Recruiting & Retention Leadership Symposium - Agenda March 25, 2026
Mississauga Convention Centre, 75 Derry Rd W, Mississauga, ON, L5W 1N5
Conference Agenda
BreakFast & Registration
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Opening Remarks and Land Acknowledgment
8:30 AM - 8:45 AM
Session 1
8:45 AM – 9:30 AM
Regulatory and Compliance Complexity
- Evolving hours-of-service regulations.
- Environmental and emissions standards.
- Cross-border compliance challenges – (English literacy) .
- Labour legislation changes impacting classification and pay (Drivers Inc).
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Vaughn Hatcher
Director of Recruiting
Classic Freight Transport
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Session 2
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM
Safety & Recruitment: Building a balanced approach without compromising risk
As driver demographics, expectations, and experience levels continue to evolve, rigid recruitment criteria can leave trucks parked—while overly flexible standards can introduce risk. This panel explores how safety and recruitment teams can work together to modernize hiring standards, training programs, and ongoing development plans that attract drivers while maintaining strong safety outcomes.
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Mid Morning Break
10:15 AM - 10:35 AM
Session 3
10:35 AM - 11:20 AM
Attracting the next generation of transportation talent
- Aging workforce realities
- Misconceptions about careers in transportation
- Resistance to non-traditional career paths and schedules
- How does the transportation industry get involved into the education system to provide this as an option to youth?
- Challenges attracting underrepresented groups.
- Rising expectations around flexibility, well-being, and career progression.
- Immigration challenges – expiring work permits, need for LMIA
- Competition for skilled trades (mechanics, technicians).
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Session 4
11:20 AM - 12:10 PM
Driver Turnover – Systemic Causes and Costs
A look at driver turnover as a system-level outcome of organisational structure and procedures. A brief exploration of how misaligned incentives and early-tenure breakdowns contribute to driver churn, increased incident rates and elevated operational costs.
The session provides proven practical insights to help fleets identify opportunities to reduce churn and improve financial performance.
Rick Morgan, CCLP, CDS
Principal,
Links Consulting
Lunch Break
12:10 PM – 1:00 PM
Session 5
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Cargo Theft Trends & Prevention: What Fleet Leaders Need to Know
An overview of current cargo theft trends impacting the trucking industry, common tactics used by organized crime, and practical prevention strategies fleets can implement today. The session will highlight the role of drivers, dispatchers, and internal processes in reducing risk and improving incident response.
Garry Dias
Detective Commercial Auto Crime Bureau,
Cargo Theft
Session 6
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM
Supporting drivers health and well being as a preventative measure
- Driver fatigue and mental health.
- Driver physical health and what companies can do to support
- Accident prevention amid increased traffic volumes.
- Rising claims and litigation (“nuclear verdicts”).
Kim E. Stoll
Brent Dambrosio
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Awards Session
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM
Afternoon Break
2:30 PM – 2:45 PM
Session 7
2:45 PM – 3:30 PM
Retention Starts With Listening
- Underutilized stay interviews and exit data
- Acting on feedback vs. collecting it
- Trust erosion when feedback goes unanswered
Kelly Cooper, CHRL
Human Resources Business Partner, Transport
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