ONTARIO GOVERNMENT PROPOSED CHANGES TO GETTING AN "A" LICENSE..AN $8,000.00 EXPENSE BEFORE YOU CAN TAKE THE TEST.....
Ontario's Regulatory Registry
Regulation - LGIC
Mandatory Entry-Level Training for Commercial Truck Drivers
Regulation Number(s):
340/94
Bill or Act:
Highway Traffic Act
Summary of Proposal:
A Class A driver's licence is a commercial licence which authorizes the holder to drive heavy trucks and tractor-trailers. Currently, a person wishing to obtain a Class A licence may obtain the licence by taking a knowledge and road test at a DriveTest Centre without taking a training course. Drivers may also choose to take voluntary training with a training organization. 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 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.
MTO and Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) play a key role in the training, testing and licensing of truck drivers. It is proposed that three types of training providers will be authorized to provide the mandatory entry-level training course: a Private Career College registered under the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005; an Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology; or a recognized authority under MTO's Driver Certification Program.
Training providers will develop curriculum, used to train applicants, based on new common core training standards. The new standards are expected to be released by summer 2016. Training providers will have approximately one year to develop their curriculum and to obtain the necessary approvals.
Applicants will be required to pay for the mandatory entry-level training course. Approved training providers offering the training course will set their own course fees. Currently, to take a registered course, that is not mandatory, the approximate cost is $8,000. Under this proposal, the course fees, as well as the duration of the course, will not be known until the approved training providers receive the new standards and update their current curriculum.
Applicants who do not complete the mandatory entry-level training course through an approved training provider will not be permitted to attempt the Class A road test.
This proposal is not designed to impose new training obligations on existing Class A driver's licence holders.
Further Information:
Proposal Number:
16-MTO014
Posting Date:
February 22, 2016
Comments Due Date:
April 7, 2016
Contact Address:
87 William Hearst Avenue, Rm B-051 Downsview, ON M3M 0B4 Fax: 416-235-4646
Susie.consiglio@ontario.ca or kim.MacCarl@ontario.ca
