Some GTA Testing Centres Open As DriveTest Strike Continues

As expected, striking driving examiners rejected a recent offer from their employer, but a handful of testing centres across the province, including two in the GTA, will offer road tests for commercial classified licences despite the job action.

The United Steelworkers Union Local 9511 urged its members to shoot down the latest offer from DriveTest, and after voting this week, 78 per cent of the nearly 600 workers rejected the proposal.

The job action is now in its 11th week, leaving a backlog of 300,000 tests and re-certifications.

Paul Dalglish, managing director of DriveTest, said two testing centres in the GTA will open Thursday staffed by existing managers. One is in Brampton and the other in Toronto (see location details below).

Four other testing centres in Ottawa, Kitchener, North Bay and Thunder Bay will also open their doors.

Service at these sites is limited to drivers who need their licences for employment or who’ve registered for driver training. Here’s what DriveTest will be offering during the strike:

• Written tests for all classes of licence,
• Road tests for commercial classified licences only, and
• Out-of-province and out-of-country licence exchanges.

DriveTest won’t be conducting G2, G or D1 licence road tests.

The local union chief said striking workers will do their best to stop employees from entering test centres. Job security and seniority issues continue to be a sticking point.

“We are very disappointed that our employees voted to reject our offer”, Dalglish said in a statement Thursday. “We would be keen to get back to the bargaining table if we thought the USW was serious about trying to reach an agreement.  However, the last time they presented a response to our offer it included at least 10 brand new demands.  That’s not the way good faith bargaining is supposed to work.”

The Truck Training Schools Association organized a protest earlier this month at Queen’s Park, demanding an end to the strike.

Trucking and driving schools have been hit hard by the job action and are scrambling to stay afloat amid low enrollment numbers and sagging profits.

This strike doesn’t affect people who need to renew their licence without a test.

For more information on Drive Test services during the strike, click here.

Here’s a look at the two GTA DriveTest locations:

Toronto, Port Union
The Village of Abbey Lane Shopping Centre
91 Rylander Blvd., Unit #109A
Scarborough

Brampton
59 First Gulf Blvd, Unit #9
Brampton