Private fleets partner with TTSAO in face of worsening driver shortage

by Truck News

HAMILTON, Ont. — The Private Motor Truck Council (PMTC) of Canada has partnered with the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario (TTSAO) to help member fleets find well-trained drivers.

The PMTC says its member fleets are beginning to suffer from the lack of qualified drivers, much like for-hire carriers have for years. The association plans to use the TTSAO as a conduit for member carriers to hiring TTSAO-certified drivers. The two organizations also plan to work together on other initiatives through this strategic partnership, they announced.

“It is an exciting time at TTSAO and we are very pleased that the PMTC sees value in working together on the many issues we are challenged with in our industry,” said Yvette Lagrois, president of the TTSAO. “Carrier members of PMTC will find that the TTSAO schools produce an excellent entry-level driver that will fit in nicely with the private sector. It is our goal to work with associations like PMTC and the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) on key industry initiatives.”

“The PMTC and its fleets recognize that we are starting to feel the effects of a qualified driver shortage that we have traditionally been insulated from,” added PMTC president Mike Millian. “Our Fleets are going to have to start accessing qualified drivers at the entry level, and we want to ensure that the entry-level drivers that we have access to are trained to a high quality entry level standard, and are the best the industry has to offer. We recognize that TTSAO and its member schools train their students to a minimum standard, and in many cases beyond.”

The PMTC also supports TTSAO’s position on mandatory entry-level training for commercial drivers in Ontario.

TTSAO continues to work with the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities on that front and is working with Serco (DriveTest) to improve on how commercial road tests are delivered.


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  • Why don’t you look at ways of getting old drivers back into the industry. They’re is a lot of qualified drivers out there whom got out of the industry.
    I myself have 22 yrs experience but got sick and tired of seeing my cheque shrink or told we’re losing business or we’ve got to be more competitive so we as drivers have to take a pay cut. The last company I worked for lowered there wages to 1990s wages hmmm it’s getting more expensive to live so had to find another job so I’m now working in a factory. Why don’t you send survey s to drivers who have gotten out of it. I miss driving but I can’t make the living I used to. I know a few drivers who think this way too who would like to come back but won’t because of money. We drivers arent slaves we want to be paid for what we deserve and for all of our time. There is no driver shortage they’re out there you have to look at ways of getting us back into the industry, I myself would come back with the right incentive.

    • I agree with you Mike. I got my class one license in 1979 in which I have used it for 25 full years driving across Canada and the United States. My experience doesn’t stop their. I can add 9 more years to that by the way of driver training and education for heavy vehicle in class and in-cab. I also can and have developed training programs for truck drivers as well. My point is this. You said, and I agree with you, industry is not looking for seasoned and experienced such as us as the trucking industry is looking to find as they said in this article, new drivers. This could be a good reason why I am sitting here unemployed as an accident free, claim free and violation free driver. I have applied to 28 truck driving jobs and didn’t get one reply back. I did follow-ups and came up short. I found that there is a good reason why I don’t get a job driving a truck as I have too much experience. I have dummied down my resume to the last 5 years of truck driving and also dumped all of my other credentials related to trucking such as diplomas, instructor tickets and make no mention of any other experience on my resume in the hopes of getting a job. Lastly, we are competing with the Temporary Foreign Workers Program if you get my meaning. I will post here in another view.

  • The truck drivers need to be paid for every hour worked at a least $20.00 per hour worked plus better driver bathrooms.Other jobs are paying too much better today in Canada

  • No DRIVER shortage exists…. What exists is they are short of folks crazy enough to subject themselves to the the amount of ridiculous regulations choking off anyone thinking of entering the profession, and driving the food ones out that are already here as in Mikes example. …. Low wages, grid lock traffic, a list of possible fines every day several pages long , rocket science log book calculations, being told when to sleep with no regard for each individuals situation , wage limited by HOS, horrible rates , equipment prices out of reach for most new potential owner/ops, ….should I go on????

    The drivers the industry needs are out there, government has managed to take the shine off what many years ago was a great career and good way of life and wage.
    You want drivers back??? Loosen up the regulations even just a little, pay guys a decent and fair wage, get shippers to find a way to get you loaded and on the road instead of wasting your few precious hours sitting , deal with the choking traffic and build truck routes or lanes or? , make inspection stations chase ” real” safety issues and not just head hunt for dollars , ….Fix what’s broken, new drivers will be on your doorstep and some of the ones that gave up and left may even come back again. My two cents.

  • Drivers need more per mile along with break down pay. Dollars per hour will never work. there too many who will just milk the clock… You’ve seen them on loading docks, truck stops, etc..

  • I agree with the comments above,there’s no money to be made. I drove for 3 years and I left it I wasn’t making any money. I’m working construction and making over $80.000 and I’m home every day and weekend. Getting paid by the mile doesn’t work anymore. I love to drive and I miss it everyday but I need to support my family and I can’t do that comfortably by trucking

  • Private fleets are fools to think that they can just run over the truck driver population with a statement like this. Look in your own back yard first. We have a problem here with Temporary Foreign Workers be imported into Canada to take truck driving jobs right out from under our feet. I pride myself on the job that I have done driving a truck in Canada and the United States for some 25 years only to sit here unemployed trying to find a job as a truck driver. It really makes me sick to think that the Government of Canada endorses a program that allows the trucking industry to be ruined by importing drivers from other parts of the globe. I more than qualify to drive a class 1 vehicle but cannot find work. I keep applying and find that there is more job ads that are directly related to getting foreign workers here with the promise of driving a truck in Canada. The interesting thing is that the fees these people are paying are at $ 3,200 and the ad states that you can make $ 37,400 to $ 41,00 a year full-time. WTF? It is another case of another qualified Canadian driver looking to change their field of work altogether. I guess the writing is on the wall and I will and more than likely hang my class 1 up and get into a computer trade, sad as I like driving truck.

  • Will I agree my license is coming up for renewal and I don’t know if I want to keep it either. We older experienced drivers know what it takes out there to make a half decent living not a crappy living but big corporations want to treat people as crap then that’s all they’re going to get. I see that the TTSAO hasn’t posted a comment or they’re just want to fill the seats with anybody. You want this shortage to end then get companies paying a good wage and maybe we will return to the industry.

  • Round and round the trucking goes.controlled by the the inept government machine nothing good will ever happen. It’s best to let it all crumbling down.only then real change will happen.Drivers don’t last long anymore,new drivers get out of it quickly.The jig is up.slash tge rates and cut driver pay.that’s the number 1 game.