A Canadian province is cracking down on driver training schools and trucking companies in an effort to improve safety and eliminate bad actors from the trucking industry.
On Friday, Oct. 3, the government of Alberta announced sweeping enforcement action against a number of truck driver training schools, as well as multiple trucking companies operating in the province.
Officials said those actions included ordering the closure of five driver training schools. In addition, the provincial government issued 39 disciplinary letters, more than $100,000 in administrative penalties and six corrective action plans. It also revoked 12 instructor licenses and sent four warning letters to driver examiners.
As for carriers, 13 trucking companies were removed from the province’s roadways for “poor on-road performance, unsafe equipment or failure to meet mandatory safety standards.”
The moves are part of a broader effort to increase safety in the trucking industry by “applying vigilant oversight of driver training schools and carriers through inspections, audits and targeted investigations.”
Officials said the province is working with federal and local partners to increase enforcement actions against bad actors, including chameleon carriers. Seven of the trucking companies removed from roadways received this identification.
“Our families’ safety won’t be put at risk by reckless operators who ignore the rules. Anyone cutting corners or operating unsafe trucks will be removed from our roads,” Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s minister of transportation and economic corridors, said in a statement. “Alberta truckers have earned a reputation as some of the most trusted drivers in the country, and we will not allow a few bad actors to undermine that trust.”
The enforcement action is the latest effort by the government of Alberta to improve safety in the trucking industry. In April, the province launched the Class 1 Learning Pathway, establishing training standards it said are “well above” those created by the national Mandatory Entry Level Training Minimum. LL
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