Ontario announces new curriculum for truck drivers after audit found training schools cut corners

Ontario announces new curriculum for truck drivers after audit found training schools cut corners

Transportation minister says focus will be on fatigue management, rural driving, human trafficking awareness

Ontario’s new curriculum for truck drivers explained

The Ontario government says it is beefing up its training and eligibility requirements for truck drivers, months after a scathing report from the auditor general.

Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria said the province is developing a standardized curriculum for new commercial drivers, aimed at improving road safety, at a news conference Monday.

"By strengthening training standards and ensuring commercial drivers have the skills and experience they need, we’re making our roads safer for truck drivers, commuters and families in every corner of the province," said Sarkaria.

'I don't blame them,' says instructor after Quebec requires new Ontario truckers to take exam

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The curriculum is currently being developed in collaboration with industry leaders, and will be implemented early next year, he said.

It will include more than 103 hours of training designed for anyone applying for a Class A commercial driver’s licence — which allows drivers to operate large vehicles like tractor-trailers —focusing on subjects such as fatigue management, rural driving, human trafficking awareness and air brake training.

Training not meeting standards: report

An auditor general report in May found the province was not effectively monitoring commercial trucker driver training and licensing regimes.

Auditor General Shelley Spence said at the time that her office found career colleges were cutting corners on training and hours and found little oversight from two provincial ministries, leading to many unqualified drivers on the roads.

Spence filed 13 recommendations for stronger training standards to the province, which it accepted.

Spence sent undercover investigators into the field at two private career colleges offering the training. But both fell short of meeting the minimum 103.5 training hours required to graduate.

Her report found several students were not taught fundamentals such as left turns at major intersections, emergency stopping or reverse parking.

It also found the province did not inspect 54 of the 216 career colleges offering the training at all.

High road fatalities an ongoing issue

Commercial truck drivers account for a disproportionate number of road fatalities and the problem is especially acute in northern Ontario.

Recently, Quebec announced it would make all Ontario truck drivers with less than two years of driving experience take an exam if they wished to work in the province.

In July, the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) implemented the temporary measures to address the issue of inexperienced drivers from Ontario and a reported uptick in collisions involving commercial vehicles.

How Quebec aims to crack down on unqualified truck drivers from Ontario

Since the report, Ontario has introduced more checks and driver training reviews, and has tabled legislation to crack down on distracted driving and operating a commercial vehicle without a functioning speed limiter.

Starting in January 2027, there will also be a six-month waiting period before Class G licence holders or higher can attempt a Class A road test.

According to a statement, the province is also increasing the number of enforcement blitzes in northern Ontario along Highway 11/17 and upgrading the provincial rest area network for more year-round parking.

Quebec requires new truck drivers from Ontario to take an exam

The new measures are supported by the Truck Training Schools Association, Canada Truck Operators Association (CTOA) and Ontario Commercial Truck Training Association.

"Stronger and more consistent driver training is good for road safety, good for responsible carriers and good for the future of Ontario’s trucking industry," CTOA director Tej Dulat said in a statement.