Kamloops Chamber calls for mandatory truck driver training across province

KAMLOOPS – The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce wants to see mandatory truck driver training in B.C. and they're calling on the province to make that happen.

The chamber says in a media release they are continuing to urge the provincial government to set requirements for entry-level truck driver training in B.C.  

The chamber’s recommendations include:

•  Create a minimum standard for accreditation of commercial driving programs based on the national occupational standard
•  Require mandatory graduation from an accredited commercial driving program in order to qualify to take the exam for the professional driver licence
•  Amend the graduated licence program to allow graduates of the accredited commercial driving program to obtain their Class License 1 or 3 upon graduation (as early as age 18)
•  Amend the national occupational stand to move professional driving from a Class C to Class B.

“There has never been a better opportunity to help the trucking industry obtain the skilled professional truck drivers it needs and improve public safety at the same time,” Chamber president Joshua Knaak says in the media release. "By 2020, the Conference Board of Canada expects the industry will need between 25,000-33,000 new truck drivers. Let’s put more skilled drivers on the road through mandatory training.”

B.C. Trucking Association president Dave Earle also agrees there needs to be better training for entry-level truck drivers. The association has been advocating for a mandatory curriculum to increase road safety across all B.C. highways.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Karen Edwards or call (250) 819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.