It’s one of the worst-kept secrets of the road — some trucking firms under-report payrolls to gain a financial and competitive advantage.

By refusing to label workers as employees, companies avoid a host of costs — employment insurance, pension contributions, payroll taxes and worker compensation premiums.

National and provincial trucking associations have been flagging the scheme — called Driver Inc. — for years, saying it’s one more example of the regulatory challenges facing the industry.

“(Under-reporting to the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba) speaks to the planned non-compliance that we’re seeing as a theme in our industry,” said Aaron Dolyniuk, executive director of the Manitoba Trucking Association.

And the penalty doesn’t quite fit the crime.

Companies caught under-rep

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