Online shopping has changed what consumers expect from delivery. Goods move between warehouses and stores to reach homes and businesses quickly, often within days or even hours. That speed depends on a vast transportation system and the people who keep it moving.Our new research on migrant labour in Canada’s trucking industry highlights how the pressure to move goods quickly and at low cost shapes the conditions under which drivers work.We surveyed 203 immigrant truck drivers online, then interviewed 33 migrant drivers from different countries and with different immigration and employment statuses. We also spoke with 14 people working across the trucking industry. Across our survey and interviews, drivers described long working days, uneven pay and long stretches away from their families. Some migrant drivers also said their immigration status made it harder to refuse difficult working conditions or speak up when they felt they were being treated unfairly.Freight rates, schedules, pay structures and contracting arrangements can all determine how much of the pressure reaches the driver.Competition pushes costs downCanada’s trucking industry changed after deregulation in the late 1980s. Statistics Canada documented how the 1987 Motor Vehicle Transport Act relaxed restrictions on entering the industry and increased competition between carriers.Today, large carriers compete alongside smaller companies and owner-operators. Brokers and subcontractors can also create several steps between the company that needs goods moved and the driver who eventually hauls them.This competition can create an incentive throughout the industry to complete trips as cheaply and efficiently as possible.One migrant driver described how competition plays out: “There’s a lot of people who are ready to go low for the rate.” If one company is offered $1,500 to move a load, he explained, another might offer $1,300. Driving is only part of the jobMuch of a truck driver’s work happens when the truck is not moving. Drivers inspect their vehicles, wait while trailers are loaded and unloaded, cross borders and deal with traffic, bad weather and mechanical problems. For long-haul drivers, these activities can add hours to a trip. Many long-haul drivers are paid according to distance travelled. Pay practices vary by company, but a trip can take much longer than the time spent actually driving. A driver may spend hours waiting, completing required inspections or being held up at a border. That time does not always translate into additional pay.A February 2026 report by Justice for Truck Drivers and the West Coast Trucking Association found that 74 per cent of federally regulated drivers were not paid for all hours worked. Among long-haul drivers, 77 per cent reported unpaid work time. The report also found that 41 per cent of drivers paid by mileage said they were not paid for the full distance they drove.Under federal labour standards, paying drivers by the mile is legal. Employers must still pay for working time and ensure mileage-based earnings meet at least the federal minimum wage. Required tasks such as vehicle inspections count as work, while some waiting or layover periods may not. Some unpaid time reported by drivers could therefore violate labour standards, although the survey cannot determine whether every unpaid hour was illegal.Our interviews show what these gaps in compensation can look like from the driver’s perspective. One driver put it simply: “We spend a lot of time on the road; certain times we don’t get paid.” Another driver described the personal cost of long-haul work: “You sleep on the long road, away from your comfort, away from your family.” At times, he said, “the pay is not even worth the stress.” Not every participant described trucking this way. Some spoke about good employers, decent incomes and the independence trucking can provide. Concerns about long hours, unpaid waiting time and low pay came up repeatedly, however, especially among temporary migrants.Immigration status affects workers’ choicesLong hours and unpaid work are not unique to migrant drivers, but for some workers, immigration status can make changing jobs more difficult.Open work permit holders can change employers, while workers with employer-specific permits must apply for a new permit to do so. Although they may request authorization to start a new job while the application is processed, changing employers can still involve finding a new sponsor, navigating immigration requirements and risking a loss of income. Several participants told us that this dependence made them more cautious about refusing work, negotiating pay or speaking up about unfair treatment. One driver explained that some immigrants may accept an employer’s offer without negotiating because they need “to make sure you have some food on the table.” Others described being given less desirable routes, working longer hours, experiencing discrimination or feeling “less secure about speaking up if something is unfair.” These constraints do not mean migrant drivers have no agency. Some participants still found ways to improve their situation by changing employers, joining worker organizations or becoming owner-operators. But their experiences show that workers do not all have the same bargaining power when problems arise. Canada has also created a specific open-work-permit pathway for some temporary workers who are being abused or are at risk of abuse in relation to their jobs.A more sustainable trucking systemCanada’s supply chains depend on truck drivers. Most consumer goods and commodities are delivered by truck at some point, making trucking a major link in the movement of goods.Addressing unpaid time, wage pressure and difficult working conditions matters for both drivers and the reliability of the system Canadians depend on. Better enforcement of labour standards, pay that reflects the full time and distance required to complete trips, closer oversight of subcontracting and making it easier for workers to change jobs could improve working conditions in trucking.A recurring sentiment in our interviews was that drivers’ contribution is often overlooked. As one migrant driver told us: “People don’t really realize how important truck drivers are. Without us, nothing moves.” Recognizing that contribution also means improving the conditions under which the work is done.Émile Baril receives funding from the CFREF Migrant Integration in the mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides and from the Institute for Research on Migration and Society (IRMS)Juliana Tinoco Sampedro receives funding from the Institute for Research on Migration and Society (IRMS)