U.S. trucking fleets aren't the only ones facing a shortage of qualified truck drivers. Canada needs 50,000 new truckers, according to a recent report in The Ottawa Citizen.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance, which represents 2,000 Canadian trucking companies, has asked the government to change rules to make it easier to recruit experienced drivers from other countries. Existing immigration rules tend to favor those with high education levels working in technical jobs.
Some Canadian trucking companies are parking rigs for lack of drivers. In western provinces, truckers are flown in from Newfoundland and put up in hotels during the harvest season.
The shortage is due to Canada's booming economy, increased free trade with the United States under the North American Free Trade Agreement, an aging workforce and overall shrinking labor pool.
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