This Thursday, the government will announce new measures aimed at preventing inexperienced drivers new to Quebec from driving commercial vehicles on the province’s roads. The transport industry welcomes this initiative but expects additional measures to combat this alarming phenomenon.
As of Thursday, any Ontario heavy truck driver who wants to settle in Quebec and has less than two years of experience will have to pass a practical test before being able to obtain a license from the Société de l’assurance automobiles du Québec (SAAQ).
If he fails the practical exams twice, he will have to take the training required by people wanting to obtain a Class 1 license in Quebec, which begins Dec. 15.
“Year after year, people come to us from Ontario with training, the quality of which we have no idea,” complains Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Benoit Charette in an interview with the publication Press.
This is a temporary measure until Ontario demonstrates strengthening of its own training and monitoring measures at the Class 1 license holder level.
Benoit Charette, Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility
Most trucking companies in Ontario use the discount driver or “drivers inc” model. “, where inexperienced drivers are hired cheaply and without proper training. On May 12, Ontario’s auditor general pointed out a number of deficiencies in the province’s trucking industry, highlighting stricter rules applied in Quebec.1.
Benoit Charette estimates that about 375 Ontario drivers move to Quebec every year. However, of this number, it is unknown what proportion are drivers with less than two years of experience.
“This is very alarming,” the minister emphasizes. “Without making any generalizations, we know that these same drivers may be overrepresented in crashes that have occurred in Quebec in recent years.”
According to the latest SAAQ report, more than a quarter of the deaths that occurred on Quebec roads last year involved heavy vehicles (102 out of 371). This represents a 17.8% increase over the past five-year average for collisions involving heavy vehicles.2.
Border surveillance has been strengthened
As for Ontario truckers who travel to Quebec – but don’t want to settle there – the government has already announced tighter controls at the Ontario border. Last October, he also decided to allow traffic controllers to carry firearms.
“In the coming months, surveillance will be stepped up as new teams of agents are trained to monitor the flow of vehicles coming from Ontario,” the minister also promises.
Benoit Charette stresses that he is in talks with the Ontario government, especially after the release of the Auditor General’s report. “My understanding from the discussions we’ve had is that this report is being taken seriously and (Ontarians) are going to follow it,” he says.
“I welcome the minister’s initiative, hoping that Ontario will do the same and that the government will continue to have the political will to fight the Drivers Inc. scheme with all possible means,” emphasizes Marc Cadieux, president and general manager of the Quebec Association of Freight Forwarders (ACQ).
These announced measures must be accompanied by “many others” to fill the legal gray areas that still allow inexperienced drivers to navigate Quebec’s roads, Mr. Cadieux said.
In particular, he mentions the numerous “tricks” revealed in the media in recent years to obtain a truck license, sometimes by deception.3.
“This is a step forward, but there is still a lot to be done,” he adds.
“Desktop”
The government also announced it would set up a “working table” on temporary foreign workers with representatives from the trucking industry and associations that employ or support these workers.
Its goal will be to revise the rules applicable to temporary foreign workers who arrive in Quebec with a driver’s license obtained in another country, with the goal of “better responding to road safety issues” – be it truck drivers, passenger transport drivers, or drivers of Class 5 vehicles.
In particular, the training and driving habits of temporary foreign workers will be scrutinized.
“A person who has never traveled in winter may experience some difficulties with orientation for some time. Therefore, it is these issues that will be observed and analyzed,” the minister emphasizes.
The first report is due to be published in November, specifically covering truck drivers.
1. Read the article “Transportation Industry: Many Gaps Revealed in Ontario”
2. Read the article “Trucks and road accidents: ‘alarming’ rise, says SAAQ”
3. Read the article “Trucking: Hundreds of Fake Permits”