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So, this article came out in Truck News.
www.trucknews.com
I decided I should comment on it. So you don't have to search the article for my comment, I'll post it here for everyone's thoughts and opinions;
(FWIW ... I am not advocating Driver, Inc.)
Why wouldn't Driver, Inc. increase in numbers?
Who's going to catch them? It's not like WSIB, ESDC, or CRA are running around searching these people out. If they run across them in the normal course of their daily operations and get someone, so be it.
There are only so many auditors in each of these departments, and they can only do so many audits in a year. Right from the start the chances of getting caught are pretty slim. Statistically speaking the more companies that take on the Driver, Inc. program, the less chance there is for any one company to get caught at it.
Even if they get caught, what's the worst that can happen? You get a fine. Maybe a big fine. If you are small you simply close the business and start another. If you are big, it's simply a cost of doing business. The ROI versus the fines are worth it.
What should really be of concern is that the rest of trucking, including big carriers, doesn't adhere to the mantra of "If you can't beat them, join them".
If that happens then the odds of small and medium size carriers getting audited for Driver, Inc. are reduced to nearly zero. Auditors will focus on bigger carriers as they are easier to identify, and bigger carriers will keep them in court forever, even further reducing auditor effectiveness.
Maybe, if the government is really serious about Driver, Inc., they should put some real "jail-time" teeth into the legislation.
Maybe the government should target shippers, receivers, and load brokers that use Driver, Inc. carriers and charge them with conspiracy to commit tax fraud, or aiding and abetting tax fraud.
Maybe they should mandate that insurance companies cannot insure Drivers, Inc. carriers.
But, let's be real about the whole thing. The Fed needs tax dollars bad. It is far easier for them to ramp up audits on the middle class workers and get their revenue from there as those audits and re-audits are all electronic, and those people are only represented by themselves or income tax mills. Easy pickings for auditors.
The ROI on eliminating Driver, Inc. is negligible. It costs too much to dig them out. It takes a lot of time to get the money, if at all. It's not Green, nor does it lessen our dependence on fossil fuel. It is not going to put billions of tax dollars back into the government coffers.
Just like the government trying to take on taxing the ultra-rich and their offshore accounts, rooting out and eliminating Driver, Inc. is never going to happen with any measurable success.
So, why wouldn't Driver, Inc. increase in numbers?
Data may suggest growth in Driver Inc. businesses, says OTA - Truck News
The number of trucking businesses without employees is surging in Ontario’s Peel and Halton regions – a trend the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) sees
www.trucknews.com
(FWIW ... I am not advocating Driver, Inc.)
Why wouldn't Driver, Inc. increase in numbers?
Who's going to catch them? It's not like WSIB, ESDC, or CRA are running around searching these people out. If they run across them in the normal course of their daily operations and get someone, so be it.
There are only so many auditors in each of these departments, and they can only do so many audits in a year. Right from the start the chances of getting caught are pretty slim. Statistically speaking the more companies that take on the Driver, Inc. program, the less chance there is for any one company to get caught at it.
Even if they get caught, what's the worst that can happen? You get a fine. Maybe a big fine. If you are small you simply close the business and start another. If you are big, it's simply a cost of doing business. The ROI versus the fines are worth it.
What should really be of concern is that the rest of trucking, including big carriers, doesn't adhere to the mantra of "If you can't beat them, join them".
If that happens then the odds of small and medium size carriers getting audited for Driver, Inc. are reduced to nearly zero. Auditors will focus on bigger carriers as they are easier to identify, and bigger carriers will keep them in court forever, even further reducing auditor effectiveness.
Maybe, if the government is really serious about Driver, Inc., they should put some real "jail-time" teeth into the legislation.
Maybe the government should target shippers, receivers, and load brokers that use Driver, Inc. carriers and charge them with conspiracy to commit tax fraud, or aiding and abetting tax fraud.
Maybe they should mandate that insurance companies cannot insure Drivers, Inc. carriers.
But, let's be real about the whole thing. The Fed needs tax dollars bad. It is far easier for them to ramp up audits on the middle class workers and get their revenue from there as those audits and re-audits are all electronic, and those people are only represented by themselves or income tax mills. Easy pickings for auditors.
The ROI on eliminating Driver, Inc. is negligible. It costs too much to dig them out. It takes a lot of time to get the money, if at all. It's not Green, nor does it lessen our dependence on fossil fuel. It is not going to put billions of tax dollars back into the government coffers.
Just like the government trying to take on taxing the ultra-rich and their offshore accounts, rooting out and eliminating Driver, Inc. is never going to happen with any measurable success.
So, why wouldn't Driver, Inc. increase in numbers?
