A groundbreaking report on wage theft in Canada’s trucking industry is out now.
Running on Empty examines the causes of wage theft and poor working conditions in Canada’s trucking industry, and lays out what needs to be done to win justice for truck drivers.
This report is based on survey results from over 400 truck drivers across Canada. Whether provincially or federally regulated, these truck drivers face the same situation of being underpaid and overworked.
Some shocking statistics from this report include:
- Trucking makes up only 17% of federally-regulated employment, yet it has 85% of Federal Canada Labour Code violations.
- The misclassification rate for federally regulated trucking companies is 40% nationally, but it goes as high as 62% in Ontario.
- By misclassifying truck drivers as independent contractors, bad employers pocket $20,000 to $30,000 per driver per year in unpaid wages.
- Yet the Federal government has only fined 3 employers for misclassification since 2022.
That’s why truck drivers are organizing across Canada to demand justice. The report is calling for 3 main campaign demands:
- Minimum pay rates, whether drivers are paid per mile or per hour.
- No unpaid work so all miles driven and all hours spent at work are paid.
- Close the gaps so employers cannot evade the law. (And then actually enforce those laws!)
These demands echo our Stop Wage Theft campaign demands. We are organizing at the Workers’ Action Centre to ensure our government enforces the law, fixes our labour law, and protects workers who stand up for their rights on the job.
Come organize with us and join the movement to stop wage theft. If you haven’t already, please sign the petition: