The fatal truck crash in Florida on August 12 has reignited debates over road safety and commercial driver licensing across North America, with attention spilling over into Canada’s Punjabi-dominated trucking industry.
The driver, Harjinder Singh — an undocumented Punjabi immigrant with a California-issued commercial licence — attempted a reckless U-turn on the Florida Turnpike, blocking all lanes and triggering a deadly collision. Investigators later revealed he had failed English proficiency and road sign tests, raising serious concerns about how he was ever certified to operate a heavy truck.
In Canada, the incident has intensified scrutiny of similar loopholes in licensing and training. Social media outrage has blended genuine safety concerns with xenophobic calls for deportation, after viral posts showed dangerous manoeuvres by truckers on Canadian highways. Critics argue that Canada’s system, which allows temporary residents and asylum seekers to obtain commercial licences, does not always ensure drivers have the language and safety skills required.
Punjabi Sikhs play a dominant role in the Canadian trucking sector — running over 60 per cent of operations in major hubs like Vancouver and Toronto. While their contributions to the economy are significant, investigations have revealed troubling issues in the industry, including widespread wage exploitation under the “Driver Inc.” model, and fraud at some truck-driving schools in Ontario and Quebec. CBC exposés have documented forged certificates, bribes, and schemes that bypass Mandatory Entry-Level Training requirements.
The backlash, however, has too often veered into racial stereotyping. Comparisons have been drawn to the 2018 Humboldt Broncos tragedy, caused by Indian-born truck driver Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, and other high-profile crashes involving Punjabi drivers. Yet Canada’s deadliest road accident — a 1997 Quebec crash that killed 43 seniors — was caused by a non-immigrant driver who had been overworked and fatigued. Experts stress that accidents are rooted in systemic issues, not ethnicity.
What Singh’s case highlights is the urgent need for stronger oversight of training schools, licensing processes, and labour practices. Road safety reforms, advocates argue, must focus on driver qualifications and accountability rather than scapegoating any single community.
As for Singh, his actions carried lethal consequences that cannot be excused. But the broader lesson lies not in targeting immigrants, but in ensuring that Canada’s trucking industry operates with the highest standards of safety, transparency, and fairness.