Members of Ontario’s trucking industry say they understand why Quebec will require inexperienced drivers from Ontario to take practical exams, citing concerns over insufficient training.
“I don’t blame them. It’s unfortunate,” said Gus Rahim, president of Ontario Truck Driving School.
Some schools that offer training in Ontario — the first province to introduce mandatory entry-level training for truckers — have been found by Ontario’s auditor general to be cutting corners, and Rahim says that’s been a serious concern for the reputation of all schools and for road safety.
“The program is fine as long as it’s delivered properly,” said Rahim. “We’re starting to see so many schools pop up, they have no interest in safety … They’re they’re in it for the money.”
Under Quebec’s new measures, Ontario truck drivers with less than two years of experience will have to take practical exams to work in Quebec or exchange their Ontario license for a Class 1 heavy vehicle driver’s licence. Those who fail two times will be required to complete training.
Quebec requires new truck drivers from Ontario to take an exam
Quebec to hold public inquiry into trucking-related road deaths
In a news release Thursday, Quebec’s automobile insurance board said the measure follows a May report by Ontario’s auditor general about commercial driver’s licences, which highlighted the need to strengthen the oversight of training and licensing programs.
It also comes after several collisions in Quebec involving commercial trucks. That includes a crash in Boucherville last year that killed a 34-year-old mother and her five-year-old son, prompting Quebec’s chief coroner to order a public inquiry into deaths caused by freight trucks.
Auditor General Shelley Spence said Ontario’s transportation and colleges ministers accepted the recommendations in her report and are in the process of implementing them. Her office will review their progress in 2028.
“This is something that everybody in Ontario that’s ever in a car really does care about,” she said. “If they go through those measures and strengthen things, then they’ll be in good shape.”
Are Ontario’s truck drivers getting enough training? Ontario’s auditor general says no
The auditor sent undercover students to six training providers last year. Two private career colleges didn’t deliver the minimum required training hours, while two of the students weren’t taught key elements like reverse parking, emergency stopping and how to make left turns at major intersections, her report found.
Undercover truck driving students weren’t taught key maneuvers at private colleges: Ontario’s auditor general
Ontario to inspect all career colleges offering truck driving within 6 weeks, following scathing audit
The Ontario government said earlier this year it was reviewing all the province’s career colleges that offer commercial truck driver training. Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria has said the province has a zero tolerance policy for any bad actors that do not follow training standards.
“Ontario’s testing and training system is rigorous and ensures drivers have the skills, experience, and knowledge needed to keep our roads safe,” Transportation Ministry spokesperson Zareen Hossain said in an email Thursday.
“We are continuing to take action to protect Ontario’s roads, strengthen the trucking sector, and hold unsafe and non-compliant operators accountable.”
The auditor’s report found the ministry’s inspection regime was lacking and, as of March 2025, had never inspected 54 of the 216 registered private career colleges offering entry-level commercial truck training. Sarkaria has said many of the problems Spence outlined have been addressed, including issues regarding several career colleges.
Shelley Walker, the CEO of the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada, based in Mallorytown, Ont., said drivers want to see more accountability and enforcement around proper training.
“More people dying on our roadways, that’s the big concern. And it’s a big concern for most of the drivers you talk to,” she said. Canada should consider national standards, she said.
“What we need is a national database. Down in the U.S., they have the SAFER system,” Walker said.
“Anybody can type in the name of a company and find out information about them, their safety scores, how many trucks they have, how many trailers they have, violation reports — that needs to be made public.”
CBC News has contacted Transport Canada for comment. This story will be updated with any response.
Hidden camera, internal memo reveal how unqualified truck drivers are getting onto Canada’s roads
Until now, for heavy-duty truck drivers moving to Quebec, the transfer of their licences was automatic, with no additional questions asked about the quality of the training they received, Quebec Transport Minister Benoit Charette said.
The changes are temporary, Beniot told Radio-Canada’s Tout Un Matin Thursday. As Ontario puts new measures in place to train truck drivers, Quebec will examine how they impact road safety in that province, he said.
