A national database would ensure that safety fitness certificates can be tracked across the country, Manitoba's Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said.Keito Newman/The Globe and Mail
Manitoba is calling for a national trucking registry after a fatal crash last week involving a company that had been decertified in the province but was subsequently licensed to operate by the Alberta government.
In an e-mailed statement, provincial Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor told The Globe and Mail that Ottawa must take action against “bad actors” in the trucking industry. She said a national database would ensure that safety fitness certificates can be tracked across the country.
The statement was prompted by an accident on May 27 in Brandon, a city about 200 kilometres west of Winnipeg, where a transport truck allegedly blew through a stop sign and crashed into an SUV, killing its 49-year-old female driver.
The ministry said the truck was owned by Conquer Transport Inc., and that the company’s Manitoba safety fitness certificate was revoked in November, 2021, because of “ongoing deficiencies in safe operation.”
In her statement, Ms. Naylor said: “This fatality underscores the urgent need for a national database so all jurisdictions can better track and flag any issues related to safety, particularly when a company has had their certification rescinded or [has] a history of repeat bad behaviour.”
A Globe investigation published Saturday found that a fractured oversight system, poor information sharing between governments and shoddy enforcement continue to allow some operators in the trucking sector to escape scrutiny.
Critics have called on transport authorities to implement more pro-active safety measures, including increasing the number of in-depth safety audits of trucking companies’ vehicle maintenance and driver records. A Globe analysis of 7,000 such companies in four provinces, including Manitoba, found that 85 per cent had never received one of these audits.
Efforts to identify companies that open in multiple jurisdictions to evade regulators – referred to as chameleon carriers in the industry – are currently hamstrung by “significant gaps in communication between Canadian jurisdictions,” says an October submission to the House of Commons transport committee from the Canadian Trucking Alliance. The CTA is a national federation of provincial trucking associations.
Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon wasn’t available for an interview Wednesday, and his office did not to respond to questions from The Globe.
After last week’s crash, police arrested and charged the truck’s driver, Brijpal Panwar, 35, with dangerous driving causing death, according to a Brandon Police Service news release.
In its statement to The Globe, the Manitoba government said it became aware in February, 2022, that Conquer Transport Inc. was operating within the province under an Alberta-granted safety certificate and vehicle registration and with a slightly different name – Conquer Transportation Inc.
The province has been in “regular communication” with Alberta regarding Conquer since discovering it was still operating, the ministry said in an unsigned statement. Manitoba officials didn’t respond to questions from The Globe Wednesday about what recourse it had, if any, to prevent Conquer from driving on its roads while using its Alberta licence.
The Globe attempted to contact Conquer at multiple phone numbers associated with the company and its listed officers and directors, as well as through a LinkedIn message. No one responded.
A spokesperson for Alberta’s Transportation Minister, Devin Dreeshen, said the minister wasn’t available for an interview. A spokesperson for the ministry said Alberta Transportation is working with both Manitoba Motor Carrier Enforcement and Brandon Police as part of its part of their investigation.
Regulators urged to step up inspections and enforcement in trucking sector
“If it is confirmed that an Alberta-based carrier was involved in, or responsible for, this tragic incident, Alberta will take decisive action without hesitation, in accordance with applicable legislation and enforcement authorities,” said press secretary Husam Khalo.
Aaron Dolyniuk, executive director of the Winnipeg-based Manitoba Trucking Association, said the revelation that Conquer’s safety certificate had been revoked in a province where it was still operating was “disgusting” and that it undermines the industry’s integrity.
“What these individuals are doing is they’re starting up fleets in other provinces, and you know, wiping their slate clean and starting all over again like nothing ever happened,” he told The Globe Wednesday.
He echoed Ms. Naylor’s call for a national trucking database and said it has been a long-standing demand from the trucking association.
It’s vital for any provincial, territorial or federal agency to access the same information and prevent trucking companies with checkered safety records from operating in different jurisdictions, Mr. Dolyniuk said.
He said he’s aware of five companies still operating despite the province removing their safety certificates. He declined to provide further details.
Mr. Dolyniuk said the regulatory system is “designed on the concept of good faith, and when people come at it from the perspective of ‘how do I exploit the gaps?’ it’s easier than it should be.”
Most of the corporate records for Conquer obtained by The Globe list its address in Winnipeg, but data supplied to The Globe by the Manitoba Workers Compensation Board lists an Edmonton address.
In addition to a national database, Mr. Dolyniuk said provincial and territorial governments need to harmonize “foundational” systems, such as carrier profiles, to create a uniform approach when regulating trucking companies.