The CBC report reinforces what the trucking industry has been warning about for a decade – that Driver Inc. is a systemic and sophisticated scheme hurting the Canadian economy by robbing government coffers of critical revenue required for building Canadian infrastructure and programs; exploits workers, and puts the travelling public at risk by degrading road safety. 

The news article and broadcast clearly highlight the dangerous rise of Driver Inc., a practice where trucking companies purposefully misclassify employee drivers as contractors. This allows companies to evade taxes and bypass critical labour standards, pocketing the costs associated with paying certain business taxes, overtime, paid sick leave, vacation pay, and providing workplace health and safety protections, among others. 

Worse, Driver Inc companies that routinely break tax and labour laws and standards typically base their entire business model on all areas of non-compliance, which leads to major violations in truck and driver safety, insurance, emissions and environmental rules, immigration, zoning and other bylaws.  

CTA has been corresponding for months with CBC’s investigative team on the story. 

As of today, the report has been viewed over 280,000 times on Youtube and X combined, and sparked hundreds of conversations throughout social media and news radio.  

“We believe that in some parts of Canada, at least a third of the companies and drivers are participating in this,” said CTA President and CEO Stephen Laskowski. “It’s a $1-billion tax evasion scheme that gives offenders a 30 per cent competitive advantage – at the expense of law-abiding businesses and Canadian taxpayers.”

The report details the account of a truck driver who emigrated to Canada and who was misclassified by companies and robbed of nearly $40,000 in pay; and highlights concerns of compliant operators who are being squeezed out of the market by carriers operating in the underground economy who take advantage of Driver Inc.

Others raised red flags around road safety, citing unsafe practices from companies that prioritize profit over proper training and vehicle standards. One driver details how poor training undermines road safety as Driver Inc companies cut corners by putting unqualified drivers on the road, even after crashes. 

While the federal government has taken steps — such as making misclassification illegal in 2021 and tightening rules in 2024 to shift the burden of proof to employers — CTA has been adamant that enforcement remains inadequate.

In the report, CRA asserts it is not aware of CTA's underlying analysis that found at least $1 billion in lost tax revenue.

“We find it difficult to reconcile this statement with the agency’s long-standing awareness of this issue,” CTA responded on X. “The CRA has been examining the problem for years, has met with the CTA, reviewed extensive evidence of (PSB) misuse, and identified significant tax leakage through its own studies, pilot projects, and enforcement efforts.”  

In fact,recent ESDC blitzes also continue to expose the harsh reality that many segments of the trucking industry are out-of-control when it comes to labour and tax compliance and obeying other rules. 

As the CBC article notes, even though ESDC has begun to increase enforcement, Driver Inc. continues to flourish after nearly a decade of inaction by government.

CTA has proposed many solutions, including lifting a moratorium on penalties related to T4A non-compliance, which would help CRA identify and audit companies abusing the system. Yet, even this modest step has been delayed for years, and experts warn that current enforcement efforts are not keeping pace with the scope of the problem.

“We have pleaded with governments to act. They are beginning to – but not nearly at the level required,” Laskowski emphasized. “This is about more than just lost taxes – it’s about safety; it’s about labour abuse and immigration fraud; and it’s about restoring order and fairness to save a critical industry.”

"We have been delivering this message to governments for years. But with mounting evidence now in plain sight – from billions in lost revenue that shifts the taxpaying burden onto hard-working Canadians and responsible businesses; worker exploitation and the serious safety concerns we are seeing on our roadways every day – when is enough finally enough?” says Laskowski. “When is the government, especially the CRA, going to take this seriously and start upholding the laws of our country? The time for awareness has long passed. What we need now is enforcement, accountability, and the political will to end this labour abuse and tax evasion once and for all."