Monday morning, hundreds of truckers slow-rolled along Quebec highways to push for stronger regulation of the “Driver Inc.” or “discount driver” trend and call for a return of commercial vehicle enforcement officers to the province’s roads.
“The Public Service Alliance of Canada, Quebec Region (PSAC-Quebec) applauds this peaceful awareness action. Discount drivers also deserve better working conditions. But while we all just want to put food on the table, heavy-vehicle operators must comply with the relevant laws and regulations to keep people safe. And the Legault government has a duty to properly equip commercial vehicle enforcement officers so they can get back to patrolling,” said Sébastien Paquette, Executive Vice-President for PSAC-Quebec.
Enforcement operations have been hampered since March following an Administrative Labour Tribunal decision ordering the employer, SAAQ, to stop Quebec highway patrols until officers have the equipment they need to stay safe at work. In the interim, all work is being conducted exclusively at weigh stations.
“We’ve been campaigning for years to get the mandate and equipment to do our jobs properly. With a service weapon and the right training, we can get back to work keeping the Quebec population safe. Meanwhile, the government needs to tighten its laws and regulations governing discount drivers,” said Jean-Claude Daigneault, President of the Fraternité des constables du contrôle routier du Québec (FCCRQ).
Some facts about commercial vehicle enforcement in Quebec:
- Approximately 110,000 operations are conducted every year, including 70,000 random checks during highway patrols.
- No enforcement occurs on the Island of Montreal, since there are no control stations.
- Accidents involving heavy vehicles have increased over the last six months. We had alerted the government to this risk.
- In April 2024, the government ruled that commercial vehicle enforcement officers should be armed. We even had an agreement to that effect, but it appears the Premier pulled rank to back out at the last second.
PSAC‑Quebec represents more than 45,000 members in Quebec, including those belonging to the FCCRQ. The FCCRQ represents 300 commercial vehicle enforcement officers committed to keeping Quebec’s roads safe.