BANFF, AB - Shaun Hammond, Alberta Transportation's assistant deputy minister - safety policy and engineering, offered government views on a broad range of issues during the Alberta Motor Transport Association's annual meeting in Banff on Friday.
Ontario will become the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) for truck drivers, making it tougher than ever to earn a Class A licence. As of July, wannabe truckers face a minimum of 135 hours of mandatory training, including 36.5 hours in the classroom, 17 hours in yard, 18 hours behind the wheel and off the road, and 32 hours on the road. But will this bring an end to licensing mills that do little more than take tuition and create poorly trained licence holders?
A Class 1/A licence falls well short of proving that someone is ready to work as a truck driver. Ask any industry recruiter. Hang around a busy loading dock long enough, and you'll likely have the chance to pick up a few extra dollars from frustrated newbies, all eager to hand the keys to someone who can actually reverse into tight spaces. This is especially true for people who, with a minimal amount of training, managed to learn just enough to earn the licence itself.
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