CTA warns supply chain partners about the dangers of Driver Inc.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) advised attendees at the Canadian Policy Forum of the Global Cold Chain Alliance on Oct. 24 about the perils of hiring carriers that employ drivers through Driver Inc.

“It is critical members of the supply chain understand the negativity associated with Driver Inc., its impact on workers’ rights, road safety and on legitimate, law-abiding trucking companies,” Geoff Wood, senior vice-president of policy at the CTA, said during the Ottawa event. “And it’s even more vital that all supply chain partners do their part to stop funding the practice.”

Driver Inc. is a model based on hiring commercial drivers, who do not own, lease or operate their own vehicle, and become incorporated and receive payments from their carrier with no source deductions, such as WCB, overtime or other costs, which leaves the driver and company hiring the carrier vulnerable and at risk.

Members of the Global Cold Chain Alliance in attendance, like other groups CTA has been addressing, will be provided a toolkit to assist them in identifying Driver Inc. companies among their transportation supplier base, which will help protect their operations from exposure to the types of illicit practices proliferating throughout the underground economy.

Additional items discussed included the need for supply chain partners to assist CTA in advocating for infrastructure resiliency, like additional rest areas to support drivers on the national highway system, as well as improved winter road maintenance – both of which are key components of CTA’s interprovincial trade barriers report.

Additionally, Wood touched on long-standing Canada-U.S. trade issues, including the need to expand U.S. in-transit allowances and to address the ability for the repositioning of foreign empty trailers.