I write to you as a Founder of Truckers for Safer Highways. We are a small group at this point but have the goal of waking up our political leadership to the issues the trucking industry faces.
We have been met with many brick walls after reaching out to different members of parliament including Premier Ford, Ministers of Transportation for both the Federal and Provincial government as well as provincial Speaker Arnott.
The issues we speak of are the very reasons for the report released on July 9, 2021 by the OPP concerning heavy truck collisions rising 40 per cent over six months.
We as truck drivers should have the right to feel safe at work. This is no longer the case because of our own colleagues.
New truck drivers are being trained in driving schools without any confirmation the instructors or trainers have the knowledge themselves.
To add to the problems new drivers are being trained to “pass the test” and not necessarily given the knowledge to be a professional truck driver on a daily basis.
We know this from direct testimonials. We are gravely concerned about the direction the industry is heading. People are dying on our highways needlessly. It's past time for all levels of government to take this issue seriously.
Sincerely,
Travis McDougall
Truckers for Safer Highways
