Two men convicted in massive Ontario truck-driver training scam

Gurvinder Singh, 69, and Gurpreet Singh, 37, have been convicted and sentenced in Ontario for defrauding dozens of aspiring commercial truck drivers, most of them new immigrants.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Gurvinder Singh, 69, and Gurpreet Singh, 37, have been convicted and sentenced in Ontario for defrauding dozens of aspiring commercial truck drivers, most of them new immigrants, by running unlicensed schools that ignored provincial safety standards.

The two men, who are not related, were found guilty by a jury after a five-week trial in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice earlier this year. Each received a conditional sentence of two years less a day, to be served under house arrest with additional restrictions.

“There is no question that the planning of the fraud was perpetrated by the offenders,” the presiding justice wrote, describing them as “masterminds” who exploited the high regard they held within their community.

Court records show the pair and several alleged accomplices operated fraudulent, non-compliant truck-driving schools that defrauded nearly 100 victims — most of them newcomers from India. Students paid between $4,000 and $5,000 for what they believed was proper training, but instead received unlicensed instruction that skipped mandatory hours for air brakes, vehicle inspections and highway driving.

Gurvinder Singh, described in court as a longtime figure in Ontario’s trucking industry, immigrated to Canada from India in 2002 and later became a citizen. With no prior criminal record, he worked as a commercial truck driver before launching the unlicensed operation.

Gurpreet Singh, 37, came to Canada as an international student and also had no prior convictions. Both men were found to have misled vulnerable newcomers seeking stable jobs in the trucking sector, one of Ontario’s largest employers of immigrants.

Although the men arranged licensing tests and offered free make-up lessons to students who failed, the judge said their efforts did not excuse the fraud, which deprived trainees of proper safety instruction and put the public at risk.

The judge cited aggravating factors including the scheme’s duration, its nearly 100 victims, the use of forged documents and bribes, and the offenders’ breach of community trust.

Each must serve their term under house arrest, complete 200 hours of community service, avoid any truck-driver training activity, and comply with supervision, counselling and DNA orders.

According to 2023 figures from the Ontario Provincial Police, transport-truck collisions in the province reached their highest level in a decade. National datafrom Transport Canada show a similar trend, with 1,964 fatalities recorded in 2023 — the most in 10 years.