As of Friday the new mandatory standardized training requirements for commercial semi drivers will be in effect.  Although many thought these changes came about because of the tragic Humboldt Broncos collision with a semi, Minister Responsible for SGI, Joe Hargrave says the work began in 2017 to improve the standards for training of commercial semi drivers.

For a Class 1 licence, drivers need a minimum standardized 121.5 hours of training. There is also a 12-month safety monitoring program, which began last December, for all new semi drivers. It used to be that Class 1 road tests could be done at certain accredited training schools, but now they will be done by SGI examiners only. Existing Class 1 drivers are grandfathered in and farmers who drive a semi will need to pass the same tests to get an “F” endorsement on their driver’s licence.