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Updated: Saskatchewan backtracks on training stance. REGINA, Sask. – Days after announcing plans for mandatory entry-level truck driver training, SGI’s Auto Fund Division has issued a second memo that backtracks from the stance. “We would like to clarify that no decision has been made regarding Class 1 training,” writes Kwei Quaye, vice-president, traffic safety, driver and support services, in a document dated Friday. “To be clear, mandatory Class 1 training is an option that has not been ruled out. Along with the government of Saskatchewan, we continue to work with the industry and other stakeholders to determine the exact content of the new curriculum, including the number of hours of training.” The reversed position surprised industry representatives including Susan Ewart, executive director of the Saskatchewan Trucking Association. In the original memo to the province’s driving instructors, SGI’s auto funds division announced plans to require a minimum of 70 hours of training before securing a licence. A plan to be in place no later than 2019 was to be implemented “shortly thereafter”. “As you know, a lot has been in the media following the Humboldt tragedy and there is a spotlight on Class 1 testing and Class 1 driver training and that’s OK,” it said at the time. “Mandatory means just that: a driver will no longer be able to challenge the road test to become a Class 1 driver unless they have completed the mandatory training at a recognized school first.” Driver training standards had been brought into the spotlight following an April 6 truck and bus collision in Humboldt, Sask., that killed 16. Alberta and Manitoba are also said to be exploring the training approach. Only Ontario mandates entry-level truck driver training, at a minimum of 103.5 hours. SGI has been working on a standardized curriculum for Class 1 training schools since July 2017. But the earlier memo had been the first to suggest mandated training. The 70-hour limit itself had been proposed by regulators in the context of upgraded curriculum, Ewart says. “It wasn’t something the trucking association said, ‘Hey, let’s start here.’” If anything, the 70 hours was seen by the industry group as falling short. That 70 hours of training included 18 hours in a classroom, but the Saskatchewan Trucking Association had proposed 37.5 hours of classroom training, she said as an example. “Even if they do take driver training from a driver training school, they’re still not coming out with an understanding of how to be a professional truck driver,” Ewart explains, referring to knowledge needed around issues such as weights and dimensions and hours of service. But the 70 hours was still seen as a step in the right direction, she says. “We’d been receiving a lot of questions and inquiries from driver instructors and driving schools regarding the discussion that’s been happening in the media,” said Tyler McMurchy, manager of media relations for Saskatchewan Government Insurance, referring to how the original memo came about. But the internal bulletin to driver development areas “was not clearly written”, he added, suggesting it was “interpreted in a way that anybody could have.” “There is going to be something stronger put in place, but exactly what that will look like has not been determined yet,” he said. “Mandatory training has not been ruled out, but it’s just that the decisions haven’t been made yet. We do intend to have something different in place in early 2019.” “Even the number of hours has not been determined yet,” McMurchy adds. “Seventy [hours] is something we had been looking at. It may have been something different.” “The work SGI was already doing suggested that the training will consist of classroom hours, hard hours (where a driver is learning about the rig and how to inspect it), and then behind-the-wheel hours with practical hands-on driving,” Quaye writes of SGI’s current position. “The written, pre-trip, and road tests would be updated to reflect the enhanced curriculum once it’s developed.” Representatives of the Alberta Motor Transport Association, Manitoba Trucking Association, and Saskatchewan Trucking Associations will be discussing the issue in a call scheduled for today, Ewart says. See the full article by John G. Smith of Today’s Trucking at: https://www.todaystrucking.com/saskatchewan-backtracks-training-stance/

Manitoba looking at standardized commercial driver training. WINNIPEG, Man. – The Manitoba government announced that it is consulting on the implementation of a standardized system of training and certification for commercial drivers. “Our first priority is public safety on roadways and that is why we are announcing that we have started work across government to consider how a standardized system could work for the trucking industry,” said Minister of Infrastructure Ron Schuler. “This is something the trucking industry has asked for and we want to work together in a collaborative way to see how this would work in Manitoba.” The effort includes collaboration between Manitoba Infrastructure, Education and Training, and Public Insurance. Terry Shaw, executive director of the Manitoba Trucking Association, tweeted that he is looking forward to working with the government on the entry level driver training standard, and that “a very good first step was taken today.” Current training in the province must be to the current National Occupational Standard, but there is no requirement for new drivers in Manitoba to access the training. “It is clear that Manitoba needs to start this work to ensure that all provinces are moving together on a standardized system of training,” Schuler said. “This work is beginning immediately and we hope to move forward with a plan of action as soon as possible.” Read the full article from TruckNews.com at https://www.trucknews.com/regulations/manitoba-looking-standardized-commercial-driver-training/1003085447/

Dealing with the messiness of the human condition. As a truck driver, you may wake some mornings to blinding sunshine under brilliant blue skies but you may end the day in a blinding snowstorm unable to see more than a few truck lengths in front of you. On some days, you may be straight-lining across the country and on others, you may be doing multiple pickups and deliveries. At the same time, you may be feeling healthy and happy, or you may feel under the weather and blue. You may have to alternate between working a late shift and working an early shift at the drop of a hat in order to accommodate dock appointments, which in turn challenge your ability to manage your time and compliance with laws governing when and how long you can work each day. There is truth in the truck driver’s axiom: “If you think you’ve seen it all and learned it all, then it’s time to hang up the keys.” Truck driving is a profession in which you will experience a new twist on the same practice, day, after day, after day. Some drivers, such as me, are fortunate enough to have had a good mentor in the first six to 12 months of their career. Many drivers receive much less in the way of mentorship. For the most part, we are left to our own devices. We are our own teachers, learning on the fly, sifting through the truck stop wisdom of our peers as we grow in the job. Experience on the job is the ultimate teacher, but for some it comes at a high cost in the form of fines for infractions, or worse, collisions. The basic skills of the job are picked up quickly but it’s adapting to the “lifestyle” of the profession, maintaining a mindset of curiosity and commitment, and operating with integrity every day. That is the real challenge. Unlike most workplaces there is no supervisor, manager, or experienced lead hand to watch over you and prevent you from taking a misstep that may be catastrophic. In the past, organic growth within smaller carriers provided a failsafe in this regard. Training may not have been formalized, but there was a natural state of mentorship within the smaller family-owned businesses. That still exists today, but continues to shrink as mega-carriers grow through acquisitions, gobbling up the smaller fish in the pond. Take a look at how the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) views the use of electronic logging devices (ELDs) as it request its carrier members to lobby provincial transport ministries in support of the recent Transport Canada mandate to implement ELDs. This appeared in the CTA’s newsletter under the title, Let’s get ELDs on trucks across Canada soon! “The long-awaited announcement will lead to a decrease in fatigue and distraction related collisions and violations. Experience shows they also make drivers happier, safer and dramatically reduce supply chain demands to push the limits of compliance.” If drivers are happier and safer as a result of using ELDs, it is a direct result of the individual drivers and their commitment to learning and skills development as they adapt new tools to the challenges they face every day. As far as improving safety by reducing “supply chain demands” that “push the limits of compliance,” let’s just say it was jaw dropping for me to see that in print. In other words, it removes the ability of the system to download inefficiencies to the driver where they have been absorbed at a high human cost in terms of health and well-being for years. There remains a lack of insight on the part of the trucking lobby to the complexity of the challenges drivers face day in and day out. Legislation for ELDs, speed limiters, sleep disorders, and drug testing is far easier to implement than dealing with the messiness of the human condition. That’s where safety resides. That’s where efforts should be focused. See the full article by Al Goodhall of TruckNews.com at: https://www.trucknews.com/features/dealing-messiness-human-condition/

Nearly half of drivers report exceeding HoS to find parking. MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — There’s no doubt about it – North America has a truck parking problem. With the introduction of mandatory electronic logging devices (ELD) in the U.S. last December the issue has become critical. Speaking about the issue to Truck World audiences, researcher Philip Bigelow said recent surveys show up to 49% of drivers report exceeding their hours of service (HoS) in order to find parking. While HoS regulations didn’t change when ELDs became mandatory, the use of the devices has made it easier for law enforcement officials to spot those not following the rules, putting more pressure on drivers to find parking before their hard stop time each day. “Guess what, you can’t ignore it anymore… there’s going to be no way out,” Bigelow said. Drivers reported wasting 30 to 60 minutes a day looking for parking, something that not only affects HoS but also sucks up productive hours, eating away at the bottom line. While ELDs have brought a new focus to the issue, Bigelow says the problems with parking are hardly new. Transport Canada conducted surveys and an environmental review nearly a decade ago in 2009 showing the need for more truck parking in Canada. The report included recommendations and strategies for fixing the issue. Additional surveys nearly 20 years ago showed drivers struggling with availability of safe spots to stop, with 50% of drivers reporting trouble finding parking. Those numbers rose to 80% in 2015. The increase in available parking isn’t just a financial or regulatory one. Bigelow says truck drivers – already one of the least health occupations – need breaks to avoid fatigue and sleep issues, and to increase the opportunity to get adequate food and exercise. Having to search for parking, or having to stop in unsafe spaces, leaves drivers open to more health problems. Bigelow says the way to solve the truck parking problem is to involve governments, fleets, drivers, private rest stop organizations, and other stakeholders in ongoing conversations about the issue. Bigelow urged drivers from across Canada and the U.S. to continue to participate in surveys so researchers and governments get an accurate picture of the parking situation. Read the full article by Elizabeth Bate from Today’s Trucking at: https://www.todaystrucking.com/nearly-half-drivers-report-exceeding-hos-find-parking/