said in the release. To streamline enforcement, the Canada Revenue Agency and ESDC have signed a new information-sharing agreement and established a federal misclassification team that is already active during roadside inspections.
Additional enforcement dates and locations will follow, BCTA said.
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