With governments targeting steel shipping costs, critical-mineral roads and domestic supply chains, CTOA says small carriers and owner-operators should be part of the solution from the start
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 21, 2026 :- The Canada Truck Operators Association (CTOA) welcomes the new $8.7-billion Canada-Ontario action plan announced today by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Doug Ford to support tariff-affected steel and automotive industries, strengthen critical-mineral development and build more resilient domestic supply chains.
The plan includes a new $5.22-billion Joint Steel Action Fund, an additional $2.5 billion for automotive investment, and federal matching of Ontario’s initial investment of up to $1 billion over three years for essential road infrastructure supporting critical-mineral development in the Ring of Fire region.
CTOA says the next step should be to ensure trucking, particularly small and mid-sized carriers and owner-operators, is built into the implementation of these measures wherever freight movement, shipping costs and market diversification are involved.
“We welcome governments investing in Canadian steel, automotive manufacturing, critical minerals and domestic trade,” said Tej Dulat, Director of Government and Public Affairs at CTOA. “Our message is simple: follow the freight journey. A shipment does not begin at a rail terminal and it does not end there. Trucks connect factories, mills, rail terminals, ports, warehouses, construction sites and customers. Including trucking will make these investments work better.”
Federal freight data underline trucking’s scale. In 2018, trucks moved 77.7% of the measured domestic freight volume covered by a Library of Parliament analysis, while Statistics Canada reported that trucks accounted for 90% of freight shipments in 2017.
Steel shipping costs create an immediate opportunity
Today’s action plan establishes a new Canada-Ontario Steel Task Force, whose first priority will include identifying ways to reduce steel shipping costs and recommending additional measures to strengthen the competitiveness of Canada’s steel sector. CTOA believes small- and mid-sized trucking representatives should be part of that discussion.
To support that work, CTOA will prepare a first- and last-mile trucking cost and implementation note for the Canada-Ontario Steel Task Force in coming weeks, drawing on carrier operating evidence, freight-lane conditions and the practical costs involved in connecting mills, terminals and final customers. CTOA is also prepared to convene small and mid-sized carriers to provide direct operating input to the Task Force.
Canadian steel moving to a new domestic customer may travel by rail or marine for part of its journey, but truck transportation is often required to move freight from the mill to a terminal and from the destination terminal to the final customer.
CTOA supports investments in rail and marine transportation and believes Canada’s freight modes should complement one another.
“This is not about choosing trucks over rail. Canada needs both,” Dulat said. “If the objective is to lower the cost of moving Canadian steel and open new domestic markets, government should look at the complete transportation chain, including the truck movements that begin and complete many of those shipments.”
Critical-mineral investment also depends on transportation capacity
The Canada-Ontario action plan also commits to advancing essential road infrastructure for Northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire region, with the federal government matching Ontario’s initial investment of up to $1 billion over three years.
The governments will also identify projects that could benefit from programs including the Canada Critical Minerals Accelerator and the First and Last Mile Fund.
CTOA says this is an opportunity to ensure transportation planning includes the trucking capacity required to move construction materials, machinery, fuel, equipment, supplies and commercial freight associated with new northern development.
Reliable highways are only one part of that capacity. Canada will also need safe and viable carriers, professional drivers, maintenance capacity and supporting infrastructure.
Small carriers are part of Canada’s industrial capacity
Federal industry data show that 83.4% of truck transportation employers have fewer than five employees and 99.5% have fewer than 100 employees.
These businesses provide transportation capacity across manufacturing, construction, steel, automotive, forestry, agriculture, mining and cross-border trade. Many have also been exposed to the same trade disruption now affecting their customers.
Recent market indicators show an uneven operating environment:
- Outbound Canada-U.S. freight postings fell 12% from August to September 2026, according to Loadlink
- Transportation and warehousing recorded 136 insolvencies in Q2 2026, up 36% from both the previous quarter and the same quarter a year earlier, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, and
- Producer diesel prices were 40.3% to 58.8% higher in July 2026 than a year earlier, depending on region, according to Statistics Canada.
CTOA’s policy work is national in scope, with trucking businesses and industry participants operating across provincial and international freight corridors. The association is using its National Trucking Industry Pulse initiative to build a stronger evidence base on the operating conditions affecting carriers, owner-operators and drivers across Canada.
CTOA is also gathering direct operating evidence through its National Trucking Industry Pulse Survey, seeking input from carriers, owner-operators and professional drivers on freight conditions, fuel costs, trade uncertainty, workforce pressures and government priorities.
The survey remains open at thectoa.ca/national-trucking-survey/, and CTOA will publish updated findings as participation grows.
Existing tariff programs should recognize transportation impacts
The federal government says it has provided more than $25 billion in support to Canadian workers and businesses affected by U.S. tariffs, with a further $7.5 billion in new and enhanced measures announced in August 2026.
Those measures include $1.5 billion through the Regional Tariff Response Initiative, a $500-million BDC liquidity stream, and a $2-billion Canada Strong Diversification Fund. CTOA supports these measures but says transportation businesses can experience tariff impacts differently from manufacturers.
A trucking company may not pay the tariff directly, but it can lose freight when a manufacturer cuts production, see cross-border lanes become unbalanced, accumulate additional empty miles or have equipment sitting under-utilized.
CTOA believes those measurable transportation impacts should be recognized when governments design and implement tariff-response programs.
CTOA proposes three practical next steps
1. Include trucking in steel shipping-cost discussions
CTOA recommends that small- and mid-sized carrier representation be included in the work of the Canada-Ontario Steel Task Force as it examines shipping costs and competitiveness.
Where government supports transportation costs for Canadian steel or other tariff-affected goods, qualifying first-mile and last-mile truck movements should be considered as part of the full freight journey.
2. Create a practical tariff-adjustment pathway for small carriers and owner-operators
Federal and provincial programs should recognize legitimate transportation businesses that can demonstrate tariff-related impacts such as reduced freight volumes, disrupted lanes, equipment under-utilization, increased empty repositioning or loss of tariff-affected customers.
Program eligibility should not unintentionally exclude viable owner-operators and smaller fleets because of revenue or employee thresholds designed for larger businesses.
3. Provide targeted bridge financing and productivity support
As CTOA first proposed in March 2026, governments should establish a proportionate bridge-financing pathway for viable, safe and compliant small carriers and owner-operators facing temporary trade-related revenue disruption or major equipment costs while adapting to changing freight markets.
CTOA is prepared to work with federal and provincial officials on eligibility criteria that distinguish viable, compliant operators from businesses experiencing normal commercial losses.
Support could also help businesses invest in fuel efficiency, safety systems, digital technology and other productivity improvements.
“Small and mid-sized carriers are not asking for special treatment,” Dulat said. “They are asking to be recognized as part of the industrial capacity Canada is trying to protect and build. When governments invest in steel, autos, critical minerals and domestic trade, trucking is one of the systems that turns those investments into actual commerce.”
CTOA is ready to work with the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, manufacturers, railways, ports, brokers, shippers and other supply-chain partners on practical implementation.
Fleet owners, owner-operators, railways, brokers, shippers and other transportation partners are all integral to Canada’s supply chain. Stronger coordination across those sectors will help build safer, more resilient supply chains and a stronger Canada.
About the Canada Truck Operators Association
The Canada Truck Operators Association (CTOA) is a national organization representing and advocating for small and mid-sized carriers, owner-operators, independent operators and professional drivers across Canada.
Media and government inquiries:
Jas Kaur
Government & Public Affairs
Canada Truck Operators Association
info@thectoa.ca | +1 416-443-0042
thectoa.ca