We are well into 2026 and there is hope for our economy to start to correct, but who knows when. Enrollments are well off the pace we have become accustomed to, and the results at DriveTest bear that out.
The recent numbers given to us at our last meeting with SERCO illustrate the drop off at the Test Centers. Compared to the number of students testing for their AZ last January to this January, the downturn is 36%. That is pretty dramatic when compared to the numbers we had subsequent to Covid.
We are still working as stakeholders to MTO to shape the new Entry Level Training structure, and how that will be formed. So far, we have established that the G level license must be held for 12 months, in either a combination of G2-G, or simply G, in order to gain experience in winter driving.
It also circumvents the new driver gaining a G license and 5 weeks later entering an AZ course to become a tractor-trailer driver. This is a positive step for road safety!
Truck World comes back to Toronto from April 18-20. We will have a few of our schools participating, namely OTDS and OTTA, and there might be a couple of others. I will be on a panel called GreenTech which will cover tech in training, and many other advancements.
Watch for a survey to come that covers the basics of what we do at the school level to report our KPIs, how we deliver technology, and other items to facilitate success for the students and for the schools.
I must assert that we have lost schools in the past 4 months for various reasons, but the most common is they are no longer in business. This highlights the fact that it is still a very, very competitive business with many of the rogue schools still finding ways to attract students.
The other side of the coin is the lack of hiring that carriers are doing these days, especially with the brand new driver. The industry is still in the mindset of having a 2 -3 year experience level for hires, but if the training experience was less than required to begin with, you don’t know what you are getting.
Continue to use TTSAO standards to provide job-ready, professionally trained drivers, who are safe, reliable and compliant. Better, safer roads are in our path.
There is a bright future for the Association now if we take the right steps!!
Phil Fletcher
President
Phil has served for more than 5 years both on the TTSAO Board and as President. Phil is a Former Board member of the Private Motor Truck Council,
Currently on the Advisory Panel of the Smart Freight Center, U of T Board member of the Hamilton Transportation Club