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EDMONTON — Alberta says it has removed 20 commercial trucking companies from the province’s roads since October as part of increased enforcement aimed at improving safety in the industry.
Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen says the province has issued 443 administrative penalties during the same period through inspections, audits and targeted investigations.
“Our government is continuing to take tough enforcement action to improve safety across the trucking industry,” Dreeshen said. “We are applying vigilant oversight of carriers and driver training schools through inspections, audits and targeted investigations.”
Thirteen of the companies removed were identified as so-called chameleon carriers, businesses accused of changing names, creating new entities or moving operations between jurisdictions to avoid regulatory oversight.
The province says another 40 suspected chameleon carriers were prevented from obtaining safety fitness certificates following reviews of their documentation.
Alberta is working with other governments through the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators on a national database intended to improve information sharing and prevent carriers from exploiting gaps between provincial enforcement systems.
The province pointed to enforcement action taken against Conquer Transportation Inc. in June following a fatal collision in Manitoba. An Alberta investigation found what the government described as sustained and deliberate non-compliance, along with efforts to evade enforcement.
Enforcement included $16,500 in administrative penalties and the company’s Safety Fitness Rating being downgraded to unsatisfactory, effectively preventing it from operating.
“We continue to work with our federal and provincial/territorial partners to strengthen enforcement across jurisdictions including addressing chameleon carriers,” Dreeshen said.
Alberta is also targeting a business model known as Drivers Inc., in which companies classify commercial drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, avoiding payroll taxes and benefits.
The province says a three-day commercial driver status check in May found 20 per cent of the 81 drivers stopped were suspected of being misclassified, including several temporary foreign workers.
Enforcement efforts have also focused on commercial driver training.
The government says five fraudulent Class 1 trucking schools have been shut down. Since April 2025, inspectors have visited 53 of Alberta’s 56 licensed Class 1 driver training schools.
Alberta is also working with other provinces to pursue Red Seal certification for commercial drivers and has begun work toward establishing a provincial trade designation for the occupation.
“We will continue to work with industry partners to build on this progress and ensure that only safe, qualified drivers, carriers and training schools operate in the province’s trucking sector,” Dreeshen said.
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