Transport Committee on Jan. 28th, 2026

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Breton, in your opening remarks earlier, you mentioned that you had $3.8 million in unpaid invoices. For me, $3.8 million seems like a big number. From day to day, what does that represent in concrete terms on the ground? Does that mean you see one case a day, ten a day, or one a week?

And how do vehicles from the Driver Inc. model compare to regular vehicles on the road? In fact, what tells you that there are many more vehicles from the Driver Inc. model? Do you have any numbers on that?

[Réjean Breton]

We counted them in 2024. Our association has an internal communication channel from its members. We asked them two years ago to let us know each time they intervened with a heavy truck used under the Driver Inc. model. For information purposes, in 2024, there were three incidents per day in Quebec involving vehicles used under the Driver Inc. model. This includes minor incidents, as my colleague Mr. Burstall mentioned earlier.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

So that’s three a day for Driver Inc. drivers. How many were there for the others?

[Réjean Breton]

As I mentioned earlier, 78% of the heavy trucks we’re currently towing are driven by Driver Inc. drivers. That’s three out of four trucks. I can tell you that the fourth truck, which belongs to a carrier that doesn’t necessarily participate in the Driver Inc. model, is actually an accident. For the others, we know that the accident was caused by road negligence, due to the driver’s lack of skill.

As tow truck operators, we’re on the front lines, so we’re able to check that, just like peace officers, of course. We’re among the first four responders to arrive at the scene of a road incident, including a vehicle getting stuck or an accident.

I mentioned to you earlier that there were three incidents per day in 2024. In 2025, it was four a day. Imagine, last year in Quebec, there were almost 1,200 incidents involving Driver Inc. drivers. Of that number, as the media has mentioned, we know very well that there have unfortunately been accidents with injuries and fatalities. That’s very unfortunate.

I repeat: We can see that road incidents involving this type of clientele are due to negligence, compared to others.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

You say that about three quarters of these road accidents involve Driver Inc. drivers. In my opinion, when it comes to a case requiring towing, it’s quite clear that there’s an impact on road safety.

Furthermore, how do you know that a vehicle is used under the Driver Inc. model? How do you manage to distinguish these vehicles? Are there any clues or ways to find out?

[Réjean Breton]

As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

First, we notice that the vehicle’s licence plate is not even secured with bolts. Very often, it’s secured with an elastic band, a rope, or plastic ties. It’s because these drivers change it randomly, probably depending on the province they’re going to or if they’ve had a road incident. That’s the first element we notice.

We also note, of course, the condition of the vehicle. We just need to check the tires first. We can also see if, within a few minutes of it being parked, there’s a significant oil leak under the truck’s engine because it’s not maintained.

In short, these are all technical elements that allow us to realize that it’s this type of clientele.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

You say that the plates are held in place with plastic ties. Why would they be secured with plastic ties instead of being secured normally?

[Réjean Breton]

That’s exactly it.

I’ll explain a situation that’s not uncommon to see in Quebec. Sometimes, while waiting for the police or tow truck to arrive, the driver of the heavy truck takes out a piece of cardboard about 30 inches by 30 inches, or even smaller than that, and places it with tape over the name that’s already on the door of the vehicle. Why? It may be because he called his boss, who told him that the company had reached the maximum number of points allowed by the COVR program, the commercial vehicle operator’s registration program, or by the HVOO rules, for heavy vehicle owners and operators, in Quebec. The boss may have told the driver to hurry up and change the name or the RIN, the registrant identification number, because when the authorities arrive at the scene, they need to see that it’s another company that’s supposedly identified.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

So there’s fraud related to the vehicle in the accident: They change the plates, they change the business numbers, they change the name of the company displayed on the truck.

[Réjean Breton]

Yes. Not only do we have testimony on the ground, but I suggest you check social media and you’ll see for yourself on a daily basis.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

You say that many of these companies don’t pay. Why aren’t they paying for the trucks? Why don’t they come retrieve them? How come you can’t get paid?

[Réjean Breton]

Indeed, since we have a contract with authorities to intervene on the road network, of course, the authorities requesting our intervention are a third party representing the government with respect to the road network. It’s not the government that pays; it’s the person being towed.

When we tow a truck from a reliable company, even if the driver’s involved in an accident, he knows that, if an unfortunate incident occurs on the road, the company has to pay. It’s part of the business world.

For companies that use the Driver Inc. model, however, we find that not only is payment a taboo topic, but so is human life, just like fair competition.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you, Mr. Breton and Mr. Barsalou‑Duval.

Ms. Cody, the floor is yours. You have five minutes, please.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Again, thank you to our witnesses for coming here today.

We know there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to keeping our roads safe—everything from training, enforcement, qualifications and regulations to the pressures drivers face every day.

Mr. Tarantini, this question is for you. Are the safety concerns greater today than they were 10 years ago? If so, what do you think has changed and how should our federal strategy change to address these concerns?

[Vince Tarantini]

Yes, it's a big question, because things have changed so much in my time.

I obtained my licence 35 years ago, and it's not remotely close: The drivers that come out today just simply don't know what they don't know. The trucks have been engineered to be much easier to drive than when I first started. Their automated transmissions make it very easy for drivers who would not have been licensed 10 years ago.

Automated transmissions came into play about 10 years ago and really took over the industry, even though they started earlier than that. Over the past decade, drivers who would not have been qualified to drive prior to that are now driving on the roads. Also, tying into that, the Driver Inc. wage meant that some skilled drivers left the industry because it simply wasn't enough to match what they're expected to do on the job, and we have harvested drivers who are simply not skilled.

They're not safe, and they're not aware of it. They're getting themselves into trouble with easy, minor situations that even a medium-trained driver—not an advanced driver—should know about. There are incidents that senior drivers—drivers who have been driving for 30 years—have never encountered, and they can still get into an accident. That's possible, yes, but statistically that's much higher now. We even see it with drivers who join our company and within a year or two have had an incident happen that shouldn't happen to somebody who's been driving for 10 or 15 years.

When you review the incident with them.... We did this just last week, and I overheard a safety meeting with this driver. I walked in just to hear what he was saying. I asked him how many hours he was trained and when he got his licence. He told me that he was trained for about three or four months over the course of weekends, because he was working Monday to Friday. I asked him, “When you got your licence, were you confident when you hit the road driving? What was your first job?” He said, “Well, my first job was driving from Toronto to Vancouver.” I thought, you know, that's not where you start your driving career.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Yes. It seems as though the first year for a driver can be a big adjustment in getting used to the equipment, the hours and the realities of life on the road.

Are new drivers, especially those you talk about, untrained and unprepared for Canada's winter weather and more at risk of an accident, especially on our northern highways?

[Vince Tarantini]

Absolutely, they are.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Could you expand on that?

[Vince Tarantini]

As my colleague suggested, when looking at a truck being driven down the road, it's evident to those of us in the industry—those of us who are drivers or technically inclined—and very easy for us to highlight a truck that's not ready for the road. There are little technical terms that we look for.

I'll look for trucks with their fifth wheel positioned all the way back in the winter, rather than moving it forward so that you have better steerability on the truck. Now, granted, this means the truck is properly scaled, etc. There are a lot of factors that go into balancing weight on a truck, but it's evident to a seasoned driver, a skilled driver and a trained driver when it's not how you set up your vehicle going down the road. Furthermore, if you ask a driver if there's anything evident in their set-up that is incorrect, they won't know how to answer.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

My next question is for Mr. Burstall or Mr. Breton.

Mr. Breton, you mentioned that fraud is happening and that drivers are changing the company names pretty much on the spot.

How urgent is it for the federal government to make our roads safer for both drivers and the public? Would national data collection be part of an improved strategy to address the issue?

[Mike Burstall]

Something has to be done, for sure, because I've witnessed, as you said, not just the changing of the plates.... When we impound a truck for a wreck and there's an environmental issue, we have to do a search on the company, on Driver Inc. When we do the search, it's bouncing from PO box to PO box. It could be out east or out west, and it's almost impossible to find the owner of the truck, so where do I go now?

I have some equipment right now with an environmental problem that we've towed and that we have to take charge of, and I have to pay for it. I can't find the owner, so it's a definite problem.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you, Mr. Burstall.

Thank you, Ms. Cody.

Next, we'll go to Ms. Nguyen. The floor is yours. You have five minutes.

[Chi Nguyen, Liberal, Spadina—Harbourfront, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much to the witnesses for joining us this evening.

I'd like to start with you, Mr. Tarantini. You started to describe the informal networks to access licences. I was hoping you could elaborate on that, because I'm not sure I fully understood what you were saying. What is that mechanism? Can you tell us a bit more about it?

[Vince Tarantini]

There was news coverage of this, I think, a year or two ago. They went undercover and they highlighted this. Somebody walks into a driving school and says, “I'm looking to get a driver's licence. What will it cost me?” They'll name a price, but the price really doesn't matter; it's just a lot less than what it should cost. Of course, they're getting a lot less training than what they would need to do the job.

It's been well documented and well reported. There's been news coverage, which was very impressive to me.

[Chi Nguyen, Liberal, Spadina—Harbourfront, ON]

Thanks, Mr. Tarantini. That sounds to me as though it's inadequate training, and all of these pieces are something the provincial government needs to crack down on. It doesn't actually sound as though their licences are appropriate.

I'm curious, having heard other testimony today, about what your experience has been like around enforcement and safety, what you've experienced in your operations and whether you see the MTO doing that effectively.