Didn’t want to cut in on the Humbolt thread but in the aftermath of that tragedy and what is being proposed as far as training for Class 1&2 drivers, I wonder what effect and changes this will have on any immigrants.
Another point on the changes is that all the Provinces need to step up with the same changes.
It’ll be no benefit to anyone if it’s only Alberta tightening up, it needs to be a Federal change not Provincial.
I was speaking to our local transport training company yesterday and they said that since the MELT (Mandatory Entry Level Training) programme started March 1st, they have had not one trainee booked for training and no future bookings.
It is now a 113hrs course made up of 3 modules with a cost of approx $10,000.
Classroom-40.5hrs
In Yard-15.5hrs
Driving-57hrs
Anybody that passed their Class 1 & 2 between Oct 11 2018 & Feb 28 2019 has to go back and take an enhanced knowledge & road test at no expense to themselves except the hire of the truck.
Any driver relocating Provinces from a non-MELT Province to a MELT Province (of which there are 5 at present) will have to take the enhanced knowledge & road test, not just a straight swap of licences.
If they fail either part first time, they will then be required to take the full MELT programme to gain their licence.
Sooner or later all Provinces will have to have this MELT programme.
There is no mention of what experienced Immigrants will have to do to get a licence.
All of this could mean a real shortage of drivers in the not too distant future.
A shortage of new drivers will also hit the driving schools. How are they going to survive without customers? Also bus drivers have to do the training too. The extra cost could soon mean a shortage of school bus drivers. The part-time work doesn’t pay enough to cover the out-lay for a license.
Good…, very good…
Maybe it will force employers to stat to treat drivers as human beings…
The price for company to hire/import/train immigrant have basically gone from 2000-3000CAD to 8000-10000CAD
Or in other words, for immigrant the price for immigration to Canada have gone from 3000CAD to 10000CAD
10k is slightly more significant chunk to loose… so maybe, just maybe companies will start to look at fresh imports as more perishable product…
Either the price/salary per hour will go up - to increase earning and hours will go down to allow these creatures to live longer or there will be new scams or registering fresh imports in remote locations - small rural villages in less developed provinces where local transport companies have ties into the government to allow loopholes that enable old training system to be used to get the paper that allows them to become meat in the seat…
Somehow I believe the later option is more motivating for haulage bosses in Canada…
ChrisArbon:
A shortage of new drivers will also hit the driving schools. How are they going to survive without customers? Also bus drivers have to do the training too. The extra cost could soon mean a shortage of school bus drivers. The part-time work doesn’t pay enough to cover the out-lay for a license.
I’ve just driven past the driving school and both of their trucks have ‘For Sale’ signs on them, which I didn’t notice yesterday.
They also do cars which will keep the business open I suppose.