how we got screwed!!!

The Truckers' Voice has tried to work with Federal and Provincial  governments for the last 20 years.

 It has been a struggle. 

This has been our personal experience trying to work as a stakeholder.

We have had some success. It seems that the doors are opening a crack. It is our hope that in the future the governments accept us to the table as equal stakeholders.  

We have proven that we are fair and understanding . Not having us at the table means that they only have one side of the research, not the reality of trucking. 

History as to how we gotten to where we are today in Canada

In the 1930’s the provincial governments ask the trucking companies to form an association. This was the government’s way of having stakeholders at one table and organising the different agendas. 

The Provincial governments gave the Trucking Associations the power to first regulate the trucking industry in their own provinces. In other words, the Trucking Associations controlled who could be in the trucking business! Without their permission the government would not issue anyone a business licence. Since then and up to today, the governments have solely relied on these Trucking Associations to do all the research to write the laws and regulations that regulate the commercial drivers today.

This practice is so embedded into the Provincial government and Federal government  , that even today, they only follow the direction of the Trucking Associations and will not allow truckers to the table 

(from personal experience).  

In the 50’s is when the Federal government was forced to have Federal Trucking laws and regulation. That’s when the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) was started. The CTA has always been strongly directed by the Ontario Trucking Association. Then the Federal government gave the power to the provinces to enforce these laws and regulations. Transport Canada does not do any enforcement in the trucking industry. The Federal government was and still only wants to deal with air, rail and ships. 

This has allowed the provinces to run their own agendas. Without any oversight.

The CTA went to the government and said they should start a group that included all the stakeholders (except drivers) in the Trucking industry, manufacturer's, law enforcement, and representatives from Mexico and US to be able to discuss how the Trucking industry was to be controlled. Since then, the CCMTA has put their name to all rules and regulations that govern the Canadian Commercial Drivers. The CCMTA gives the appearance of making the decisions but is operated by the CTA and the Federal government.

The difficulty I have with CCMTA, is that there are no records or minutes of any meetings showing the input of the members or the public.  CCMTA has control over what information and research that is introduced into the process to be considered in making the decisions on laws and regulations that govern the Canadian Commercial Drivers. 

 As a member of the CCMTA, one of their rules is that you “cannot publicly criticize any decision that the CCMTA makes.” 

They are a group that is very secretive and restricts their members as to what they can say at meetings and who they can associate with. All their decisions are made behind closed doors. 

This is the reason I did not renew my membership. The CCMTA does not want representation from commercial drivers.

 I was treated with nothing but contempt and chastised and belittled by many of the members including the Ontario Trucking Association and the Canadian Trucking Alliance. 

The Truckers Voice brings 22 years of expert knowledge on how the trucking industry actually works. 

We also have been advocating and lobbying for 20 years.