Harassment and Violence in the Workplace
Employer Toolkit
Harassment and violence in the trucking industry, like in any workplace, are serious issues with legal and ethical implications. These issues are often intertwined with other challenges like driver shortages and fluctuating market conditions. Understanding the types of harassment and violence, implementing preventative measures, and knowing how to respond to complaints are crucial for creating a safe and respectful work environment for all.
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The trucking industry faces specific challenges related to harassment and violence, particularly affecting women and vulnerable groups. These challenges include, but are not limited to sexual harassment, verbal abuse, threats, and discrimination during training and on the road. The isolated nature of the job can also make it difficult for drivers to report incidents and access support.
Employer Responsibility
As an employer, you have a fundamental responsibility to protect the health and safety of your employees—whether they work on-site, remotely, or virtually. This responsibility extends beyond physical safety to include the mental and emotional wellbeing of your workforce. Across Canada, every jurisdiction has enacted legislation requiring employers to establish and maintain policies and programs that promote safe and healthy work environments. A key component of this legislation focuses on preventing and addressing violence and harassment in the workplace.
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This toolkit has been developed specifically for employers in the trucking industry to support compliance with these legal obligations. More than that, it aims to help organizations foster a culture of respect, safety, and wellbeing—enhancing overall workplace efficiency and positioning them as employers of choice within the industry. Keep in mind, a Harassment and Violent Free Workplace can lower absenteeism and turnover, add to your company’s productivity and increase customer satisfaction.
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To get started, you need to establish whether your company is provincially or federally regulated. This will determine which legislation applies to you. Although the varying regulations are fundamentally the same, each jurisdiction differs in terminology and requirements.
Key Stats
Here are some key findings¹ on Harassment and Violence Occurrences reported for Canada’s trucking industry in 2022 and 2023 respectively:
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There were 6,226 harassment and violence occurrences reported to federally regulated employers in 2022, rising from 4,950 occurrences in 2021. In 2023, this number rose to 7,114 which represents a 12.9% increase of employer reports over the previous year.
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Of the 6,226 occurrences reported in 2022, approximately 1,401 or 22.5% were from the road transport sector.
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In 2023, the road transportation sector reported 1,242 occurrences - approx. 17.5% of total employer reports. Of those occurrences reported, approximately 334 or 27% were sexual harassment and violence occurrences. Although the number of reported sexual HV occurrences increased in all 4 industries from 2022 to 2023, Road Transportation saw the largest increase from 225 in 2022 to 334 in 2023. Furthermore, nearly 27% of all HV occurrences reported in the Road Transportation industry were sexual in nature, the largest share among the 4 industries. The Banking industry reported the second-largest share of 23.9%.
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In Road transport:
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49% of Workplace violence and harassment was when an employee was the victim of another employee, (Same in 2023)
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20% were by supervisors or managers, (About 7% in 2023)
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19% were by a third party. (17% in 2023)
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19% of occurrences happened when an employee harassed or was violent against a supervisor or manager (23% in 2023)
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Road Transport reported 176 of their reports or nearly 13% were related to prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act in 2022. (In 2023 – 247 or 20% was related to prohibited grounds). Of those linked to prohibited grounds
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72 were based on race, (65 in 2023)
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52 on Sex, (62 in 2023)
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16 on National or ethnic origin, and (19 in 2023)
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10 on disability. (20 in 2023)
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All other grounds represented 26 occurrences. (81 in 2023
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There were 3 fatalities related to harassment and violence reported to the Labour Program on the 2022 EAHVOR compared to zero fatalities related to harassment and violence on the 2021 EAHVOR. One of those fatalities was from the Road transportation sector. (1 fatality reported in 2023 – 0 were from Road Transport)​
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¹ The Labour Program of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) publishes an annual report to provide aggregated statistics on harassment and violence in the workplace within the federal jurisdiction and its regulated industrial sectors. The primary data source for this report is the Employer's Annual Harassment and Violence Occurrence Report (EAHVOR), which federally regulated employers are required to submit to the Labour Program for each reporting year.
