More Regs for Ontario’s Truck Driver Licensing

TORONTO- Ontario’s Minister of Transportation, Steven Del Duca, is calling for mandatory entry level training for Class A truck drivers in the province and that’s a good thing, the the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) claims.

“The safety of our roads and its users is always our number one priority,” Del Duca told todaystrucking.com. “Part of that road safety is ensuring that commercial drivers are properly tested and licensed.”

“Since 2010, we have seen the number of fatal collisions involving large trucks is at a five-year low, however, there is always more to be done,” he said. “The Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Reza Moridi and I have been in touch on this subject [mandatory entry level training implementation] – we agree that it makes sense.”

Del Duca added: “We will be moving forward with mandatory training in Ontario. However, we want to make sure we get it right and we want to make sure we get it in place soon. We are working with industry stakeholders to figure out the best model to make that happen.” 

The minister also raised the prospect of a national training standard at a recent meeting of the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety in Montreal. Ontario is the first province to announce that it is prepared to make an entry level standard mandatory.

David Bradley, OTA’s president and CEO, applauded the Minister’s statements saying the commitment to mandatory entry level training is “a watershed moment for the trucking industry.”

Over the last few days, a number of mainstream media outlets have published stories about the current state of truck driver training and licensing in Ontario. The media attention “highlighted concerns raised by OTA and others over the inconsistent level of training received by new Class A drivers, the proliferation of so-called ‘licensing mills,’ and weaknesses in the provincial licence test for commercial truck drivers,” the OTA claims.

While the Class A licence test needs to be updated and consistently applied, Bradley says “the key is mandatory entry level training – to an industry developed standard – that must be completed before a prospective driver can take the licence test.”

“The mere fact that someone holds a Class A licence does not ensure that person has the skills to be a safe and productive transport driver,” Bradley says. “Even an improved test will never fully determine a new driver’s skill level. Mandatory entry level training will at least assure trucking companies that when they hire a new driver, he or she has some basic level of skill that with additional training and experience can eventually lead to that person becoming a fully qualified professional driver.”

Bradley adds that mandatory entry level training is essential for getting the tractor-trailer driving profession deemed to be a skilled occupation – something the Canadian Trucking Alliance claims is key to resolving the shortage of qualified drivers.

The OTA has built a coalition of support for mandatory entry level training that includes all the major truck insurance companies, the association representing the province’s truck driver training industry, safety groups and the national association of shippers.

A working group of carriers is currently revising the National Occupational Standard which will form the foundation for a mandatory entry level training standard. The project is being managed by Trucking HR Canada in co-operation with CTA and is being supported by a grant from the federal department of Employment and Social Development Canada. 


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