While government transportation ministries across Canada are rushing to introduce mandatory training for entry level truck drivers after the Humboldt tragedy, Ontario’s ground-breaking MELT program is continuing to evolve.

 Ontario became the first jurisdiction in North American to enforce mandatoryentry- level-training (MELT) standards in July 2017 in an attempt to make highways safer by shutting down so-called licence mills whose graduates in some cases were getting Class A licences with as little as 10 hours training. But almost two years after MELT’s implementation, efforts are still ongoing to weed out the licence mills which are still finding ways to bypass the 103.5-hour mandated curriculum.

MELT revamped testing and introduced a mandatory standard training curriculum with either a Private Career College registered with the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, or recognized authorities like carriers with training programs under the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s Driver Certification
Program, which includes an Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology.

“MELT is definitely working,” says Ken Adams, president of the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario (TTSAO). “But what we call the ‘fly-by-nighters’ are slipping back in. At first all the flyby- nighters were stopped dead in their tracks. Now they are slowly getting back into training and getting certifications.” In an attempt to again clamp down on the licence mills, which attract students with promises of getting them driving jobs Mike Beaudin with less training hours for cheaper rates, the TTSAO in April agreed to a temporary moratorium on advanced-standing which allowed some students with previous experience or  backgrounds to train for fewer than the 103.5 prescribed hours. Licence mills exploited the advancedstanding provision, says Richardson.

“The biggest issue right now is advanced standing,” he says. “What we have seen and heard is schools can (and some do) fast-track anyone immediately into advanced standing to get an A licence. That is the loophole.”

The moratorium would force all entry-level drivers, regardless of their previous experience, to take the full 103.5-hour course or the 200-hour program  recommended by most TTSAO members while the issue is discussed by stakeholders.

Although MELT is heralded as an industry-leading program, Ontario’s transportation sector isn’t resting on its laurels. A roundtable of stakeholders including training schools, industry associations and ministry officials meet regularly to talk about ongoing differences and to look for improvements. MELT is now the standard for mandatorytraining programs launched in Alberta (March 1), Saskatchewan (March 15), and Manitoba (September 1). And Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau has said all provincial transportation ministries have agreed to meet national training requirements by 2020.

Calls for mandatory training programs have been ongoing for years but governments have been slow to react. The Humboldt Bronco junior hockey tragedy that killed 16 people on a rural highway in Saskatchewan in April 2018 changed that. Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the driver who failed to stop at the fatal intersection, was sentenced to eight years in prison. When it was reported his training consisted of two weeks with another person in the vehicle and the final week driving alone, public scrutiny focused on training standards and demands for mandatory training programs followed.

“I think the Humboldt tragedy shone a major negative light on the industry,” says Matt Richardson, sales and operations manager for KRTS Transportation  Services. “All the different stakeholders working on MELT put in a ton of work and need to be commended for where we are now. They set the standard and expectations for the other provinces.”

TTSAO directors are now fielding calls from transportation ministries and training schools outside Ontario – even Australia – looking for information and advice. There will be minor variations to MELT depending on other provinces’ needs but everybody appears willing to piggyback on Ontario which will use the collective national conversation to improve its experience as well.

“Someone is going to have an idea that may work well for everyone and that everyone can implement,” says Adams. “It will be interesting to see what information we get back country wide.”

Mandatory training isn’t just a Canadian issue. The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association has introduced a phase-in of mandatory entry-level training that comes into effect in February 2020. The American program has a common curriculum but no prescribed number of hours.

When MELT was first introduced concerns were raised about an increase in test failures and the impact the program would have on driver recruitment. Test failures spiked immediately after MELT took affect but levelled out when instructors became more familiar with testing guidelines and requirements, says Richardson. “One of the big issues still out there is regarding differences between examiners and drive-test center locations. What is required by examiners across the different centers is not the same across the board which is a big Issue.”

While standards that lead to safer roads are roundly applauded throughout the industry, some carriers remain apprehensive about a program that forces potential drivers to take courses that are longer and more expensive. “The financial costs to attain the license has become a barrier to entry for many drivers that may not be able to afford it,” says Ramon Calanza, director of recruiting & retention for Challenger Motor Freight, in an email interview. “It’s made our road safer and reduces injuries and fatalities on the road. But there should be more avenues that a prospective driver trainee can take to afford the training.

“The schools prepare the drivers to take their exam. But at Challenger we train drivers the reality of being on the road away from home; the practical things drivers can encounter when they are on their own and present what can happen out there and not the ‘ideal’ reality that a driver may perceive. Challenger teaches drivers not only the practical but also the mental aspect of it.”

Calanza says although new drivers have all taken mandatory training it’s still difficult to assess their abilities because the teaching skills of instructors varies from school to school. “Because there is no accreditation or certification that distinguishes an actual driver instructor/trainer – virtually anyone can teach – but the problem lies on the level of experience, method of teaching and whether or not the teaching is being absorbed and learned by the student.”

Instructor certification is an issue the TTSAO wants to discuss with the ministry as part of the moratorium on advanced standing. The group also wants  mandatory training for DZ certification.

TTSAO schools also urge students to take the more advanced 200-hour course because they believe it creates a more professional standard.

Two years in MELT remains a work in progress but most in the industry believe mandatory training is crucial to making roads safer and helping to change perceptions the public may have about unsafe driving practices.

“MELT is going to be an everchanging process and an ongoing process until the end of time,” says Richardson. “Technology is going to change and the structure is going to change. The more it is refined, the safer the roads are for everyone.”