Drivers rallied in Brampton this weekend, saying many trucking companies are withholding payments and misclassifying employees as independent contractors, with few repercussions from the federal government. They're calling on Ottawa to step up.Commercial trailers wait to cross the Canada-U.S. border crossing in Surrey, B.C., in December 2021. Driver advocates say the trucking industry is plagued by firms that refuse to pay long haulers what they're owed.
Bhubander Singh says since he entered the trucking industry a year and a half ago, he's had to put up with regular delays in getting paid from different companies. He says he's owed over $9,000 for hours worked. He's one of dozens of truck drivers who showed up at a rally in Brampton Saturday, calling on the federal government to look into violations to the Canada Labour Code and enforce penalties against trucking companies.
"What often happens is a lot of these truck driving companies, they keep delaying payment of the wages," he said. "When the truck drivers finally have enough and want to file a complaint, oftentimes the deadline has already passed."Long-haul truckers in Canada are pushing back after being stiffed for millions of dollars in unpaid wages as a CBC News investigation reveals a growing number of trucking companies are hiring drivers and then not paying them.
Marco Beghetto, a spokesperson for the Ontario Trucking Association, points to one simple reason for the growing trend. Beghetto says the government made changes to the Labour Code this year, allowing the Canadian Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada to work closely together to audit companies for violations, but a lack of enforcement remains a key issue.