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THE CHANGING FACE OF TRUCKING
South Asians drawn to trucking
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It’s for this reason Grewal believes so many from the South Asian community have found themselves in the trucking industry.
“It gave many of the South Asians an opportunity to earn a good living,” he said, “and to be able to provide for their families.”
Grewal was born and raised in Surrey, and said he has seen first- hand some of the racism that was directed toward the South Asian community during his upbringing.
“People would call us names and throw eggs, while telling us to go back to our home countries,” said Grewal. “I used to hear the stories of the South Asian workers only
Contact us if
18 TruckWest•November2018
At carriers like Centurion Trucking, the South Asian driver is nothing new.
being able to get the lower level jobs in the industries that would employ them.”
It was through this hardship, however, that many South Asian workers would show their resil- ience and find success.
Behind the wheel of his company trucks, Grewal has seen several of the uplifting stories achieved by South Asian drivers.
“Using the monies that were earned through trucking, many South Asian drivers were able to make investments in properties, houses, different businesses, and were also able to open up their own trucking companies,” he said. “They were able to raise their fami- lies, put their kids through school- ing, and afford many of the luxu- ries Canada has to offer.”
Grewal said many new South Asians coming to Canada see the open door the trucking indus-
try offers as a career choice. With several newcomers facing years
of educational upgrading to gain equivalencies in their schooling from their home country, truck- ing has been a way to start earning money much quicker than the alternative, something Grewal said has made the industry attractive to South Asians.
Despite Payne’s contention that most carriers in the Delta area employ around 95% South Asian drivers, Grewal said there are a few that remain resistant.
“I still do hear rumors of the odd
trucking companies that will not hire immigrants from the South Asian community,” he said. “So definitely, there are some chal- lenges, I believe due to communi- cation barriers that may exist, or due to other cultural diversities.”
For the most part, however, par- ticularly in the Lower Mainland, the majority of carriers welcome South Asians to their business.
“Like many immigrants coming into Canada, the South Asian community is known for working hard and being able to handle the long hours and chal- lenges associated with long haul trucking,” said Grewal.
An example of that hard work was on display at a carrier Grewal previously worked. South Asian owner-operators were pulling
in around $25,000 per month
for team driving, and company executives used these drivers
as an example to others of how much they could make if they wanted to put in the effort as an owner-operator.
“The lesson I learned from that experience is that sometimes just sharing your formula for success shouldn’t have cultural barriers,” said Grewal. “In a time where there are driver shortages, the more we can show there’s opportunity in our industry, we should.”
Shelley McGuinness, commu- nications specialist with the B.C. Trucking Association (BCTA), said diversity in the trucking industry
“I haven’t actually seen the changing face other than that there’s an older population of drivers out there who are retiring and with no folks from Canada wanting to (drive).”
– David Payne
