HAMILTON, Ont. — The Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario (TTSAO) and the province of Ontario have been in talks over cracking down on substandard driver training operators they say are exploiting a loophole to offer cheap, ineffective training.

The organization met recently with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the Ministry of Transportation to discuss the issue. While TTSAO member companies are bound to a 200-hour curriculum devised by MTCU, it says it has identified at least 36 unregistered training schools offering AZ and DZ training programs in Ontario that don’t comply with the minimum.

TTSAO says these operators are exploiting a loophole that allows courses that cost less than $1,000 to be exempt from the MTCU training requirements.

“We were pleased with the open dialogue between all parties who were at the table and we have a commitment from the MTCU that discussions will continue with our association to resolve the issues,” said Yvette Lagrois, president of TTSAO.

Kevin Pattison, a TTSAO board member and president of the Northern Academy of Transportation Training (NATT) in Lively, Ont. says, “It is the responsibility of our board to listen to our membership and be proactive in addressing their concerns about issues that affect their businesses, especially from a regulatory and government perspective.”