Planned changes aimed at improving the training and qualification standards for commercial truck drivers in the province is welcome news for all road users.
Whether the changes will lead to safer highways and roadways in rural Alberta remains to be seen. What is known is that with more and more trucks on the roads these days, there is an obvious need to make sure drivers are not endangering themselves or others.
The province is implementing mandatory entry-level training for new Class 1 and Class 2 commercial drivers starting early in 2019.
As well as the mandatory training, tougher safety requirements for new commercial truck and bus companies will also be put in place.
For his part, Transportation Minister Brian Mason says improving commercial trucking safety is something truckers themselves want and something that should benefit all Albertans in the long term.
“We’ve worked with our industry stakeholders to make these changes with their support and we are pleased to be moving forward to put them in place,” said Mason.
“We are advancing safety standards in our commercial driving industries to enhance road safety, not only in Alberta, but across the continent, as commercial drivers travel across Canada and North America.”
The changes being put in place in the spring will include having a standardized curriculum taught in all driver training schools, specified hours of training required in-class, in-yard and in-vehicle, the introduction of enhanced road tests, and a requirement that safety fitness certificates be renewed every three years.
As well, driver instructors and examiners will be retrained and retested to deliver and test the new curriculum.
As the April 2108 Humboldt bus tragedy showed, collisions involving larger transport vehicles can sometimes cause death and injury to large groups of people in an instant.
No question, up-to-date and comprehensive driver training, along with proper maintenance of vehicles, are key to ensuring that collisions are avoided and prevented.
As such, these changes announced last week are welcome news for all Alberta motorists and passengers.
- Singleton is the Mountain View Gazette editor
