THRC testifies before House of Commons committee on ‘Driver Inc.’
OTTAWA, ON (October 7, 2025) — Trucking HR Canada appeared today at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities which kicked off its study of the changing landscape of truck drivers in Canada.
“Canada’s truck drivers keep our economy and our daily lives moving. They deserve fair treatment, safe working conditions, and employers who play by the rules,” said THRC CEO Angela Splinter. “The Driver Inc. model undermines all of this.”
Angela Splinter delivered testimony at the hearing on the Driver Inc. model: a recognized violation of tax and labour compliance practiced by unethical trucking companies. Driver Inc. is when truck drivers are deliberately misclassified as independent contractors rather than employees and is illegal.
Splinter addressed three specific areas of concern:
- Impact on employee protections: driver misclassification is strategically deployed to circumvent mandatory tax obligations and labour regulations, enabling companies to avoid remitting taxes, Employment Insurance, and Canada Pension Plan contributions, as well as overtime pay and other fundamental employee benefits. These employment standards are core to Canada’s labour culture and essential to fairness and equity in the workplace. Their erosion puts employees at risk and weakens the foundation of our social safety net.
- Impact on industry’s ability to recruit and retain workers suffers under Driver Inc. as unethical practices prompts new entrants and existing workers in our sector to seek opportunities elsewhere. There is a growing concern that the lack of labour protections will have a profound and lasting impact on the availability of skilled workers in the future.
- Impact on Canadian economic priorities, including government tax revenue streams. It has created an uneven competitive landscape in the trucking industry, disadvantaging compliant carriers who adhere to labour and tax laws, meaning they have to compete against companies exploiting the model for cost savings – and profit.
Taken together, the Driver Inc. model weakens the foundation of our social safety net, puts employees at risk, and disadvantages compliant and law-abiding companies. The Driver Inc. model undermines a safe, strong, and fair sector for the 340,000 truck drivers who keep our economy and our daily lives moving.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance, fleet representatives and other industry groups will also appear before the committee.
See the full text of THRC’s remarks.
Trucking HR Canada is the recognized national authority on workforce strategy for the trucking and logistics sector. We’re a non-profit centre of excellence, engaging with employers, governments, think tanks, industry groups, and stakeholders.
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