Employment
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From the
Driver’s Seat By: Carl McBride carl@ woodwardpublishing.com
AZ Testing
46 March 2013
G
etting an AZ drivers license to run a transport truck in Canada has often been a point of discussion and jokes. If you fail your driver’s test in British Columbia, just come to Ontario and get one. If you are 65 years old in Ontario, just go to Manitoba and get your license. This month the questions asked at the 10 Acres Fuel Stop in Belleville, Ontario are: Should there be a standardized drivers test for AZ licensing in all provinces of Canada and should all driver testers in Canada be required to have an AZ commercial license?
T r av i s L a m b e r t drives for C.A.T. based in Napanee, Ontario. “Both your questions are very easy to answer. Standardized driver tests for a commercial license should be the same in every province in Canada. As far as driving testers are concerned, it should be the law that a tester be in possession of a commercial driver’s license and it should always be up-to-date at all times.”
J a s o n R o s e drives for Denis Rose Jr. Transport based in Lancaster, Ontario. “I work on the highways of Ontario with drivers from all over the country. Yes, we should all have to go through the same standardized test right across Canada. We must start improving the quality of drivers in Canada.”
C l au d e B e r g e r o n drives for the Montrealbased Quality Carriers. “The quality of the trucking industry is getting progressively worse. Yes, standardized driver testing would be a great start. The industry needs to improve the quality of drivers on our highways, coast to coast. In Quebec testing is very strict and this should be the same in every province. All road test personnel must have an AZ driver’s license. If a tester told me they did not have a commercial license, I would stop the test right there.”
Steve Larson drives for Farquhar Transport, part of Massey Wholesale Ltd. based in Massey, Ontario. “Most certainly we should demand the same drivers test in every province in Canada. Some of the AZ transport drivers on the highways don’t even know how to back a truck and trailer into a dock. If road tests are being done by people who don’t know how to drive a truck themselves, they should be fired. We need to have better quality drivers in our industry.” Let us know what you think. Contact me via email at carl@woodwardpublishing.com.
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