Ontario asking for feedback on proposed MELT program

by Truck News

TORONTO, Ont. — The Ontario government released a statement earlier this week encouraging the trucking industry and the public to provide feedback on the proposed mandatory entry-level training (MELT) program for commercial truck drivers.

The MELT proposal was first introduced back in the fall of 2014 after the Toronto Star revealed in an investigative report that there were nearly two dozen unregulated schools in the GTA that offer to teach prospective truck drivers just enough to earn their truck-driving licence for under $1,000. These licensing mills were largely frowned upon in the industry and now the government is working on MELT to help eliminate these unregulated training schools for good.

“MTO is proposing to, once implemented, require any new applicant for a Class A licence, to successfully complete a mandatory entry-level training course prior to attempting the road test,” the statement reads. “The introduction of mandatory training, in addition to the testing requirements, is designed to ensure that commercial truck drivers are properly trained before they are licensed. As part of this proposal, MTO is also updating the knowledge (written) and road tests for all commercial class licences.”

The statement went on to say that training providers will develop the curriculum and that the new training standard are expected to be released this summer.

According to the statement,”Training providers will have approximately one year to develop their curriculum and to obtain the necessary approvals.”

Comments on the proposal are due by April 7, 2016.  You can write in your comments to: 87 William Hearst Avenue, Rm B-051 Downsview, Ontario, M3M 0B4, fax them at 416-235-4646 or e-mail susie.consiglio@ontario.ca or kim.MacCarl@ontario.ca.


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  • I couldn’t agree more 38 years driving and only in the last 5 have I had to park another drivers truck. And not on 1 occasion. Also what I have seen in something that terrifies me. Yet is greeted as humor on their behalf backing on on main roads. Not good.

  • I have no problem with the MELT proposal except you will need more time to put it together than 1 year. The entire industry is not ready to make the changes that fast to methodically think about what really needs to be done.

    For example getting your Z endorsement in two days is just a joke to say the least. How can a person learn about an air brake system in a big truck fully understand how it works remember all the air test numbers etc… that have never been near a truck in there entire lives. And then demonstrate the entire system to the instructor in 20 minutes and pass? with a passing grade?. The students in class can’t even take part in class discussion to comprehend anything… yet they all seem to pass … whats with that?. So government official how are you going to fix just that little problem. And yet the signing trainers are all authorized to sign off their endorsment certificate?. I have seen this happen more than once in my time as a 30 veteran driver in this industry. You need to police that system better than you are doing for sure.

    So now you need to clean up your act in that department before you go any further that alone will take a year or two.

    Then we have the little problem of wheels coming off trucks … you think by doing this MELT program is going to stop that…. not really. First how is the drive to know that the lug nuts are properly torqued how is he to know that???. He can’t know that… it is the mechanics job to make sure it happen correctly and it is the head mechanics job to oversee that all work is complied with to the standard of the industry. That part of the industry needs to be held accountable to the full degree of the law. If there is suspicion something is wrong with the vehicle it’s the driver’s responsibility to report as per the standard procedure.

  • You can’t blame the driver because the wheels fell off the truck that’s just stupid… you need to clean up the mechanics of the truck shops or in house shops of the company’s… they are the ones cutting the corners?….. and ask yourself who is the driver to trust if he can’t trust the mechanic or the company he works for????…. you need trust from everyone in this industry to start with. So how long do you think this will take to clean this little problem up?… 2-3 years.

    Let’s get back to the training schools and touch on that subject a bit… all trainers need to be on the same page in their teaching of this trade… you don’t want one company training one way and another training another way and this goes on all over the country… can you think if pilots were all taught a different way to fly made up their own rules the chaos we would have in the sky over head…. well trucking today and of yesterday is no different you all need to be on the same page when it comes to training.

    You want smarter better drivers then start looking into the real problems of the industry. And there is another problem needs some attention drive test in canada are not policed …. here we have the same problem as trainers do… drive test examiners have there own rules and make up their own rules as they go along. They tell you teach this way and you do then they fail your student because they changed their minds and want it this way but neglect to inform the training school of the change???? can you tell me why this happens or do they do it maybe because they don’t like you or are they in a bad mood???…. whats with that?.

    So you need to clean that up before you pound all over the drivers that are good?. This picking on truck drivers need to be mandated for all class of licenses not just truckers. I have seen many licenced
    truck schools that are below standard of quality just its personnel that run these schools… you really need to pick the right person that hold a higher integrity of the trade people who are not there just for the pay people that care about the people around the truck going down the road just like the training a pilot would receive it called being responsible for what you are teaching you want better then get better people in there to do the job at hand better. Don’t go just half way with this mandated you want to bring in as it stands right now this just pleasing the general public to do something about all accidents that are happening.

    We also need to tell the new student drive the real truth about the industry …. it’s not a job it’s a lifestyle that is not cut out for everyone… and they need to clean up dispatch these are the real bad guys in the company they have never had respect for the drivers to this day…. that is the truth. …. and recruiters will lie and tell you what you want to hear till they get you into the company and i’m sure 100,000 truckers will back me up on that…. you companies don’t lie to the new drivers…

    We could go on but I believe we have given enough to think about here. So to MELT program do you really think you can do justice to all the public and to the industry in just 12 months and do you think you can save the industry in just 12 month to put a program of the nature you are calling in just 12 months …. I don’t think so… but have it … let’s see what kind of mess you come up with.

    My background retire commercial pilot to many hours of flying to mention… plus mys years as mentioned in driving long haul, short haul in Canada & USA there are for the most part that I have met in both countries some of the finest truck driver out there and befor me to them I salute ….. to the other bad drivers that have brought all these changes on do us all a favor get off the road you shouldn’t be there and no training will help you. To all the retired air force guys out there that I have meet that love driving big rigs thanks for all your support… salute all as well.

    We as an industry of drivers need to stand together as one to get the respect they are talking about a lot can be learned from all these good drivers of today and from yesterday time for you the government and you the trucking companies to listen to us about what we have told you over and over these are the people you need to refer to for your information and start to work with them not against them as you have for the last 100 years.

  • Hello ! MELT PROGRAM: It’s a good idea ! But one problem. You need $8,000 minimum to start up ! Low income people just don’t have that kind of money. So is melt going to help low income people get the training that they need or what ! ?

  • Big question. If the truck training school already surpasses the MELT requirements and the student takes their schooling after July 1st. Will the student still need to take the MELT program?
    Do the schools know how to implement the program?
    Will they charge more? Will they lie and then tell you after 3 – 6 weeks of training that NOW you also have to take a MELT program. Which costs 4000.00 extra?!!!
    It’s all so very vague.
    I will have to quit my job to take the program before July 01 2017. I don’t want to do this.