Ontario pushes reset button on MELT for new truck drivers
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has hit the reset button on mandatory entry-level training (MELT) for commercial truck driver Class A licences.
The MTO has ordered driver certification program organizations and registered career college course providers to clarify how they create and incorporate standardized lesson plan requirements into their curriculum.
In a bulletin, the ministry stated that it has developed a new sample lesson plan template as a guide that meets standard requirements which will provide an additional resource to help ensure consistency and quality.
The updated curriculum, including lesson plans, must be resubmitted to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) by July 1, 2025. In the province, truck driving schools must be registered as career colleges.
Although the requirement for lesson plans is not new, and many training providers already follow their own lesson plans while delivering MELT programs, career colleges will now be required to incorporate detailed lesson plans in their MELT programs, noted Charlotte Smaglinski, superintendent of career colleges.
Evaluation by subject matter experts
In a memo to registered career colleges, she said these plans must include information concerning lesson topics, timeframes, instructor-to-student ratios, training materials, and learning outcomes.
The submissions must include new evaluations of programs by adult education specialists and subject matter experts. These evaluators must attest that, in their opinion, the plans conform to the requirements of the Class A training standard.
“If the required program changes are not submitted in time or do not meet the commercial truck driver training standard (Class A), approval of your program may be revoked so that you can no longer offer or deliver the program(s) in question and/or you may be prohibited from enrolling new students,” Smaglinski said.
Ministry issues enforcement warning
Course providers can continue using their previously approved curriculum while waiting for re-approval of their updated curriculum from MTO or MCU. Once the curriculum is re-approved, they will be required to utilize that curriculum moving forward.
The MTO warned that course providers who do not submit their updated curriculum including the lesson plans or are found to be delivering non-compliant lesson plans after the six-month transition period may be subject to enforcement actions by the ministry auditing teams.
Techni-Com president Rolf VanderZwaag, a developer of training programs and one of the architects of MELT in Ontario, first shared the news in professional network post. He applauded the ministry’s action and expected it will weed out many bad actors over the next six months.
Decision attracts support
“It doesn’t eliminate the fact that the schools can say something and do something else. It’s a start, and that becomes their truth,” VanderZwaag said.
“This may help correct the current situation where proper training, which costs a school anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000 to deliver, is no longer offered for $3,000 to $3,500.”
Philip Fletcher, president of the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario supported the decision, saying it is necessary to refresh what schools are doing and ensure everybody is on track.
TTSAO members plan to work together
He’s in talks with the association’s members to work on the detailed lesson plan together. “It would make it easier for MTO and MCU to see that we are all on the same page and we’re teaching the program the way it’s supposed to be taught,” he said.
Fletcher called for enforcement to make sure schools are complying with what they say they are going to do.
Geoff Wood, senior vice-president, policy, Ontario Trucking Association, said the ministry’s decision is a good starting point and should be followed up with additional enforcement and oversight.
“Anybody that’s doing the right thing, I don’t see any issues. If folks are doing stuff they’re not supposed to be doing, or taking shortcuts, those groups might have issues,” he said.
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Without QUALIFIED inspectors attending these schools randomly and regularly, the purely administrative requirement of re-submitting a more detailed curriculum is a nothing burger.
Long-standing deficiencies in instructor standards/qualifications causing ineffective delivery of proper MELT learning expectations and outcomes will continue to be a major flaw in this attempt to rectify this historical problem.
Thank you for truck news to always bring up issues that concerns overall trucking in the future. MTO mentioned that they want to introduced “standardized lessons” for everyone to follow, but in reality they are asking again all schools to develop their own lesson plans minute by minute (in cab, in yard and in class) and get it approved by a third party assessor. It will be the same outcome, MCU inspectors will be lost once again – because every one has their own lesson plans. This process will cost schools again to develop lesson plans again from a third party and pay additional to assessors, good for them but outcome will be no different from before. With this method again after implementation MCU can revoke programs without any reasoning. It is a red tape for good schools but others will carry on as is and they buy lesson plans from other approved schools and there are quite a few program developers who have this business and they charge around $10,000 or above and there are more than 200 schools in Ontario. MTO and MCU should improve enforcement rather than hurting all good schools.
In my humble opinion, being a former commercial vehicle enforcement, Ontario should follow British Columbia and other provinces. Those provinces created a standardized lesson plan and everyone follows, no confusion and better outcome. It is easy for auditors to enforce the lesson plans.
The competencies required to perform the work of a professional truck driver are extensive. Entering the occupation involves specific learning outcomes to be acquired during mandatory entry level training (MELT). That’s why it’s mandatory.
Making sure the curriculum is delivered as it was intended validates the dedicated work that myself and other experts contributed during the development of Ontario’s MELT, as well as my work with Trucking HR Canada in creating the National Occupational Standard, which is the basis for entry-level training (ELT) across Canada.
MELT must be delivered properly to prepare individuals for a truck driving career. This reset, coupled with continued oversight, can ensure MELT achieves its original objectives.
The next step is a driver finishing program, which must also be similarly structured. Industry-created and approved resources for driver finishing programs are available.
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Well said you said it better than I did thanks
This news is inspiring for sure and involving the TTSAO. Although as mentioned the say one thing and do another is still a risk. Hopefully auditing by the MTO or designate would help to curb the neglect.
Unannounced visits and spot checks once the curriculum is reviewed and approved is something I would also like to see happen. Again, good news to see that the MTO recognized that there is a problem.
Narinderpal Jaswal President Ontario commercial truck training association aka octta. Every school have their own lesson plan or there is few programmer’s who can develop new lesson plans copy and paste to all schools charge $$$$.
Minute by minute lesson plan. Is that possible for road? If yes than where is safety. One person comment in comment section also give give his opinion in article is he know how to drive big rig or is he have the class AZ license. How many schools associated with TTASO. We are running the driving schools and people who have nothing to do except money to this industry talking about our future. Why everyone not talk about DriveTest center. Who give license? We give training and govt body pass the test when melt start rd test about 1nhalf hrs and now finish in 45 min. But no one talk about that because school is very soft corner for every one. I am requesting to the writer of this article please call or contact to our association we will provide you the reality.
Or you could just shut down the schools that don’t actually teach drivers
If the government and its cronies who really run the show wouldn’t allow the human trafficking of truck drivers, none of these grandiose ideas would be needed. Amazing how many very high quality people who you wouldn’t have to micro manage if the drivers could still make an above average living like they used to before a handful of big businesses became addicted to slave labour savings being channeled into their pockets through below real cost freight rates. Maybe Trump will crack down on all the fraud to do with trucking companies running rolling sweatshops from Canada traveling across the border. Obviously,nobody from Canada is going to put a stop to it.
Great 1st step. Auditing will be the key as there will always be those who make it their job to cheat the system. We are all aware of the decline in the industry over the years. Those who follow the rules are to be commended but like every other industry not everyone wants to be on the same team.
As long as the test to pass the road test is minimal – training will be minimal. Remember in today’s set up a truck school is only responsible for getting a student to pass the road test. If public and industry want more from students – then change the system. Make the road test a real test. Even a beginning ski instructor undergoes a three day evaluation, with higher levels a week long test. Make the truck licence test a real evaluation and overnight, schools will train to the higher standards or disappear. Can’t blame c**p “schools” if someone gets a licence and someone is willing to hire them.
Hopefully this will curb the ‘discount driving schools’. There are still way too many unqualified drivers on the roads.
MELT and everything else the government and schools have come up with will do nothing to improve drivers. We need an apprenticeship program.
When I was a child I road around all day with truck drivers and watched and learned. Then as I was getting close to the age of being able to get my license they would put me in the driver seat while they were passengers, and watch and teach me more.
That is how you become a good driver.
Interesting comments. Maybe the solution is for the MTO to provide a standard training program that everyone can buy and deliver. Audit schools and trainers, and test to the levels of the standard training. Truck driving should be set up similarly to apprentice programs where you are in a 4 to five year training program. It seems at times new truck drivers are tested given keys and set loose. Scary when you consider the damage a big truck can cause.
Testing should be taken away from the private sector and returned to federally licensed facilities. I also believe that if you come from a country that never sees the type of winter driving conditions that we experience, you must first hold a regular license for 3 years before you are allowed to get a CDL. Mentorship or apprenticeship programs should also be something that should be looked into. What happened to the enforcement of a CDL driver having to read and speak English? It was a requirement when I got my license, why is it not a requirement now? This has been one of the biggest complaints that I’ve heard of. If a driver can’t read or speak English, how are they expected to understand what is expected of them once they are employed or even to understand the rules of the road here in Canada or even in the US? How can they be expected to understand instructions properly if there is a language barrier. I’ve done some on-boarding of new hires with a few companies, and have had to spend extra time training some individuals that didn’t speak English and required translators. The issue with this is, what happens if their translator (usually a co-driver) is incapacitated and communication is required?
The operation of of a commercial motor vehicle demands a level of skill, judgement, and responsibility that rivals the complexity and risk of piloting a small aircraft. In the aviation industry, no individual is permitted to fly without rigorous training, comprehensive evaluation and certification to ensure competency in managing the risks associated with the task. The public would never accept the idea or possibility of unqualified or unprepared pilot in control of a plane.
The same principal must apply in the transportation industry A fully loaded transport truck can weigh up to 63,500 Kg’s and travel at highway speeds, operate in heavy traffic, severe weather and high pressure environments. Proper training and consistent enforcement of that training is essential to ensuring public safety, accountability and competency in high risk industries.
There is no point to all these MELT programs or even amendments to MELT programs. These only sound good in an article in a magazine. In reality, schools are teaching the students in the same way that they were being taught in Pre-MELT or Pre-2017 era.
Before the MELT program, schools used to charge around $1000 to 1500 for this course. Schools are now charging around $3,000 or even less for the complete training.
Students are being taught just to pass the DriveTest Ministry Road Test. and many cheat on the written test too, with help (wink wink).
I did not see one word regarding the 32 languages being allowed for these new drivers. This language thing has been going on since Serco took over in 2003. There are too many truck drivers on the road who cannot speak English nor can they read English. How doe a non English reading truck driver perform a pre-trip inspection? These inspection reports are in English!!! Far too many collisions causing death are do to drivers who cannot read traffic laws and cannot read the operation manual for the truck they drive.. This nonsense must stop. Tell you MPP as I am doing. I send her a message one a month. Eventually they may do something but at least I am making her hate me.
This is a good idea but the whole driver testing needs to be taken out a private for profit company it should a choice of 2 different nonprofits doing testing plus a possible third often of testing done by a gov agent like humber college overseeing the gov testing with students being able to a min of 10 ,hours of additional training after passing the road test included in the price
All instructors should know English and or French and all foreign students taking the test be able to understand English at a grade 6 level in ont in my opinion. A good first step but need to work on a model to pay the extra insurance costs of first year truck and bus drivers in ont maybe have S G I overseeing the training and providing a insurance option with a industry fund to help cover the extra training costs but not gov or taxpayer $