An Ontario judge has sentenced two Indian immigrants to house arrest for operating fraudulent truck driving schools that provided inadequate training to South Asian newcomers. Gurvinder Singh, 69, and Gurpreet Singh, 37, were convicted of fraud over $5,000 and uttering a forged document after a five-week trial at Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice. Justice Pierre Roger issued conditional sentences of two years less a day, to be served in the community. In his decision, dated October 29, he noted the severity of the offenses, stating, "The magnitude, complexity, duration, number of victims, and degree of planning involved in the offences is aggravating." The fraudulent activities involved nearly 50 students over a two-year period. The judge emphasized that the students were deprived of the proper training they had paid for, which posed risks to road safety and tarnished the reputation of truck drivers. The Crown had sought a five-year prison sentence, arguing that such penalties are typical for large-scale fraud cases. However, the defense contended that this was not a large-scale fraud and that a conditional sentence of 12 to 18 months would be more appropriate. In 2017, Ontario implemented mandatory entry-level training (MELT) for individuals seeking a Class A driver’s license, which is necessary for operating large commercial trucks. The training aims to enhance road safety by establishing minimum standards that drivers must meet before taking the road test. Between January 2019 and May 2021, the Singhs paid an interpreter, Hanifa Khokhar, to help some students cheat on their Class A knowledge tests. Khokhar's husband, Mohamed Khokhar, also participated in the scheme by assisting his wife and collecting payments. The Singhs operated a truck driving school that was neither registered as a private career college nor authorized to offer MELT. They charged students between $4,000 and $5,000 for training that did not meet MELT standards. Most of their students were South Asian immigrants, and the training was primarily conducted in Punjabi. The court found that the Singhs circumvented the MELT certification process by illegally accessing the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s database to falsify their students’ MELT completion records. They paid individuals operating a registered private career college to upload false information confirming that their students had completed the required training. Despite the fraudulent nature of their operations, the court did not find evidence that anyone was harmed as a result of the scam. There were no reports of revoked licenses or additional training requirements imposed on the students. All four co-accused in the case pleaded guilty to fraud. Gurvinder Singh, who immigrated to Canada from India in 2002, works as a commercial truck driver. Gurpreet Singh, who came to Canada as a student, runs a delivery company and is the sole provider for his family. The judge ordered both men to complete 200 hours of community service. He noted that they are stable members of their community and do not pose a risk of reoffending. Additionally, a forfeiture order was issued against Gurpreet Singh for three Volvo trucks valued at approximately $100,000, which were used in the commission of the fraud. The case highlights ongoing concerns regarding the safety of immigrant truck drivers in Canada. Past incidents involving truck drivers have raised alarms about road safety, prompting jurisdictions to adopt stricter training requirements like MELT. The court's decision reflects the serious implications of fraudulent training practices, which can leave drivers ill-prepared and endanger public safety.