Trucking industry actors applaud stricter rules for Ontario drivers in Quebec

A truck drives past a container storage and transshipment yard in Montreal on Friday, June 9, 2023, at the Port of Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Quebec trucking industry actors are praising the provincial government’s decision to tighten rules for Ontario truck drivers in an effort to curb dangerous driving.

As of Thursday, truck drivers from Ontario with less than two years experience on the road who want to move to Quebec will have to pass a driving exam with Quebec’s auto insurance board to transfer their heavy vehicle licence.

If they fail this exam twice, they will have to complete mandatory training to receive authorization to drive heavy trucks.

“This measure is a first safeguard to protect our businesses, our drivers and all road users,” said said Marc Cadieux, CEO of the Quebec trucking association. “Our industry’s safety requirements must remain an absolute priority, without exception or compromise.”

Jacques Ladouceur of the Teamsters Canada, a union representing tens of thousands of heavy vehicle drivers, also expressed support for the new measure. He added that trucking companies have a responsibility to conduct thorough checks of their drivers’ abilities.

“A driving test is the least we can do,” he said. “If you’re letting someone drive your vehicle, you want to make sure they know how to. It isn’t written on anyone’s face that they have the capacity and competencies to do it.”

The new measure follows a report in May by Ontario’s auditor general, who highlighted serious shortcomings in training and oversight in the province’s trucking sector and cited Quebec’s stricter rules as a model to follow.

In a written response to Quebec’s announcement, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation said that “Ontario’s testing and training system is rigorous and ensures drivers have the skills, experience, and knowledge needed to keep our roads safe.”

“Our government has zero tolerance for bad actors in the trucking industry who put public safety at risk, and we are continuing to take action to protect Ontario’s roads, strengthen the trucking sector, and hold unsafe and non-compliant operators accountable,” they added.

According to Quebec auto insurance board spokesperson Simon-Pierre Poulin, it’s easier to get a driver’s permit in Ontario and transfer it than to get one in Quebec.

“It’s a measure that won’t completely change the road safety record, but it’s something we can put into place right now and that can protect us against potential fraud if someone wants to take a shortcut through Ontario,” he said in a phone interview.

He says the measure announced Thursday will only be in place until Ontario addresses the concerns raised by their auditor general.

“Ideally, we won’t keep this measure active for a long time, because Ontario will do its homework,” he said, adding that he is confident that the Ontario government was taking the issue seriously. “In the meantime, our duty is to protect Quebec roads, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

According to Poulin, between 300 and 400 drivers transfer their trucking permit from Ontario to Quebec each year. It’s unclear how many of these have less than two years experience.

“It’s a signal we’re sending also,” he said. “But if we want to improve our road safety record, it’s clear that this measure alone won’t completely change it.”

Alongside this new evaluation measure, the Quebec government also announced that a committee had been created to find ways to tighten road safety requirements for temporary foreign workers in the province’s trucking industry.

A transport department spokesperson said the committee, which is made up of ministry representatives and trucking industry actors, will aim to ensure drivers holding international permits develop safe driving practices in Quebec, especially in challenging winter conditions.

The provincial government introduced other measures to increase trucking safety following two fatal accidents in Quebec involving heavy trucks in the summer of 2025, including a public coroner’s inquiry, the arming of highway patrol officers, and zero alcohol tolerance for new drivers of heavy vehicles.

While trucking is by nature interprovincial, Poulin believes changes made in Quebec can encourage other provinces to impose more restrictive measures. He called on Ottawa to crack down on what he called a “drivers inc.” scheme, in which companies employ drivers as independent contractors to avoid certain fees.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2026.

-- With files from Pierre Saint-Arnaud

Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, The Canadian Press