Trucking workforce shrinks as driver employment drops 7.3% year-over-year
Ottawa ON (April 28, 2026) — According to new data, Canada’s trucking and logistics sector employed 13,400 fewer workers in March 2026 compared to March 2025 — a decrease of 1.8%. Employment of transport truck drivers fell by 7.3% in the same period, shedding 23,600 jobs.
“These employment numbers are part of a trend of decreasing employment, especially for truck drivers, compared to the previous year,” says Craig Faucette, Chief Operating Officer at Trucking HR Canada. “The decline in employment, including driver employment, underscores the importance of targeted workforce strategies, and THRC is committed to providing the insights and solutions employers need to respond effectively.”
The unemployment rate in the trucking and logistics sector was 5.4% in March 2026, down from 5.7% in March 2025. For transport truck drivers, the unemployment rate in March 2026 was 6.3% which is down 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous March.
According to Statistics Canada, employment in Canada remained relatively steady in March 2026, with a 0.1% increase from February while it was up 0.4% or 87,000 jobs compared to March 2025. Canada’s unemployment rate held steady at 6.7% on both a month-to-month and a year-over-year basis.
More details:
- March 2026 employment in the trucking and logistics industry was 739,800 workers, a marginal increase (0.5%) from the previous month.
- For truck drivers, employment in March fell to 301,500 down 2.6%, compared to February.
- Canada’s trucking and logistics sector employed 1.8% fewer workers in March 2026 than in March 2025, a loss of 13,400 jobs year-over-year.
- Employment of Transport truck drivers declined in March 2026 by 23,600 workers year-over-year, a decrease of 7.3% compared to March 2025.
- The number of workers who were unemployment but actively seeking jobs in the trucking and logistics sector in March 2026 was 42,600, up 6% from February and down 7.2% year-over-year.
- Unemployment among transport truck drivers reached 20,300 in March of 2026, up 1,600 drivers compared to the previous month but 2,200 fewer than in March of 2025.
- The March 2026 unemployment rate across Canada remained steady at 6.7%, both month-to-month and year-over-year.
- In the trucking and logistics sector the March 2026 unemployment rate was 5.4%, up from 5.2% in February but down from 5.7% in March 2025
- For transport truck drivers, the unemployment rate in March 2026 was 6.3% which was 0.6 percentage points higher than the previous month but down from 6.5% in March 2025.
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.
Media contact: comms@truckinghr.com
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