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Ontario is moving ahead with standardized entry-level training requirements for commercial truck drivers following concerns raised by the provincial auditor general.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the province is meeting a recommendation from Auditor General Shelley Spence, who found the province was not effectively monitoring commercial truck driver training and licensing.
Spence’s report found some career colleges were cutting corners on required training hours and skills, while oversight from two provincial ministries was limited.
The new standardized curriculum will become mandatory next year for organizations that provide commercial truck driver training.
The province says the curriculum is expected to include more than 103 hours of training before a driver can obtain a Class A licence.
Subjects being considered for the new curriculum include fatigue management, driving in northern, rural and remote areas, human trafficking awareness and mandatory air brake training.
The province says it will work with industry, career colleges and other experts as it develops the new curriculum.
(Matt Leblanc)
