In response to recent fatal collisions in Northwest Ontario, MP Lise Vaugeois from Thunder Bay—Superior North emphasizes the need for increased oversight of truck driver training schools. She identifies the lack of driver experience, worsened by inadequate training, as a major cause of these accidents.
Vaugeois critiques the current truck driver training system for its lack of supervision and notes that trucking company owners can train their own staff, potentially leading to gaps in driver preparedness.
Highlighting that only eight inspectors oversee over 500 training schools, she points out that this shortage of qualified personnel limits the ministry’s ability to conduct effective inspections, often resulting in mere document checks.
Vaugeois proposes extending the training duration for truck drivers, a suggestion supported by experienced drivers and the organization Truckers for Safer Highways. This organization criticizes the current training length as too short. Its founder, Travis McDougall, expresses concern about drivers lacking essential skills, impacting their road performance.
In response, Vaugeois is drafting a bill to enhance the monitoring of training schools. Concurrently, she urges the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to increase staffing at inspection stations to identify and report dangerous or overloaded vehicles, aiming to improve road safety and prevent future accidents.
