MTO reconsidering age-based retesting rules
TORONTO -- Government officials may make changes to Ontario's discriminatory retesting policy for truck drivers, the Ontario Trucking Association reports. As a result of lobbying efforts from trucking groups like the Owner-Operator Business Association of Canada (OBAC) and the OTA, the Ministry of Transportation has agreed to find "a more appropriate set of rules that would relax the annual re-testing requirement for drivers with good driving records." Currently, Ontario is the only province (and, perhaps, the only jurisdiction in the world) that requires Class A drivers to take an on-road retest upon reaching age 65, and annually thereafter. Drivers, therefore, must take their truck off the road for a day (company drivers have to find a truck to take the test with), often at their own expense. Age is the sole trigger for this requirement, which, as revealed in several articles published by Today's Trucking, may actually be in conflict with the province's own age-based human rights legislation. Regardless, many veteran drivers complain that the rule singles out truck drivers, who are some of the safest, most experienced on the road. (Car drivers, incidentally, don't have to undergo retesting until 80-years-old, regardless of driving ability). Furthermore, as it's been highlighted extensively on this website and in our print magazine, the test given to 65-year-old drivers is the same on-road test administered to all new class A applicants; so, there is nothing in the exam that would reveal shortcomings related to age, such as eroding cognitive skills, reaction time, decision-making capability, or physical dexterity. The OTA points out there is still no certainty that any changes will occur, or what those changes might be, "but at least MTO is at the table with OTA now actively reviewing the current obsolete policy and seriously considering making it easier for drivers over 65 to keep their licence." -- For more on this issue, please see the Related Stories links below.