“Driver inc. »| The drop of too much at Trans-West West

The ploy of “drivers inc. Is the drop that overflows the vase at Trans-West. This important player in cross -border road transport in Quebec is forced to make landscaping, reducing wages and selling part of his fleet – a outcome which he imputes to the inaction of governments.

By combining this stratagem in the economic slowdown and the drop in consumer interest by American products like fruits and vegetables, the situation has become unbearable, estimates its president, Réal Gagnon.

“The situation with the drivers inc. and companies that engage them and that do not pay marginal costs can no longer last, he writes, in an internal note that The press was able to consult. This gives us unfair competition with our customers. Unfortunately, the federal government has not moved and does not respond to any of our requests. »»

If nothing changes, a hundred drivers stations could lose their livelihood in the fall. Established in the Montreal district of Lachine, Trans-West, which notably has food distributors among its customers, also intends to reduce its fleet by 25 tractors from 1^is september.

Added to this is a decrease in the remuneration of management, prices paid to valet-trainers and roads.

A culprit

In industry, “incorporated drivers” – often from immigration – are well known.

They have no equipment and only sell their services to a single customer. These are not verturates-trainers, who are, for example, owners of a tractor. The latter are entrepreneurs and self -employed workers in the eyes of the tax authorities.

Denounced by industry, this practice allows the faulty company using the model to achieve significant savings. The client does not pay social benefits and does not provide basic work protections. In exchange, the hourly rate or depending on the mileage offered by the company is generally a little higher.

“It is unfair competition,” adds the Vice-President of Trans-West sales, Pascal Gaudet, on the phone. Available trips, there are, but at the cost that was billed six years ago. This is the situation that the ploy, very present in Ontario, created. It is not normal that we notice so many registered trailers from Ontario on our roads. »»

The brake at Trans-West should serve as a warning to governments, estimates the Association of Camilinage du Québec (ACQ).

Without a screw tour, there is a risk of seeing more and more decisions of the genre among carriers, worries the president and chief executive officer of the association, Marc Cadieux.

“There is a package of companies that no longer have the level of activity they had,” he said. It is a market roared by unfair competition. Shipping are also part of the problem. If the drivers inc. have contracts, it is because the sender is part of the problem. He is obviously looking for the lowest prices, but closed eyes. »»

Big under sous business

As part of a study ordered from the Cain Lamarre cabinet, the ACQ estimated, in 2023, that up to 2 billion in contributions of all kinds had escaped the Quebec state due to the “driver inc. ».

At the time, she also proposed a bouquet of measures to the Quebec government, such as the obligation for companies to issue T4A to drivers to facilitate traceability.

Across the country, the industry also urges Ottawa to strengthen the Canadian Labor Code, in particular to prohibit the erroneous classifications of employees, which would put sticks in the wheels of the ploy, in addition to tightening the rules in terms of regulatory requirements.

“We are talking about drivers inc., But it is the companies, led by malicious owners, that we have,” says the president of Trans-West.