The Government of Canada has given the trucking industry strong and immediate support throughout the COVID-19 crisis through multiple departments and ministers.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) believes this pattern of cohesive and comprehensive action will be the recipe for continuing successful policy-making into the COVID-19 recovery stage.
“As a federally regulated sector serving all facets of the Canadian economy, the trucking industry is impacted by the decisions by multiple departments,” said CTA’s president Stephen Laskowski. “CTA’s COVID-19 Recovery Roadmap highlights a number of policy recommendations from labour, environment, cross-border policy, taxation, infrastructure and truck safety.”
Key issues highlighted in the CTA document include: (i) Driver Inc.; (ii) Driver Shortage Solutions; (iii) Skills Training; (iv) CBSA truck turn around policy; (v) In-Transit pilot program; (vi) removal of paper processing at the border; (vii) clean fuel mandate; (viii) federal excise tax rebate program; (ix) capital cost allowances for tractors/trailers; (x) national/harmonized delete kit enforcement strategy; (xi) national/harmonized speed limiter policy; (xii) drug and alcohol testing; (xiii) national new carrier entrant program; (xiv) national/harmonized oversight of high risk carriers; (xv) June 2021 ELD mandate; (xvi) expanded truck parking/rest areas; (xvii) incentives for new truck safety technology; (xviii) incentives for environmental equipment; (xix) national O/O permit harmonization; (xx) CTA infrastructure priorities.
“The comprehensive list of recommendations has two consistent themes for improving industry competitiveness – introducing public policies that improves the operational efficiency of the compliant trucking industry as well as improving the operating conditions for such carriers by enforcing the law and targeting enforcement upon noncompliant carriers.”
The trucking industry continues to provide essential services since the beginning of the pandemic, delivering critical goods such as PPE, medical supplies, food and other products to keep store shelves stocked and the North American supply chain functioning for the benefit of all Canadians.