Ontario discount drivers: more than 37% of companies had to lay off truckers

More than 37% of trucking companies have been forced to lay off workers as Ontario cut-rate drivers have come to bleed their bottom lines by driving prices down in recent months, reveals a survey obtained by The Journal.

“We laid off around twenty drivers, but they mostly left on their own because they had fewer hours,” testifies Jean-François Pagé, vice-president of the management of Transport Hervé Lemieux, in Saint- Lawrence.

“I regret that we also have to explain to the citizens, with whom we share the road, that employers claiming to work under us have vehicles without insurance,” denounced Marc Cadieux, CEO of the Trucking Association. du Québec (ACQ), which conducted this survey of 48 carriers, representing 16,145 employees.

“On average, the companies surveyed declare having lost 13.8% of their turnover because of the “Chauffeur inc.” stratagem. 23% of them say they have already lost at least 20% of their turnover because of this ploy,” indicates the organization.

A “Chauffeur inc.” is a truck driver who does not pay social security contributions and does not benefit from social benefits, therefore the employer does not make deductions at source and can thus cause prices to fall, which bleeds the traditional industry.

At the beginning of November, The Journal reported that truckers at the end of their patience were demanding a public inquiry to shed light on these discount drivers from Ontario, who come to slash prices by paying their precarious workers, often from immigrant backgrounds, half as much.

Safety fears

The Journal then revealed that around twenty denunciations had been made in two years to the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST).

According to the ACQ, Quebec truck drivers are increasingly afraid of driving on our roads in the company of these discount drivers.

More than 60% even claim to have witnessed “reckless driving” and 23%, “poor maintenance” of vehicles.