Recognizing challenges, industry support required to achieve Red Seal for truck driving
Drumming up industry support, keeping egos in check and recognizing challenges should be the first steps to getting truck driving recognized as a Red Seal occupation in Canada.
Senior trucking industry members see a lot of merit in the program and expressed support. Nevertheless, they cautioned there is a long way to go to achieve the goal.
Jim Pinder, senior corporate fleet director, The Erb Group of Companies, has been part of the advisory group on Red Seal certification for truck and transport mechanics (310J). He has noticed that pride does not allow some folks to give up control and that’s why it is difficult to achieve harmonization. “Check your ego at the door and let’s do this for the industry,” he said.
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.
Pinder said responsibility rotates among provinces for the 310J certification, resulting in give-and-take to arrive at a solution that is best for the industry. A commission group in Ottawa undertakes the coordination. Truck driving would have to mirror this to achieve Red Seal certification, he said.
Techni-Com president Rolf VanderZwaag is a developer of training programs and one of the architects of MELT (mandatory entry-level training) in Ontario.
Lack of funding
He pointed out the Red Seal program does not have widespread industry support. Secondly, there is a lack of funding for an apprenticeship program.
“What is the benefit?, is the question that needs to be addressed,” VanderZwaag said. The first thing would be selling the idea to fleets and telling them about the benefits of the program.
In the past, the Ontario government gave carriers $10,000 to put a driver through an apprenticeship program. But that funding has dried up.
Apprenticeship administration
Red Seal trades involve apprenticeships and trade qualification administered by provincial and territorial governments. Governments establish trades based on industry practices, needs, demands, and in some cases to solve a problem.
Categorizing truck driving as a Red Seal trade requires mandatory apprenticeships and trade qualification which may be a hindrance for employers and government. A solution has yet to be identified, VanderZwaag noted.
Many employers are successfully able to hire and employ drivers using their own internal training systems. For others, he added, the business of transporting cargo is purely commodity based, and any avoidable cost will be avoided.
Keeping the public safe
VanderZwaag said a driver’s equivalent to trade qualification is a clean abstract and a good resume. This standing is supported by services that help to verify a driver’s history. Unlike traditional skilled trades, there is no industry recognized designation given to drivers with a proven history of performing at a higher level. It’s all in the resume, he observed.
Pinder noted that truck drivers work independently and without supervision for the most part. Red Seal certification would help limit equipment from being damaged, prevent potentially major crashes and keep the motoring public safe.
The costs of the program will trickle down to the consumer. “I don’t mind paying if the roads are going to be safer for my family because there’s more professionalism put into the person behind the wheel,” Pinder said.
An effort to obtain the Red Seal designation can only be successful after many major employers of truck drivers either participate in established apprenticeship programs, establish new apprenticeships, or adopt apprenticeship-style training programs, VanderZwaag noted.
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3 Cheers to Jim Pinder for sharing his comments on Red Seal for Commercial Truck Drivers in Canada. Industry will decide at the end of day. One thing is for sure – if industry or government thinks a voluntary apprenticeship will work that had already been tried in Ontario and failed once the $$ dried up.
There are plenty of funds available for Red Seal to assist companies and the drivers with success.
As industry leaders let’s do the right thing and behind this!
I just don’t understand this Government both Provincial and Federal?
They have been talking for years about making truck driving a skilled traded but here we are after almost 25 yrs after I got into it as a second carrier, they are still fumbling around with the idea.
Everyone is never thinking the idea of how to make it a skilled trade, it’s very simple set up curriculum that these trucking Schools need to follow, students to do theory exercises followed by in truck training, then have them registered on with trucking companies with a temporary AZ license until they have completed so many required hours behind the wheel as experience1 yr min), then the student goes back, completes a written exam, a thorough road test to achieve his or her Red seal certification as a skilled trade AZ truck driver.
Well to start with all truck driving schools should have to have trained and licensed inspectors in all aspects of trucking. All safety supervision in trucking companies should have to be trained in all aspects of safety in any products they may haul.
All driver should have endorsements on there license certifying that they know how to haul the products they are hauling, as in load security, oversize loads , B trains , tanker and such.
They must also be able to pass a test in english or french and have to write all test in english or french.
Also it would be a good idea that they have to have been licensed in Canada for a minimum of three years before they can get their license to drive truck.
The root problem and impediment to acceptance of incremental learning and accreditation of the Truck Driver is the breadth and depth of “What is a truck Driver?” To grab a handle on the training , experience and ratification of what constitutes “Red Seal” driving has to be broken into manageable boxes, that are definable.
First we have the structure of Driver licensing, Class 1,3 5. as layers of “Driver.” Next, but independent of the licensing system, we need layers of apprentice, journeyman, master. That would define the progress through levels of competence and credential for the professional driver. Quantifiable and measurable.
However, the competence of the driver needs to be sectored, for safety sake, by industry , commodity and service. The journeyman dry box and container sector driver needs to return apprenticeship status for education and experience for Bulk Hauling, for instance to achieve Red Seal competence in that sector.
Many “truck driver ” jobs are often as much service technician as driver, witness, vac truck driver. Columns of Sectors, perhaps each with subdivided skills need to be defined to be, for instance, a red seal vac truck driver journeyman, red seal Heavy haul journeyman, red seal auto haul driver.
Benefits? increased information input, experience and competence of the worker driver, decreased error, injury, collision to the public and the driver. Barriers to entry have inherent checks and balances about who is capable. Less mobility of the driver work force. Recognition for the driver of accomplishment. Greater personal and public safety. Definable targets for public funding. A larger network of identifiable, competent leaders.
Deficits? Longer training process for driver license training, longer indoctrination process for handling commodity, service and equipment operation for competent delivery. More training expense, more barriers to entry, which may not be a bad thing.
Red Seal certification would most likely mean a higher wage structure for the drivers. Do you honestly think that companies would want to increase their labour costs. Drivers are doing their job at a discount already.
To all the comments you men have made is 100% correct after 43 years driving commercial I have seen every thing that there is to see and I’ve never left the province of Ontario and I would like to at that new comercial driver’s should have to start with a d/z class 3 license for 3 years before qualifying for a class 1-a/z and a another year qualifying for a proven record of safety and knowledge of the rules and dangers of the job
I think it’s a good idea and hopefully improve the standard of driver’s as some are totally not ready to be allowed alone on our highways I drive 400 series highways with dangerous goods and have had to take avoiding procedures when other semi drives cut you off etc and driver training and testing should be done with loaded units as we know they perform totally different when cornering and stopping