New trucking rules may hurt farms
Mandatory driver training raises concern around spring seeding
Alberta farm groups are asking the provincial government to extend the deadline for a new mandatory training program for truck drivers.
The standardized, entry-level training — created by the Alberta government in response to the horrific Humboldt Broncos bus crash last year — will be mandatory for new Class 1 and 2 commercial drivers as of March 1.
However, agriculture groups say the move will have unintended consequences for farmers who depend on seasonal labour. Much of this seasonal work requires a Class 1 licence and employees are hired and trained immediately before the spring planting season, John Guelly, chair of Alberta Canola, said in an interview.
“It’s going to put a heavy crunch on getting any new drivers trained in time for spring seeding,” Guelly said. “We understand the reason for the changes. We agree that there should be better training to make our roads safer. But I think we need a little bit of time to get this all sorted out.”
Guelly added he worries that the existing provincial shortage of skilled farm labour will be exacerbated by the new training rules, especially if the training programs are full or wait-listed.
“There just physically won’t be enough trainers to get the drivers up to speed in time,” he said. “A large chunk of our board members felt they are going to have issues this spring because of this. It’s causing a lot of concern.”
“These regulations will have an immediate impact on farms in the short-term if they don’t already have Class 1 drivers in place for this year,” said Dave Bishop, chair of Alberta Barley.
“Longer-term, we need to ensure there is appropriate training for the increasing number of farms that rely on Class 1 drivers and their ability to attract them to agriculture.”
The new training program includes a government-mandated number of training hours in-class, in-yard and in-vehicle for all tractor-trailer and bus drivers.
Along with the compulsory training, more stringent safety requirements will be in place to ensure new commercial trucking and bus companies meet compliance and safety standards before they begin operating on Alberta roads.
In an email, Alberta government spokesman John Archer said the new trucker training program is meant to enhance safety for everyone on the roads.
He added the scope and timelines for the program were developed after extensive public consultation, including with agriculture groups, last summer.
“Feedback from all stakeholders indicated that there should be no exemptions for any industry group,” Archer said.
He added the new training is not required for Class 1 or Class 2 drivers who have held their licence since before March 1, 2019, and only applies to drivers who have established residency in Alberta.
Ontario is currently the only other jurisdiction in Canada that has implemented similar legislation, though similar requirements will also be coming to Saskatchewan this year.