Truckers warn of safety and fair competition risks from discount drivers

The Quebec Trucking Association is raising alarms over what it calls a dangerous and unfair practice involving "discount" truck drivers from Ontario, which it says threatens road safety and disrupts the province's trucking industry.

The president of the association, Marc Cadieux, says discount truck drivers are often people with temporary status in Canada who work for Ontario companies that pay little – often as low as $10 an hour.

Additionally, he says drivers' inexperience puts the safety of all road users at risk.

"These companies have some members here who are in their fourth generation of operations, and they're now having to lay off employees," Cadieux said.

Many in the trucking industry believe the practice creates unfair competition because companies who hire discount truck drivers can haul a load for one-third the price of other companies.

"They simply don't have the same capacity as before because they're facing this competition. When your operating costs are 35 per cent higher, it's impossible to compete. This isn't legitimate business."

Cadieux is asking the federal and or provincial governments to step in and said that whether it's a public inquiry or parliamentary commission, something needs to be done to fix the problem.