The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) is applauding an announcement from Ontario\u2019s Minister of Transportation, Steven Del Duca, calling for mandatory entry level training for Class A truck drivers in the province.<\/p>\n
OTA was informed of the minister\u2019s decision yesterday and in an article in today\u2019s Toronto Star,<\/i> the minister is quoted as saying: \u201cWe are going to go forward (with mandatory entry level training). We\u2019re going to move as quickly as we can but we want to make sure that we get it right.\u201d He added he believes \u201cit should take place as quickly as possible, but in a manner that actually produces the end result that we all want, which is the safest roads in North America, which is part of my responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
An in-depth investigation<\/a> into truck driver training and licensing conducted by the Star published over the course of the last several days, highlighted concerns raised by OTA and others over the inconsistent level of training received by new Class A drivers, the proliferation of so-called \u201clicensing mills\u201d, and weaknesses in the provincial licence test for commercial truck drivers.<\/p>\n David Bradley, OTA\u2019s president and CEO, applauded the Minister\u2019s statements saying the commitment to mandatory entry level training is \u201ca watershed moment for the trucking industry.\u201d<\/p>\n While the Class A licence test needs to be updated and consistently applied, Bradley said \u201cthe key is mandatory entry level training \u2013 to an industry developed standard \u2013 that must be completed before a prospective driver can take the licence test.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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,\u201d says Bradley. \u201cEven an improved test will never fully determine a new driver\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Bradley also contends that mandatory entry level training is an essential prerequisite for getting the tractor-trailer driving profession deemed to be a skilled occupation \u2013 something a Canadian Trucking Alliance blue ribbon task force<\/a> of industry CEO\u2019s and senior executives says is key to resolving the looming chronic shortage of qualified drivers.<\/p>\n