Trucking HR Canada releases National Occupational Standard for professional drivers

by Truck News

OTTAWA, Ont. — A new National Occupational Standard for professional drivers was announced today, defining the profession in more detail than in the past.

The standards were developed by Trucking HR Canada and provide an extensive list of knowledge, skills and abilities required by professional drivers. The development of the standards was part of a national project dubbed Driving the Future. Participants included the Canadian Trucking Alliance, fleets, professional drivers, trainers and other industry experts.

“This National Occupational Standard will help to guide everything from training programs to certification initiatives – and it will support national efforts to recognize truck driving as a skilled occupation,” says Angela Splinter, CEO of Trucking HR Canada. “Fleets can use this document to determine if new or existing employees are prepared for the job, while training schools will be able to use it to ensure their programs meet employer needs. It also serves as a foundation for any discussions about mandatory entry-level driver training.”

The standard reflects the core knowledge, tasks and subtasks that are typically developed early in a career and shared by the widest-possible array of truck drivers. The people who meet this standard will be prepared to:

  • Operate a straight truck or tractor-trailer with a Gross Vehicle Weight of up to 45,000 kg (100,000 lb.)
  • Transport freight contained within a cargo-van-style trailer
  • Handle general freight, Less-than-Truckload (LTL) or loose freight, tailgate deliveries, intercity Pickups and Deliveries (P&D), inner-city travel, and potentially heated (but non-refrigerated) loads
  • Operate on urban, regional and national roads – in any terrain except mountain passes
  • Operate in all types of weather. Commercial vehicle operators (truck drivers) who have yet to meet the National Occupational Standard may, at the discretion of their employer, be excluded from operating in extreme weather.

The standard also recognizes that additional job-specific knowledge, skills and abilities also need to be developed, depending on the role that a driver performs.

The document can be downloaded for free from www.TruckingHR.com.

 


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*