Did we get any information about the Humboldt crisis in Saskatchewan just over two years ago?We must have, but to be honest, it’s not obvious without delay.owner – and scratched truck injuries at night.And given our collective history of saying nothing about road protection at all, I think that’s what we have.
With Quebec’s driving force assessment and education formula working well, it is clear that the other provinces have been left to act constructively on their own. Amid massive public outcry, the federal government has promised change, but other than urging the provincial government to be difficult with education and licensing, there is little they can do. The provinces have chosen to stick to Ontario’s leadership with versions of the program called MELT (Mandatory Entry Level Training) as Humboldt’s number one reaction. I will pay Ontario three times for its launch in 2017, however it is a minimal population and is only intended to achieve some consistency in schools of education across the province. It is not a comprehensive education program and I don’t know who thinks it is vague enough. Certainly not in reaction to a twist of fate that killed 16 people. Also, not all provinces have yet submitted a MELT variant that works in their jurisdiction. Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta all established a more popular average hours of education than others, but there was still no genuine bite.
We’re still waiting for B.C.’s response, and in some respects it’s the maximum because it faces the maximum rugged terrain in the country.
Unfortunately, the implicit assumption of the MELT is that fleets that lease new driving forces will continue to exercise them on site.It is intelligent if those driving forces end up with fleets giant enough to have the resources to continue exercising and monitoring progress., not everyone does. It is another can of tuna if the new driving force faces a small fleet.Humboldt’s guilty driving force is the component of a working two-truck operation and obviously there is no culture of protection there, let alone any non-stop exercise.
I think of my favorite fleet of all, even if it’s mythical: a husband-and-wife truck loading operation in Brandon, Manitoba, with 2 five tractors.Both lead at times, you can notice that they manage shipments and margins are low.His instincts are smart, his skills are genuine, but the chances of them running five times with beginners are slim. Their solution is not to rent eco-friendly drivers at all, and their local reputation is smart enough that they don’t have trouble attracting decent drivers.fleets that have compatibility with that description, but not most small carriers.So what’s the point of the new pilot there?
Nothing good, it’s the answer, so what do we do?
I still see no other option to create a serious and compulsory education that goes far beyond melt and its 120 hours of education, of which only about fifty on the way.In fact, such a course was developed years ago – too long and expensive, they all agreed, and then some other variant on the same subject, shorter but even expensive.The industry wouldn’t buy it, and potential drivers may just not, so that’s where we are.Of course, some kind of government intervention is necessary.
Unfortunately, I don’t see this going to go away any time soon, so in the meantime, we want provinces to understand the checks written for a Class A/1 license.They’re incredibly simple as they are. Do the same with driving controls: it requires more than a circular mix, it complicates things the way Europeans do.Well, wouldn’t it make sense for driver’s control examiners to know how to drive a truck?
Rolf Lockwood is executive editor of Today’s Trucking and a Trucknews.com contributor.
We will publish or outsource your data
Stay up-to-date on technology and truck life