Manitoba now joining Alberta and Saskatchewan requiring mandatory commercial truck driver training. Meantime here in BC ICBC says it will help you pass your tests

This morning (March 26th), Manitoba’s Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler announced that as part of their government’s commitment to public safety, mandatory entry-level training for commercial truck drivers will be implemented beginning September 1^st.  Requirements will include 121.5 hours of training, which is consistent with other provinces including Alberta and Saskatchewan.

“Our government is focused on public safety on our roads and highways in this province, and mandatory training for new truck drivers will make Manitoba safer,” Schuler said. 

Currently in Manitoba, as in British Columbia, a person can obtain a Class 1 truck driving license by successfully completing a knowledge-based written test and a practical road test.  There is no mandatory training required prior to testing taking place.

Given the tragic traffic accident last April in Humboldt Saskatchewan, where 16 people died dead after a collision between the Humboldt Broncos team bus and a tractor-trailer driven by Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, it is no surprise that changed, at least in Manitoba.

At the time of the accident, Sidhu, who had obtained his license a year earlier, had only received two weeks of training.

Said Manitoba’s Ron Schuller, “We are focused on ensuring they have the necessary skills and qualifications to do their job in a way that ensures everyone is safe on the road.”

Meantime here in British Columbia, ICBC states that to get your licence, you'll need to get a learner's licence before taking your road test for a full-privilege licence. To get your full licence, you'll need to pass a commercial road test, which includes a pre-trip inspection test. 

AND … as to mandatory training?  ICBC also suggests that in most cases, you'll need some professional driver training to become a commercial driver. ICBC’s rationale for that is it will help you pass your tests and learn the skills you need to be a safe and confident on the road.

NOTHING however with regards to make drivers training mandatory.

In referring to the actual commercial drivers test, the Valley Driving School, states:
You’ll be required to start and stop the vehicle, shift gears, turn, steer and reverse the vehicle; park it, merge with highway traffic and exit safely from highways, as well as drive confidently and safely in traffic. If you’re applying for a Class 1 license, you’ll need to demonstrate how to couple and uncouple a tractor unit from a trailer.

THAT’S IT?

In 2016, the BC Chamber of Commerce recommended that there be a requirement for:

 … mandatory graduation from an accredited commercial driving program in order to qualify to take the exam for the professional driver license …

Fast forward to December 2018.  A report from BC’s Auditor General entitled an 'Independent Audit of Commercial Vehicle Safety' report, stated that the government:

…  doesn’t know if commercial driver licensing standards are adequate. Commercial vehicle drivers in B.C. are not required to take any specialized training before getting their license …

In the concluding section of the report, it was stated that:

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General have taken steps to improve commercial vehicle safety, partly in response to our previous audit on truck safety in 1996, as well as in response to the work of the National Safety Code Task Force and the B.C. Road Safety Strategy. The ministries and ICBC need to do much more to effectively manage their respective programs to promote the safe operation of commercial vehicles on BC roads.

AND WITH REGARDS to doing much more to promote the safe operation of vehicles, the following must end.  Here is what the report also made note of:

… (some of) ICBC’s commercial driver examination locations don’t have the space to perform certain road test procedures according to certified commercial examiner standards.

For someone in a hurry to get their license, and not willing to take the time required to obtain commercial driver training from a reputable company, where do you think they will go to take their test?

That answer certainly seems clear to me.

Over the years there have been notable serious accident involving commercial vehicles in BC --- none however to the same extent of the commercial vehicle which devastated the community of Humboldt when their team bus was hot and struck killing 16.

With Manitoba now requiring over 120 hours of mandatory training, prior to receiving a commercial driving license, BC remains the only province in western Canada without these minimum standards.

Hopefully a crash involving the kind of multiple deaths and injuries, as happened last spring in Saskatchewan, won’t have to happen before BC makes the kinds of changes that are needed because as the Auditor Generals report recommended:

“… the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia continue its recent work to evaluate licensing strategies, including the effectiveness of B.C.’s commercial driver licensing standards … this should include consideration of mandatory entry-level training …”