Alberta truck training program is 'woefully inadequate,' says Canada's insurance bureau
CBC
Alberta's truck training program — MELT — is "woefully inadequate" to prepare new drivers to operate safely on the province's roadways, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
It's seeing an increase in collisions and trucking claims, which has significantly increased the cost of insurance and made traditional insurance companies reluctant to insure new drivers.
CBC previously reported that Alberta's trucking industry continues to struggle with a driver shortage, in part because of challenges obtaining insurance for new drivers.
"Alberta's insurers simply don't have the confidence that the MELT program is adequately preparing drivers for our roadways," said Aaron Sutherland, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) vice-president.
MELT, which stands for Mandatory Entry-Level Training, provides about 120 hours of truck training. The Class 1 MELT program includes 40.5 hours of classroom instruction, 15.5 hours of in-yard instruction, 57 hours of behind the wheel training and 8.5 hours of air-brake training.
Sutherland said that isn't enough for trainees.
He said the 120-hour program doesn't stack up to the more than 600 hours of in-class and behind-the-wheel training in other provinces.
"It's more of an orientation and it's not a safe-driving program."
That's why, in September, IBC proposed a number of potential solutions to the Alberta government to help improve road safety and lower insurance costs — ultimately attracting more drivers to the industry and helping with the ongoing driver shortage.
The MELT program has a few challenges that are hindering the province's ability to attract more drivers, Sutherland said, starting with the cost.
"The cost of MELT is about $10,000 per driver. That's quite high compared to other jurisdictions and provinces, where it can be $1,000."
The government must subsidize or reduce the cost of MELT for new drivers to increase accessibility, he said.
IBC would also like to see more courses that look at hazardous aspects of truck driving, such as navigating difficult terrain and how to safely haul dangerous cargo.
