By Mata Press Service

Canada's trucking industry is using vulnerable migrant workers to keep freight moving at lower costs, with some companies exploiting their immigration status to withhold wages, demand excessive driving hours and silence complaints about unsafe working conditions, according to a new study.

The research exposes a disturbing pattern of exploitation in which foreign truck drivers are promised jobs and permanent residency, only to find themselves trapped in employment arrangements that leave them vulnerable to abuse, discrimination and financial ruin.

Some drivers reported being pressured to falsify driving records, operate poorly maintained trucks and work longer hours than permitted under safety regulations.

Others described losing thousands of dollars in unpaid wages while remaining dependent on the very employers responsible for their immigration status.

The findings come from a study by Émile Baril, published September 11 in the academic journal Human Geography.

The research, titled Shipping costs: Precarity, race and migrant truck drivers in Canadian long-haul freight transportation, draws on an online questionnaire completed by 204 immigrant truck drivers and 50 interviews with drivers and industry representatives.

It examines how intense competition for freight contracts, declining wages and Canada's temporary foreign worker system have created conditions in which some carriers can exploit migrant drivers to reduce their operating costs.

One of the most troubling cases involves Kanan, a migrant truck driver who came to Canada on a temporary work permit hoping to build a career and obtain permanent residency.

According to the study, Kanan was owed $40,000 in unpaid wages by a former employer.

The company initially stopped paying him for several weeks. The unpaid wages accumulated over months before he discovered that the business had closed.

Kanan also reported paying $15,000 for a Labour Market Impact Assessment, an employer recruitment authorization associated with hiring a temporary foreign worker.

The study documents allegations that some trucking companies charge migrants substantial sums for employment-related immigration paperwork, leaving workers in debt before they begin earning a living.

The vulnerability continues after they arrive in Canada.

Workers holding employer-specific permits can face difficulties changing jobs, while some fear that challenging their employers could jeopardize their immigration status.

Baril found that this dependence gives unscrupulous operators considerable power over migrant drivers, particularly those hoping to obtain permanent residency.

Another driver, identified as Manjin, described accepting substantially lower wages after an employer promised to help him obtain permanent residency.

According to the study, the company offered him 30 cents per kilometre when the average rate cited in the research was 60 cents.

The arrangement effectively linked his immigration ambitions to his willingness to accept lower pay.

Other drivers reported having to cover unexpected vehicle maintenance expenses, working without compensation while waiting for freight to be loaded and accepting difficult routes that more established employees refused.

Some said they were paid according to the straight-line distance between their departure point and destination, rather than the actual distance driven.

The study also documents allegations of immigrant drivers being classified as independent contractors, potentially affecting their employment protections and their ability to obtain employer support for permanent residency.

Baril argues that these practices allow some carriers to compete for freight contracts by shifting costs onto workers who have limited options to challenge them.

The research raises questions about the consequences of labour exploitation for everyone travelling on Canadian highways.

Drivers interviewed for the study described being pushed to continue driving despite fatigue, poor weather and concerns about vehicle maintenance.

Some reported being pressured to use two logging devices to circumvent driving-hour restrictions by making it appear that two drivers were operating a truck.

Others said complaints about worn tires, mechanical problems and excessive working hours were dismissed.

In the questionnaire, safety and security concerns were identified as the principal issue by 18 of the 204 respondents.

One Nigerian driver reported that migrant workers were sometimes assigned more difficult routes and poorly maintained equipment while their safety concerns received less attention than those of other drivers.

The allegations suggest that pressure to reduce shipping costs can create risks extending beyond the individual driver to other road users.

A central finding concerns the relationship between Canada's immigration system and the trucking industry's dependence on foreign labour.

The study reports that 8,839 migrant truck drivers arrived in Canada in 2024 and cites a 361 per cent increase in temporary foreign worker permits granted to the trucking industry between 2018 and 2023.

Some employers recruit foreign workers to address genuine labour shortages, particularly in rural regions.

Baril argues that other carriers use workers' temporary immigration status to secure cheaper labour and maintain difficult working conditions during economic downturns.

The research also found that obtaining an open work permit does not necessarily eliminate a driver's vulnerability.

Workers who can legally change employers may still depend on company support for their permanent residency applications.

The study links these conditions to decades of deregulation, increased competition and the fragmentation of Canada's trucking industry.

It argues that companies facing declining freight rates can remain competitive by reducing labour costs instead of improving working conditions.

The findings also document allegations of racial discrimination against immigrant truck drivers, including unequal pay, less desirable assignments and dismissive treatment when they raise workplace concerns.

Thirty-eight of the 204 questionnaire respondents identified racism or discrimination as their principal workplace issue.

The research includes accounts from drivers originating in India, Nigeria, Ghana and several other countries.

Immigrants accounted for 35 per cent of workers in Canada's truck transportation industry in the 2021 census, underscoring the sector's reliance on foreign-born labour.

Some Black drivers described receiving less favourable treatment from employers and encountering discrimination during interactions with police.

Baril argues that racialized drivers can face additional pressure to accept difficult assignments because of their immigration status and limited bargaining power.