‘Positive first step’: province pledges centralized oversight of truck driver training

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This article was published 06/08/2024 (401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Amid claims of poor oversight, the provincial government has promised to crack down on driver training and review policy recommendations for Manitoba’s trucking industry.

“I’ve been waiting for years, it feels like,” said Vanessa Morduhovich, director of Buffalo Driver Training in Winnipeg.

She’s watched the number of training schools increase since 2019. It’s getting harder to operate, especially as a company following the rules, Morduhovich said.

Buffalo teaches two curricula. Since 2019, truck drivers must take one of the two training courses before their Manitoba Public Insurance test. However, the two curricula are overseen by separate entities; drivers must choose one.

The curricula also have different time requirements — 121.5 hours or 244 — and different funding options.

Morduhovich and others in the industry allege a lack of oversight has created non-compliance among some schools, leading to drivers not receiving adequate training. “It’s just been terrible,” Morduhovich said.

Centralizing oversight of truck driver training will be the first of several actions the Manitoba government will take, the province announced Aug. 2.

It pointed to a 2023 MNP report on Manitoba’s trucking industry. The 79-page document has more than 40 policy options to address safety, recruitment and retention issues.

“We’re beginning this work now,” said Economic Development Minister Jamie Moses.

The province is part of a joint steering committee with the Manitoba Trucking Association and industry stakeholders. Its members will create a single training system for all prospective Manitoba truck drivers, Moses said.

“We really think that Manitobans would be best served — in terms of safety, in terms of quality training — to have one consistent system for the province.”

He didn’t provide a timeline for when a new or revised curriculum might be in place or when other recommendations might be implemented.

MNP’s report endorsed limiting the number of licence test attempts someone can take before requiring retraining, increasing resources for enforcement of training standards and enabling public access to training outcomes, among other items.

“I think it’s a positive first step,” Aaron Dolyniuk, executive director of the Manitoba Trucking Association, said of centralizing training oversight.

He’s co-chair of the joint steering committee. The group was formed under the Progressive Conservatives in 2022; it delayed presenting the MNP report last year because the government was headed for an election blackout period.

“As soon as the election was over, I had meetings with the new (NDP) government,” Dolyniuk said. “This is something our industry has been seeking change on for many, many years.

“There needs to be reform when it comes to driver training, oversight of driver training and funding of driver training.”

The MNP report found the number of truck driver trainees exceeds demand, but some 40 per cent of those trained end up in other industries.

In 2023-24, the provincial government spent more than $4.65 million on training for 547 prospective truck drivers.

“We want to improve the outcome of the training,” Dolyniuk stressed. “Really, what we’re seeking is employment.”

The Manitoba Labour Market Outlook has forecast a significant labour shortage in the trucking industry through 2026.

The joint steering committee will likely form subcommittees addressing other issues raised in the MNP report; its next meeting comes later this month.

Jim Campbell, president of the Professional Truck Training Alliance of Canada, welcomed the news of driver school reform.

“This is something that … reputable schools have been pushing for a number of years,” said Campbell, who is also president of Manitoba-based First Class Training Centre.

A lack of oversight extends beyond Manitoba, he relayed. There should be checks ensuring drivers actually meet the hours they’re required to complete, Campbell continued.

Manitoba’s joint steering committee will be made permanent, the government announced last Friday.

Manitoba Public Insurance is part of the group; it supports the decision to consolidate regulatory oversight of truck driver training, spokeswoman Kristy Rydz wrote in an email.

MPI currently oversees the mandatory entry-level training course, which is 121.5 hours in length. Private vocational institutions deliver the longer curriculum, which is 244 hours.

The joint steering committee is important, Konrad Narth, the Progressive Conservative’s transportation critic, wrote in an email.

“However, the NDP has not presented a clear timeline for implementing recommendations from the report,” he continued. “The NDP minister needs to show a plan that balances industry needs with public safety, and gives businesses greater certainty about the future.”

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com