Ontario, Canada: Two men of Indian descent have received sentences for operating a fake truck driving school in Ontario, Canada. The duo — Gurvinder Singh, 69, and Gurpreet Singh, 37 — were found guilty of running a fraudulent operation that provided poor-quality truck driving lessons to new immigrants from South Asia over several years.
According to the National Post, an Ontario court placed both men under house arrest following their conviction. The sentencing comes amid growing concerns about truck drivers of Indian origin in North America, as many have been criticised for inadequate training and unsafe driving practices.
Court records reveal that the two began their unlicensed training business in 2019, two years after Ontario introduced mandatory entry-level training for anyone seeking a Class A commercial truck license. This official program requires a specific number of instructional hours, taught by certified instructors, and proper documentation before a driver can take the final road test.
Instead of following these regulations, Gurvinder and Gurpreet Singh allegedly bypassed the process by bribing officials to obtain certification for their students. They charged trainees between CAD 4,000 and 5,000 — slightly below the usual cost of training at legitimate schools. Most of their clients were South Asian newcomers, and the training sessions were primarily conducted in Punjabi.
Despite the substandard training, students appeared content with the instruction and services offered by the Singhs. However, the court emphasised that their actions potentially placed unqualified drivers on the roads, posing safety risks.
Gurvinder Singh, who immigrated to Canada from India in 2002, currently works as a commercial truck driver. His associate, Gurpreet Singh, initially came to Canada as a student and now runs a delivery company. Both are Canadian citizens.
In their defence, the two men claimed that their operation was small-scale and that no physical harm resulted from their activities. The court, however, ruled that their conduct undermined the integrity of the licensing system and endangered public safety.
