Manitoba's Mission: Unmasking 'Chameleon Carriers' on Canadian Roads

Legislation could give authorities ability to prevent violators from operating

Manitoba wants to give authorities the ability to refuse issuing safety certificates to carriers trying to disguise violations and penalties by reopening under a different name (Photo: Jim Allen)

Legislators in Manitoba address trucking firms with poor safety records

Legislators in Manitoba are preventing trucking companies with subpar safety records from operating on Canadian roads. The provincial legislatures have recently proposed an amendment aimed at "chameleon carriers"—trucking companies that rebrand under a different name to avoid safety violations.

Targeting Unsafe Carriers

Doyle Piwniuk, the minister of transportation and infrastructure for Manitoba, stated in a press release: "The proposed legislation would bolster the ability to keep "chameleon carriers" off the road." "The amendments are directed specifically at unsafe carriers and will have minimal effects on carriers that comply with safety regulations and perform adequately on the road."

Changes to the Highway Traffic Amendment Act

The proposed changes to the Highway Traffic Amendment Act (Heavy Vehicle Safety) could assign suspected chameleon carriers a conditional safety rating or revoke their safety certificates entirely. At present, Manitoba's regulations do not permit authorities to deny safety certificates under such circumstances.

New carrier requirements

Before receiving a safety fitness certificate, under the proposed changes, new carriers must identify a certified compliance officer and submit a safety plan. According to the law, existing carriers with a conditional safety rating must certify a compliance officer within 180 days.

Assistance provided by the Manitoba Trucking Association

The executive director of the Manitoba Trucking Association, Aaron Dolyniuk, supports the legal amendments to crack down on unsafe operators. Dolyniuk told FreightWaves the following: "It allows the province to ensure that the history of the carrier is transferred to the new owner. In Canada, chameleon carriers have been identified as a problem."

In response to a tragic accident

The tragic accident involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team in Edmonton, Alberta, in April 2018 prompted legislators to amend trucking industry regulations. When the Broncos' bus collided with an Adesh Deol Trucking tractor-trailer, sixteen people were killed and thirteen were seriously injured.

The owner of the trucking company linked to the fatal crash launched a new business under a different name shortly after the accident. Sukhmander Singh, the owner and director of Adesh Deol Trucking, eventually pleaded guilty to five charges related to the hockey team accident, admitting that he had violated federal and provincial safety regulations. After pleading guilty to reckless driving charges, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the Adesh Deol Trucking driver involved in the accident, was sentenced to eight years in prison and faces deportation.

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