Apprenticeships, education will launch truck driving into Red Seal occupation: PTTAC
Education about apprenticeships and buy-in from carriers, stakeholders and drivers will be key in getting the ball rolling to making truck driving a Red Seal occupation.
Attendees at Professional Truck Training Alliance of Canada’s (PTTAC) roundtable meeting in Mississauga, Ont., agreed that lack of funding and overt support from the industry are barriers that will have to be overcome.
The Red Seal program sets national standards for skills and knowledge within a particular trade. When these tradespersons complete their apprenticeship and pass a standard exam, they receive a Red Seal endorsement on their trade certificate.
Mike McCarron, partner at Left Lane Associates, who moderated the meeting, said safe carriers are also the most profitable. “Trucking might not be the most dangerous occupation, but might be the most deadly. You are driving an 80,000-lb. weapon down the highway,” he said.
Stephanie Shrum of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum admitted that the Red Seal process could be frustrating, but other occupations have gone through it and are enjoying the benefits of apprenticeship.
Financial benefits of apprenticeship
“The financial benefits we saw in B.C., for every dollar spent on training, on average, the employer received back $1.36,” she said.
The first step in starting the Red Seal process is getting a lead jurisdictional authority. For example, it could be the Ministry of Labor, Immigration, Training and Skills Development of Ontario. Then four other provinces or territories would also have to be on board. An apprenticeship process would have to be showcased.
Mike Millian, president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada said industry should pay for the program. McCarron added that businesses should not rely on government funding.
Laying out competencies
Apprenticeship lays out competencies whereas completion of MELT (mandatory entry-level training) qualifies a person as a driver. “It is easy to regulate qualification, but hard to regulate competencies,” an attendee noted.
Millian said it would be helpful if a licence was awarded after meeting certain competencies instead of the present system in which the starting point is the driver’s licence.
McCarron stated that the trucking business is fragmented and buy-in from the not-so-reputable side of the industry would be important.
Jim Campbell, PTTAC chairman said, “Trucking companies are going to have to put some skin in the game.” He added that he formed the alliance because he grew tired of waiting for change. He called for louder voices to advocate for better training.
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.
I’m sorry but this occupation should have been made a trade years ago.
But thanks to the general public, our school system truck driving has been and still is regarded as a job for he less fortunate that can’t attend a college or University degree.
So now that there us panic. Out there to try and attract younger kids into this field the Governments on both sides of this, our education system, also transportation employers have all made this a undesirable occupation.
Alot of things need to change for this to become attractive , yes is the schooling, training involved but the also the ridiculous idea someone(
carriers) who thought was a good idea to not pay drivers for waiting time, or delays.
What occupation is there out there you lose money or work for free, oh by way if you’re lucky get time in a half after 10 hrs. Of on duy work.
These are also huge things that need to change before you’re ever going to attract new younger drivers.
I’ve been in this transportation industry for 23 yrs, 23 yrs ago they said going to make it a skilled trade, we’ll here we are 23 later, still same.
It’s all smoke and mirrors!
I agree that the industry needs a way to come up and pay for the cost of these programs. I can think of at least 5 different ways to do so. Why should a often large trucking company or anyone else spend often over $10 000 to train a driver or mechanics for them to go somewhere else
In the past 18 months many of ont best health care workers and mechanics have left for the United States or Australia for better working conditions Many truck drivers from Canada that married a woman from the U S under the Trump gov have gone to the United States because of much lower housing costs and company paid for healthcare that is better than what is available in Ontario or Quebec. We as a industry need better training and to put pressure on companies like a certain large retail company that has a narrow delivery time window and to push for a program between grade 11 and grade 12 summer to put 9000 high school students in a 9 week training hands on expensive on how to do mechanical tasks and a 2 yr program after grade 12 with the first 8 to 9 months in a shop doing everything from oil changes to wash ing trailers to learn how to change lights maybe help rebuilding smashed trucks and trailers with half of the wage being paid by a specific levy or gov funding
After that 9 months stream 4000 to mechanics 300 to tow truck drivers or military equipment operators and the balance that stay to truck and bus drivers in my opinion.
Good luck with this, ladies and gentlemen! This ‘Red Seal/Trade/Profession’ concept has been pursued for decades. Industry secretly doesn’t want it, simply because it will mean eating into profits and cause administrative headaches. Potential drivers don’t want it because it will cost them money to attend/engage in further training, as well as further complicate their lives with legal obligations. The public doesn’t know, doesn’t care and doesn’t understand because they’re uninformed, misinformed and ignorant of the situation. Politicians, most of whom are unqualified to assess and act regarding the situation, will only promote these concepts if it gains them votes.
Sign me up. I’ve driven professionally for 30 years and I am currently teaching the MELT course in Manitoba. This should have happened decades ago. If implemented, it will have a massive influence on how goods are delivered; not just in Canada but across North America. Let’s get into the trade schools and do this right.
As a professional driver of some 40 years it’s good to see recognition for the job that a lot of drivers are doing but also to put some more safety back into the extremely congested roads in Ontario the Red seal program could be a good step in the right direction.
How would they implement this for guys that been driving for 20 yrs . Would they be grandfather in . Who going to pay for the 5 yrs or how ever long u need to get the red seal . How much worthless info will they have for each leg of the 5 yrs .
I would love to see this happen. Will u get a actually red seal license separately from ur regular license. What happens if ur province don’t want to do the red seal program then what . U can’t drive in to that province . To many bad drivers out there already think it best to crack down on the schools first .
And if I’m not mistaken Ontario has a private company that issue driver license. They only in it to make money and would hand out license like candy .
I see problems ahead of this alot of fraud will take place
This is LONG LONG overdue. Hopefully the industry realizes the massive up side and the industry uses the upside to achieve better and more reflective rates from insurers and brokers as well as shippers.