The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is launching a new campaign aimed at ending lawlessness in the Canadian trucking industry.
It comes with a new website – stopillegaltrucking.ca – and is a national effort assisted by its provincial association members. The campaign aims to end human trafficking and other illicit schemes, which, it says, are destroying the industry and costing Canadians billions of dollars.
The misclassification of drivers – which CTA dubs Driver Inc. — is among the illegal activities the campaign is looking to stop.
“Essentially, we know that companies that routinely cut corners when it comes to tax and labor compliance, will most definitely do the same in all areas of their operation, including disregarding public safety by carelessly putting unfit equipment and untrained or poorly qualified drivers on the road,” says Marco Beghetto, vice-president of communications, CTA.
“Canadians are now waking up to what we have been warning about for many years – the industry is in crisis. This lawlessness is an extensional threat to our industry and puts Canadians at severe risk. It must end immediately.”
The CTA notes new laws or regulations aren’t needed – but enforcement of existing laws and standards is.
“This isn’t just an industry fight – it’s a public safety and fiscal crisis,” CTA chairman Greg Arndt said in a release. “When companies hide behind the Driver Inc. model, lives and livelihoods are put at risk and vital public services lose billions. Our federal government needs to end the negligence once and for all and put an end to this systemic lawlessness.”
CTA and the provincial trucking associations have been campaigning against Driver Inc. for years, but are expanding their focus beyond tax and labor abuse to better reflect the overall lawlessness throughout the industry.
The associations will leverage social media to spread word of the campaign.
“Responsible carriers and drivers pay their taxes, follow labor laws and prioritize safety – and they are being punished by a system that tolerates cheating,” said Arndt. “Canada can no longer afford to stand by and watch. The lawlessness we all see must end now.”
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