Can We Raise the Bar?

There is a movement within the transportation industry to try to have truck driving recognized as a skilled trade. This has been talked about for many years. In the past, the Ontario government even had a “voluntary apprenticeship program” and some trucking companies did participate in this program. There was also some government money available to those companies who participated. Unfortunately, the participation among carriers and drivers was low and the money soon disappeared. So here in Ontario, the voluntary apprenticeship program dwindled, shrivelled and disappeared.

There is now a new national group that is trying to drum up support from the industry. They held a meeting on August 15th in the Toronto area, and it is my understanding that other meetings across the country are planned. The driving organization is the “Professional Truck Training Alliance of Canada.”

The first question I have is, do we Drivers and Owner Operators need to be seen as a skilled trade? Do we need to be treated the same as a hairstylist, electrician or carpenter? Some other ‘skilled trades’ are bakers, cooks, drywall finishers and plasterers. Most of the professions I have just listed can’t kill people. I guess a cook could be the exception, but it would be very rare for a cook to kill people. It would also certainly make the news!

A truck driver has a very dangerous job. Being a truck driver is always listed in the top 10 most dangerous professions. It is dangerous because of the chance of a collision. Vehicle accidents can cost the truck driver their life, but most often, crashes cause others to lose their lives. Think of the car occupants, cyclists and pedestrians that we share our roads with. As truck drivers, our interactions with our environment can cause death.

As a truck driver, you need a great deal of skill to navigate without a crash during the many miles that you drive. You need to learn about all the different equipment plus loading and off-loading skills. You are required to know about load securement, hours-of-service and so much more.

Currently in Ontario with the MELT program of training, you receive 103.5 hours of training and then you will still need to get your air brake endorsement. The air brake program is about 10 additional hours of training. Other provinces are offering about 120 hours of training to become a licenced Class 1 or Class A truck driver.

Did you know that to become a Red Seal Hairstylist takes approximately 3,500 hours? This is made up of 480 hours of in-school training and 3,020 hours of on-the-job work experience. The work experience is about 2 years of on-the-job training under the supervision of a skilled worker or trainer.

I know that being a hairstylist is very skillful. But is it more skilled than an operator of an 80,000-pound truck and trailer? And the driver of the truck can kill people with a mistake. Certainly, being a professional truck driver needs more training than a hairstylist.

I think it’s clear that we need to make truck driving a skilled “Red Seal” recognized trade. Reach out to the Professional Truck Training Alliance of Canada and let your voice be heard. https://www.pttac.ca/contact. Let them know if you support their goal of making truck driving a skilled trade.

Be Safe

Chris Harris
Top Dawg, Safety Dawg Inc.
905-973-7056
chris@safetydawg.com
@safety_dawg (twitter)