It’s pretty flat in Ontario’s trucking heartland, but it appears that some truck driving schools in the area are quickly sliding down a slippery slope to the murky bottom of shoddy training. And while doing so, they are putting lives in danger.
A not so shining example of the situation plaguing the Peel Region – comprising Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon – was on display recently.
Peel Regional Police’s Road Safety Services officers pulled a trucking school’s vehicle in for an inspection on Dec. 15. “Many issues were found,” a social media post from the police said.
Police provided a list that was long and scary. Air tank bracket broken. Tires worn beyond limit. Front tires making contact with air lines. Numerous audible air leaks.
Police charged both the school and driver, and removed plates from the tractor and trailer. Good riddance! A menace is off the roads, how many more to go?
In my mind, the pre-trip inspection at the school’s yard (if they have one, most likely not) or along the side of a quiet side street must have gone like this.
Where is the pre-trip inspection training?
“All parts are secure. I can see no damage on the tires, and can hear no audible air leaks,” the student parroted from memory while blankly staring at the vehicle that is not road-worthy.
“Don’t worry about all this, just focus on passing the driving test,” the driving instructor, who probably is also the owner/manager/mechanic of the school, likely told the student.
Schools are witnessing a steep drop in enrolments and fees as competition to attract a dwindling number of students has grown increasingly fierce.
After the federal government announced curbs on international student numbers a couple of months ago, some schools say enrolment has plummeted 40-60%.
And more alarming, many of the scores of schools in the area are reducing fees in a desperate bid to sign up the few aspiring truckers available.
MELT offered for $3,000
There are signs offering mandatory entry-level training (MELT) for $3,500. An online Black Friday MELT deal was available for $3,000.
Owners of schools that offer proper training have been pouring personal funds into their businesses as they struggle to stay open. Some have slashed rates to the bare minimum while cutting down on trainers, trucks and locations.
They say students only want to know how much they charge and how long will it take. There are no questions about quality of training, safety or reputation. They also shared stories of students approaching them after failing multiple road tests while enrolled at low-cost schools.
There is talk about some schools that are skimping on the in-class training or abandoning it altogether. And some students only get a few stints behind the wheel before being sent for a road test.
Philip Fletcher, president of the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario said fly-by-night schools are cutting corners and training time. He noted that on average, one-on-one training in a truck cost $120 an hour. MELT mandates 32 hours of on-road training, meaning it would cost a school $3,840 per student.
Since some schools are charging students between $3,000 and $3,500, the numbers don’t add up. But the truck that was pulled over for inspection shows how some are managing to operate while dropping their fees.
They are not concerned about road safety or maintaining their equipment. These greedy people are focused on making money while other road users be damned.
These schools operate in crowded urban areas, trundling through intersections and streets filled with pedestrians, including schoolchildren. A faulty braking system and worn tires, especially during winter, is a disaster waiting to happen.
Maybe pedestrians should be trained to pay attention to audible air leaks as they walk down a street. The way things are going, the training could save their lives.
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