{"id":1188,"date":"2025-07-26T20:57:55","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T00:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/?p=1188"},"modified":"2025-07-26T20:57:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T00:57:55","slug":"truck-drivers-told-youre-an-independent-contractor-the-law-might-say-otherwise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/26\/truck-drivers-told-youre-an-independent-contractor-the-law-might-say-otherwise\/","title":{"rendered":"Truck Drivers: Told You\u2019re an Independent Contractor? The Law Might Say Otherwise"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\">If you drive for just one company \u2014 even if you\u2019re using your own truck and your own business \u2014 the law might say you\u2019re not truly independent. And that means you could have legal rights you didn\u2019t know about.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">A recent court case from British Columbia is changing how we look at this. And it could affect truckers across Canada \u2014 including Ontario.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>What Happened in the Case<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">A driver named Boris Ursic worked for Country Lumber Ltd. for 14 years. He used his own company, owned his trucks, and even hired some drivers. But he only worked for Country Lumber \u2014 no one else.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">One day, Country Lumber ended the relationship without giving him notice or severance pay.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Ursic took them to court \u2014 and he won.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The judge said Ursic was not really running an independent business. He was a dependent contractor \u2014 someone who looks self-employed on paper but is really working under a company\u2019s control. The company was ordered to pay him 16 months of compensation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>What\u2019s a Dependent Contractor?<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">You might not be an independent contractor if:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\">You drive mostly or only for <b>one company<\/b>.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">That company tells you <b>when to work<\/b> and <b>where to go<\/b>.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">You have <b>their logo or rules<\/b> on your truck or paperwork.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">You <b>don\u2019t have other clients<\/b>.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">You <b>depend on them for your income<\/b>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\">Even if you are incorporated and send invoices \u2014 you might not be legally \u201cindependent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">And if you are a dependent contractor, the company might owe you money if they let you go without notice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Quick Checklist: Could This Be You?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\">Do you work full-time for one company?<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">Can you turn down loads?<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">Can you take work from other companies?<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">Who sets your schedule \u2014 you or them?<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">Do you have your own customers?<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">Do you wear their uniform, use their name, or follow their delivery rules?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\">If the company is calling the shots and you\u2019re depending on them to make a living, you might have legal rights.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>What About Ontario Truckers?<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This B.C. case is a warning \u2014 and Ontario courts have similar rules.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The CRA and Ontario courts say it doesn\u2019t matter what your contract calls you \u2014 what matters is how you actually work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">If you\u2019re under the company\u2019s control and can\u2019t really act like your own boss, you may be legally entitled to notice or pay if they end things.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Why It Matters<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Many truckers are told they are \u201cindependent\u201d so companies can avoid paying certain benefits and severance. But if you\u2019re treated like an employee, the law protects you \u2014 even if you&#8217;re incorporated or using your own truck.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Need Help?<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Give our office a call. The lawyers at\u00a0<b>De Bousquet PC<\/b>\u00a0are here to support Ontario workers. Whether you\u2019re reviewing a contract or dealing with a workplace issue, we can help you understand your rights and your options.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you drive for just one company \u2014 even if you\u2019re using your own truck and your own business \u2014 the law might say you\u2019re not truly independent. And that means you could have legal rights you didn\u2019t know about. A recent court case from British Columbia is changing how we look at this. And it could affect truckers across Canada \u2014 including Ontario. What Happened in the Case A driver named Boris Ursic worked for Country Lumber Ltd. for 14 years. He used his own company, owned his trucks, and even hired some drivers. But he only worked for&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1189,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1188"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1188"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1190,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1188\/revisions\/1190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}