On September 14, 2018, the Canadian Trucking Alliance made a submission at the request of the Treasury Board to identify areas where government practices, regulations or lack of involvement could impede industry growth, progress and the introduction of new technology.

The central theme of CTA’s report is competitive issues, namely how conscientious, law-abiding trucking companies are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with non-compliant domestic carriers that take advantage of the lack of national oversight in Canada as well as with US fleets, which already enjoy healthy cost/tax benefits over their Canadian counterparts.

Here are some brief highlights:

US carriers

More flexible tax rules in the US, coupled with double-digit corporate tax reductions under President Trump and the natural advantages of economies of scale, are severely hurting Canadian carriers’ ability to compete, even on our own turf. The Capital Cost Allowance, for example, is accelerated in the US, allowing US carriers to free up capital to invest back into the company. CTA recommends the government provide an accelerated CCA rate, at least for carbon-reducing trucking equipment. Relatedly, the federal government should also outline how it plans to register and monitor US carriers regarding carbon pricing in Canada, which Canadian carriers will be obliged to pay, as well as ensuring each Canadian jurisdiction will follow Ontario’s and Quebec’s lead in including US carriers in their respective systems for monitoring safety ratings.

Truck safety

Enforcement of most federal mandates is deferred from Ottawa to the provinces, which is the root source of the industry’s frustrations with the lack of uniformity and inconsistent regulatory developments among all jurisdictions, including hours of service, roadside enforcement and mandatory entry level training, among other issues. CTA would welcome a conversation with Ottawa on how the National safety Code could be developed on a national basis and eventually deployed consistently.

Labour

The current immigration system is impeding the trucking industry’s ability to service the Canadian economy by not allowing companies to recruit professional truck drivers from around the world, specifically by making changes to the temporary foreign worker program. Additionally, the industry would welcome the federal training/apprenticeship opportunities afforded other sectors under the program.

Taxation/classification

More trucking companies are incorporating truck drivers and employing them to drive company vehicles with no financial obligation to operate or maintain the equipment. This practice of failing to properly file taxes, if not identified and enforced, will hamper the competitiveness, labour, and recruitment practices in trucking. Failure to modernize policy and enforcement will leave our sector in the difficult position of not having proper guidance on tax compliance while leaving open the opportunity for some companies and drivers to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.

Environment

The trucking industry is proud of its environmental achievements to eliminate pollutants and reduce carbon emissions from diesel engines, but this progress has come with significant increases in the purchase price of vehicles and associated operating and maintenance costs. Consequently, some fleets are removing emission control equipment from trucks to increase reliability and reduce operating expenses. CTA would like to see the federal government adopt increased powers to tackle tampering.

For complete details, see the full report to the Treasury Board here.