Maple Leaf Motoring is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of Canadian trucking. This week – a trucker fights his deportation, a pay-as-you-go ELD is released, and workplace safety declines in Ontario.
A mechanical engineering student who supported himself by driving a truck faces deportation from Canada to India for working more hours than his study permit allowed.
Jobandeep Sandhu was pulled over during a routine traffic stop on Highway 401 between Montreal and Toronto in 2017. But upon examining his log book, a police officer discovered that he had worked more than 20 hours – above the weekly limit under his permit to study in Canada.
“Now I am being deported for working hard,” Sandhu wrote on an online petition, asking Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to rescind the deportation order.
The petition had collected more than 50,000 signatures as of May 24.
“I had a choice either to stop studying or work harder to support my education and my dreams. I chose the latter,” he added.
Sandhu is required to leave Canada by June 15.
The Ontario Trucking Association has called on Canada to bring in more foreign truckers to address a driver shortage.
Injuries rise at Ontario’s transport and warehouse workplaces
Transportation and warehousing workplaces in Ontario got less safe, according to a new ranking from the province’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
The 2019 Health and Safety Index for the transportation and warehousing industry, which includes trucking, dropped by 1.6 percent largely because of a sharp increase in injuries. Workplace safety across all workplaces overall rose by 1.9 percent.
TruckNews noted that serious injuries nearly doubled in 2018.
First pay-as-you-go ELD unveiled
FleetComplete’s BigRoad launched a pay-as-you-go service for its DashLink ELD, the first of its kind electronic logging device (ELD).
“We have clients whose business is seasonal or that requires ELD compliance on occasion, but who have to subscribe to full service, which they don’t use all the time. With Pay-As-You-Drive, these drivers will have an easier path to compliance without the financial strain,” said Tony Lourakis, CEO of Fleet Complete and BigRoad.
The Canadian firm is also providing free hardware to new customers. It also comes without contracts or cancellation fees.
Dave
Rules are rules send him home!
Susan smith
Follow the rules then you would not have a problem.
Marcus
We have to run legal & we whom our generations go WAY BACK in America don’t get the government breaks that forginers get so I say send ALL back
Kelly Weikum
Immigrants will work for a lot less than citizens.
Kelly Weikum
But then again the visa holders will work for lots less than citizens
Kelly Weikum
Welcome to the biggest problem the United States of America faces illegal aliens.
Jdlatino
He wasn’t working illegally lol… He worked MORE time than his Visa allowed to, he was allowed to work.. but not more than 20 hours a week..
Vintchy Almondo
Alot of welfare motherfucccckers agreed with the punishment. Keep in mind ya will eventually work for him for minimum wage. Canada who cares about Canada. However I bet all my money another uneducated foreigner took the decision to punish him by sending him back over something so simple.
Kyle
Maybe we should look at a punishment for every driver that has broken the rule of hours from peer pressure of dispatchers pushing drivers to push the boundaries of the law. I’m not saying what he did was right but put yourself in his shoes and then make that decision. We as an industry couldn’t even resist the temptation of chasing dollars by breaking the law of allowable hours for years so how can we expect a student trying to make a better life for himself to try to make extra money.
Sandra
YOU HAVE A FILTHY MOUTH, YOU SHOULD BE KICKED OFF. I GUESS YOU DIDN’T HAVE A FATHER TO TEACH YOU HOW TO TALK TO A W. HE BROKE THE IMMIGRATION LAW. PLAIN AND SIMPLE. AND SOME OF THESE BOYS CRYING ABOUT PAY AND HOURS OF SERVICE, MOST OF YOU CAN’T DRIVE ANYWAY AND THAT’S WHY YOU CAN’T MAKE THE MONEY US OLDER DRIVERS MADE.
Steve Webster
I cheated on my hours got a $1000 fine plus truck put in the pound for 7 days for splitting a sleeper berth into a 3 and 7 instead of a 2 and 8. This to cover another driver who truck that hit by a car making a illegall Left turn.
Phil
Wow! It wasn’t the Hours of Service laws he broke. It was an Immigration law, in particular, student visa requirements. Way to distract from the subject. Do you work for Justin by chance?