Goals: better working conditions, safeguarding the supply chain, preventing truck collisions to protect public safety

This petition urges action by the Province of Ontario, to remedy negative impacts from the Province of Ontario inaction on provision of long-haul truck parking on Ontario highways.  These negative impacts include: harsh working conditions (long hours and lack of places for truckers to sleep and rest); harm to the trucking industry and the supply chain (which brings all of our food, medicine and other necessities); dangers to the public safety (in high risks of truck collisions caused by driver lack of rest). 

Evidence-based conclusions

Conclusions were drawn from a $280,000 study involving an international expert panel, large-scale engineering studies and a survey of 2,300+ North American truck drivers who used Southern Ontario highways.

A summary of SPR's 2018 report inspiring this petition is at:  No Place to Sleep, No Place to Rest.  

SPR's 2021 critique of MTO's response is at:  Asleep at the Wheel:

The Petition:

• Whereas long haul truck drivers on Ontario highways have few places to stop and rest, to avoid fatigue in order to keep our highways safe for everybody; and
• Whereas under Federal-Provincial Hours of Service Regulations, drivers are required to stop and rest or sleep after a usual maximum of 14 hours of driving, and whereas it is unsafe and potentially dangerous to not have rest areas available when drivers must rest; and
• Whereas southern Ontario has a shortage of over 1200 overnight parking spaces for truckers to rest and sleep; and
• Whereas in response to a comprehensive study and recommendations of 1,200 to 2,600 new parking spots which the Ministry of Transportation accepted in 2018, the MTO has produced only 13 new overnight truck parking spots since, and has outlined a plan for only a few hundred spaces to be created in the next five years, mostly in locations not identified as especially high need (in locations outside of Central Ontario); and
• Whereas, according to reported OPP statistics, fatalities from truck collisions have risen by approximately 40% in the past year; and
• Whereas, without adequate rest parking, drivers will continue to drive tired, face stress, fatigue, experience negative health impacts, face fines, and incur significant costs in the search for parking; and
• Whereas the trucking industry will continue to face degrading effects of parking shortages with increased operating costs, diminished profits, and severe costs for drivers, especially independent operators; and
• Whereas the trucking industry is degraded economically by parking shortages and related driver shortages, creating negative effects in the supply chain and Ontarians' access to basic needs (food and medicine).

 We ask the Premier and Legislative Assembly of Ontario to commit to:

• create enough overnight truck parking spaces to improve road safety (per an SPR report accepted by the MTO 2018 (350 new parking spaces to be created annually starting from a 2018 baseline); and
• create an Ontario-level task force focused on municipal partners and the trucking industry, to manage truck parking overall on Ontario highways; and
• create and fund regional task forces (led by municipalities, to plan truck parking with the trucking industry and others (because municipalities are most knowledgeable about land and local resources for parking, and best able to deal with "not in my backyard" (NIMBY) obstacles to creating truck stops); and
• introduce provincial legislation requiring companies to ensure that parking is provided for their drivers and independent contractors and/or to ensuring that drivers are reimbursed for any parking costs which they may incur; and
• introduce other legislation as needed to improve working conditions for long-haul truck drivers (access to washrooms etc.).

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