Ontario plans 103-plus hours of standardized truck training with a new Northern Ontario driving focus
THUNDER BAY — NATIONAL NEWS — Ontario is preparing a major overhaul of entry-level commercial truck driver training, including a new standardized curriculum of more than 103 hours and proposed instruction specifically addressing northern, rural and remote driving.
The changes could have particular significance across Northwestern Ontario, where Highway 11 and Highway 17 carry heavy commercial traffic through long stretches of two-lane highway, changing winter conditions and communities separated by considerable distances.
Ontario says every organization providing entry-level Class A truck driver training will eventually be required to follow the same standardized curriculum. Implementation is expected to begin in early 2027 following consultations with trucking companies, training schools and other industry experts. The province confirmed the initiative in a Sept. 21 announcement.
New Ontario Truck Training Curriculum Will Exceed 103 Hours
The proposed curriculum is intended for people seeking a Class A commercial driver’s licence, which is generally required to operate tractor-trailer combinations in Ontario.
The province says the program will contain more than 103 hours of standardized instruction, replacing a system in which training providers operate under existing provincial minimum requirements but can differ in how training is delivered.
Subjects being considered include:
- fatigue management;
- northern, rural and remote driving;
- human trafficking awareness; and
- mandatory air-brake training.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the objective is to establish more consistent training before new drivers begin operating commercial vehicles independently.
The province has not yet released the final curriculum, meaning the exact number of classroom, in-yard and on-road hours — and how the northern-driving component will be structured — remain to be determined.
Northern Driving Could Become a Formal Part of Training
For Northwestern Ontario, the proposed inclusion of northern, rural and remote driving may be one of the most consequential elements.
Operating a tractor-trailer between Thunder Bay, Nipigon, Geraldton, Dryden and Kenora presents conditions that can differ significantly from driving in the Greater Toronto Area.
Drivers can encounter heavy snow, freezing rain, rapidly falling temperatures, black ice, limited passing opportunities and long distances between services.
Highway 11 and Highway 17 are also critical freight corridors connecting Western Canada with southern Ontario and Quebec.
Closures resulting from collisions can disrupt passenger travel, commercial deliveries and national supply chains because alternate routes are limited or, in some locations, effectively unavailable.
The province has not yet detailed whether northern-driver training will include actual winter or northern-road experience, simulator instruction, classroom training or a combination of approaches.
That will be an important issue to watch as the curriculum is developed.
Auditor General Previously Identified Problems With Driver Training Oversight
The changes follow concerns raised by Ontario’s Auditor General about driver training and examination.
The Auditor General’s 2023 value-for-money audit examined the Ministry of Transportation’s oversight of driver training and testing and made 18 recommendations containing 44 action items. The audit identified shortcomings in oversight and performance measurement within Ontario’s driver-training and examination system.
A 2025 follow-up report again included driver training and examination among the programs under review.
Ontario says the new standardized curriculum responds in part to recommendations for stronger and more consistent commercial-driver training.
The issue extends beyond the individual driver.
Commercial-driver training affects trucking companies, insurers, training schools and the communities through which heavy trucks travel every day.
Six-Month Waiting Period Coming for Class A Road Tests
The curriculum is only one part of Ontario’s broader changes.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, drivers holding a Class G licence or higher will face a mandatory six-month waiting period before they can attempt a Class A road test.
Ontario has also introduced or announced measures involving:
commercial drivers providing documentation confirming eligibility to work in Canada; increased oversight of truck-driver testing; spot checks and reviews of commercial driver training schools; and proposed tougher penalties involving distracted commercial driving and commercial vehicles operating without functioning speed limiters.
Drivers arriving from jurisdictions without reciprocal licensing agreements with Ontario must also complete a G2 road test and then wait at least 12 months before completing a G road test to become fully licensed in Ontario, according to the province.
Highway 11/17 Enforcement Also Being Increased
The government says commercial-vehicle enforcement is being expanded across Northern Ontario.
Measures identified by the province include additional Transportation Enforcement Officers, more enforcement blitzes along the Highway 11/17 corridor, two mobile inspection support units and upgrades to northern rest areas intended to increase year-round truck parking.
Truck parking is an important component of highway safety because federal and provincial hours-of-service rules limit how long commercial drivers can remain behind the wheel.
A driver approaching those limits needs a safe place to stop.
That can become difficult in Northwestern Ontario when parking areas are full, closed or affected by winter conditions.
Fatigue Training Could Have Direct Northern Relevance
The proposed focus on fatigue management is also important for long-distance Northern Ontario routes.
Commercial drivers travelling between major centres may spend hours driving through relatively isolated stretches of highway.
Night driving, irregular schedules and winter storms can add to fatigue risks.
Training can help drivers recognize impairment caused by fatigue and understand when continuing a trip becomes unsafe, but training alone cannot address every factor.
Carrier scheduling practices, access to safe rest areas and enforcement of hours-of-service requirements also play roles in managing fatigue.
Industry Groups Support Standardized Training
Several trucking-training organizations quoted in the provincial announcement supported a common provincial standard.
Ken Adams, chair of the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario, said consistent training could improve the knowledge and professionalism of new drivers.
The Canada Truck Operators Association and Ontario Commercial Truck Training Association also supported more consistent entry-level instruction.
Those comments came through the government announcement rather than an independent survey of the broader trucking sector.
Questions likely to emerge as the proposal moves forward include training costs, whether schools have enough instructors and equipment, and how quickly new drivers can enter an industry that depends heavily on a steady workforce.
Why Ontario’s Changes Matter Beyond Ontario
Although driver licensing is provincial, Ontario’s commercial trucking network forms part of Canada’s national transportation system.
Trucks travelling Highway 11 and Highway 17 carry freight between Western and Eastern Canada and connect businesses with border crossings, rail terminals, ports and distribution centres.
That gives Ontario training standards consequences beyond provincial boundaries.
A driver licensed in Ontario can spend much of a working career hauling freight across Canada and into the United States.
At the same time, licensing standards remain different across provinces, raising a broader national question over how consistent entry-level commercial-driver preparation should be across Canada.
Ontario’s new curriculum does not create a national standard.
It could, however, add to the discussion about whether commercial-driver training should become more consistent from province to province.
What Northwestern Ontario Should Watch Next
For northern residents, carriers and professional drivers, the important details have not all been decided.
The province still needs to determine precisely what constitutes adequate northern and remote-driving education, how much behind-the-wheel instruction will be mandatory and whether winter-driving competence will be specifically assessed.
Cost will matter as well.
A more intensive training program could improve preparation but could also increase the expense of obtaining a Class A licence.
For Northwestern Ontario’s trucking sector, the balance will be ensuring stronger safety standards without creating unnecessary barriers to recruiting qualified professional drivers.
The most significant opportunity may be the formal recognition that driving a transport truck across Northern Ontario requires skills that cannot always be replicated by training designed primarily around urban southern highways.
Ontario expects to work with the trucking industry and training providers over the coming months before implementing the new curriculum in early 2027.
