The stupidity has to end

Ontario’s mandatory yearly re-testing policy for A/Z drivers 65 years of age and older is one of the most asinine rules on the books. It punishes some of the industry’s most experienced and safest drivers for turning 65 and unfortunately it squeezes many of the best drivers from the industry. I routinely hear from able-bodied and able-minded senior drivers who have decided to hang up the keys solely because of this ridiculous policy, which exists only in Ontario.
The following, well-documented case from one such driver is sadly a common occurrence in Ontario:
John Dundass, a driver for Arnold Transport whose boss says “does a bang-up job,” recently turned 65 years of age. After navigating through a “maze” of computer and phone answering systems, he finally reached a human and was told he’d have to visit DriveTest to complete three separate tests. The first was a written test; the second was a road test and air brake test for which he’d need to provide a tractor-trailer; and the third was for a written and road test for buses (if he wished to maintain his B licence).
During his first visit on Apr. 15, John voluntary surrendered his bus licence to save himself having to rent a school bus for the road test. He says he was told by the attendant that by giving up his B licence for buses, he could renew his A licence without a road test. He found that claim suspicious, and asked for it in writing.
After passing the written truck and air brake tests, John made his way to the licensing office in Burlington. He filled out and paid for the necessary forms and went on his way. A few weeks later, he received a phone message telling him he needed to book an appointment for a road test.
He waded his way back through the “phone machine maze” and spent quite some time trying to get a human on the line. Finally, he was able to book an appointment for a road test. Arnold Bros. provided him with a tractor-trailer, including the tractor John normally operates.
He showed up for his road test June 26, did the air brake portion of the practical test and then the examiner told him the 07 “state-of-the-art” highway tractor was not adequate for the road test, as it had an automated transmission. John says he was sent home again.
Arnold Bros. agreed to provide him with a truck with an “old school transmission” and John returned to the DriveTest center once again to perform his road test. By now it was early July, he says. “This whole deal was getting stressful. Many drivers would give up by this point,” he wrote.
After 14 phone calls, John finally got through to a voice-mail system and left a message saying he wanted to book a road test. The voice-mail belonged to a supervisor named Steve, who returned his call and set up an appointment for a road test.
On July 11, John showed up for his road test with a highway tractor with manual transmission. He was forced to once again complete the practical air brake test. He passed it again, and passed his road test as well. By now, it had been a four month process.
“No commercial driver should be subjected to such a ridiculous procedure, taking days off the job,” he wrote. “Many drivers give up. Is that what the Minister wants?”
He adds that ironically, he was never asked to complete a doctor’s medical!
This type of incident is not completely isolated. I hear from many drivers who have undergone similar insulting and degrading experiences. And for what? Because they’ve turned 65 years of age. Sixty-five isn’t all that old anymore and I’d gladly ride alongside a veteran driver with decades of experience than a neophyte.
The good news is that lobbying by the OTA, PMTC and OBAC seems to finally be garnering the attention of decision-makers at Queen’s Park. There have been some encouraging signs lately, with the Ontario Transport Department promising to at least revisit its re-resting requirements for senior drivers. A change can’t come soon enough.
John, and many other professional drivers like him, have been discriminated against due to their age. In an industry that claims to be starved for qualified drivers, does it make sense to be turning away some of the best we’ve got? Kudos to John for sticking with it through the entire ordeal. Shame on Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation for continuing to enforce this nonsensical law.

Avatar photo

James Menzies is editor of Today's Trucking. He has been covering the Canadian trucking industry for more than 20 years and holds a CDL. Reach him at james@newcom.ca or follow him on Twitter at @JamesMenzies.


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.

*

  • James,
    This is an example of bureacratic bungling, only one more maneuvre down the road toward political correctness. Truck News should address more Political Correct stuff since many other equally rediculous determinations are made by Government and virtually on a daily basis, no one is safe!

  • This article should be forwarded to every MPP in Ontario to let them know how drivers such as JOhn are being treated. It is particularily alarming that a state of the art ’07 tractor is not suitable for a road test becuase it has an auto transmission, especially since this is the normal tractor that Joh drives!
    John Johnston
    General Manager
    Ontario Milk Transport Association

  • I have to agree, way too much bureacracy. In my oppinion the only thing a 65 year old driver should have to do is get a yearly phisical at most, how many veteran drivers would actually fail the mto testing . As far as the automatic tranny, it’s not like john was going for his A license for the first time, he should have been able to use that truck, in my oppinion

  • Yes, I too went through that test when I turned 65, and was told that I would be required to do it each year. I failed the first time around in Oshawa and had to make another appointment.there was no openings in Oshawa, so they booked me in at Peterborough.Fotunatly, I own my own truck, but had to use a company trailer. Altogether, the two appointments cost me over $1000.00, with lost time and fees. I retired three months later, as I was not going to do that again.

  • Hello James:
    It’s very simple, it’s called a “Make Work Project”….and this is typical of every endeavor today. Governments today must justify their work habits to the policy makers. We shall all pay for this in the end.

  • Shame! Shame! Shame!
    This is typical of Canadian Government bureaucracy. They make up rules that they then spend their lives and our money enforcing them,Ive had my DZ for over 30 years and have a completely clean CVOR and abstract. never had an accident or weven a ticket!Doesn’t that stand for anything?I am retiring before long and have had enough. Maybe they should look at the “newbies” and what about the foreign drivers that are on the road who is checking them? I think this testing should be done according to the drivers record , not his or her age!

  • Only in ontario………….MONEY grabs by people who have probably never driven a truck.Fight back.If you are close to retirement fail the test file for unemployment insurance collect the max then retire…………Payback is a bitch