NDP Pressure Forces Action: 185 Unsafe Commercial Truck Drivers Suspended and Auditor General confirms probe

THUNDER BAY and OSHAWA – Following NDP calls to ensure highway safety across the province, the ministry of transportation has suspended 185 transport truck drivers who were deemed to have “dishonestly” obtained their class A during testing or training. NDP MPPs Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay – Superior North) and NDP shadow minister for transportation and highways MPP Jennifer French (Oshawa) released the following statement:

“Everyone deserves safe roads,” said French. “For years, the Ontario NDP has been calling for better training and testing, adequate Ministry of Transportation (MTO) enforcement, and for the province to take action. This problem falls on the transportation minister who refuses to listen to the truck drivers and safety advocates about these concerns. Minister Sarkaria must put safety first and stop willfully ignoring the trucking problems that he has been hearing for years.”

“Families in Northern Ontario know all too well the dangers of sharing highways with drivers who are not properly trained.” said Vaugeois. “This action is a combined result of the pressure we’ve put on the Ford government to finally take this issue seriously. This isn’t just about the North—it’s about every Ontarian who deserves to know that when they get behind the wheel, the drivers beside them have the proper training to keep everyone safe. Our highways are lifelines for Northern communities. The fight doesn’t end here, but today, we can celebrate that we’ve moved the needle. This is people power at work.”

We are also very happy to see that the Auditor General is conducting an audit report on Commercial Truck Driver Licensing. We are hopeful that this report will force the government’s hand to move the testing and licensing of commercial drivers back to the MTO as we have proposed in our Northern Highway Safety Bill