OTTAWA — Take a look in the mirror and stop blaming other groups for trucking-related labor problems, says a new report by the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA).

OTTAWA — Take a look in the mirror and stop blaming other groups for trucking-related labor problems, says a new report by the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA).

Titled CTA Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Driver Shortage, the report aims to take a "comprehensive and honest attempt to tackle" the impending shortage of qualified commercial drivers in Canada.

The key conclusions of the report are:

·         Truck drivers are our most important asset, the face of the industry -- to our customers and to the public, and they are deserving of respect.

·         Truck drivers should have an improved ability to predict what their weekly pay is going to be; compensation packages need to be competitive with or better than alternative employment options and more transparent;

·         Truck drivers should be paid for all the work that they do and earn enough to cover all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred while on the road for extended periods.

·         (Drivers’) time at work should not be wasted — at shipper/consignee premises, waiting for their trucks in the shop, or waiting for a response to a question of their carrier;

·         (Drivers) should be able to rely on their carrier not to interfere with their personal time by (for example) calling them back to work early;

·         Driver wellness should be a top priority for employers;

·         A minimum standard of entry level, apprenticeship or apprenticeship-like truck driver training should be mandatory;

·         Truck driving should be considered a skilled trade and be recognized as such by the various levels and branches of government, standards councils, etc., who certify such things.

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