Provincial statistics repeatedly show the vast majority of truck drivers and companies operate under a strong culture of safety and compliance, but that doesn’t mean the trucking industry can’t continue to improve, says the Ontario Trucking Association, adding the key to further progress is targeting the minority of carriers and drivers who don’t play by the same rules and show little interest in its elevating their overall safety performance.

Yesterday the OPP released its own data indicating an increase in truck collisions in various parts of the province.

“It is important to remember that in 70 per cent of collisions involving commercial trucks, the truck driver is found to not be at fault and even more rarely are collisions the result of the truck’s mechanical fitness,” said OTA president Stephen Laskowski. “Regardless, OTA believes we need to modernize enforcement and regulatory approaches to better identify the minority of carriers and drivers who do not operate in safe and compliant manner,” added Laskowski

This week, the Canadian Trucking Alliance released a 10-point plan that raises the bar for truck safety and compliance and emphasizes the targeting of non-compliant carriers and drivers. OTA’s Board of Directors have put together a plan to operationalize the CTA plan in Ontario. The contents of this OTA plan will take centre stage in future discussions with newly-appointed Minister of Transportation John Yakabuski.

“We need to apply limited enforcement resources  on those who require the most attention from the OPP and MTO,” says Laskowski. It’s OTA’s focus to implement this enforcement strategy for the advancement of highway safety in Ontario while compelling  fairness for the vast majority of professional Ontario fleets and drivers who invest and are dedicated to highway safety.”