Truckers’ knowledge of braking system ‘an issue,’ say some industry experts

When it comes to road safety, the number one thing drivers must be able to do in any vehicle is stop it. Yet, most tractor trailers are taken off the road for brake violations. Industry professionals told CityNews it highlights a need for improved air brake training and testing standards.

In Ontario, almost all large commercial vehicles are equipped with an air brake system and drivers must have what’s known as a “Z” endorsement on their licence.

To obtain the required endorsement, drivers must pass additional tests at a DriveTest centre, or attend a two-day air brake course from a carrier, school or safety organization – some of which have authority from the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to sign off on, without ever having a third-party test their students.

John Beaudry, whose truck driving school trains hundreds of students every year at more than a dozen locations across Ontario, thinks it’s something that needs to be looked at.

“The air brake endorsement course is a great course, but there’s a lot of information condensed into a short period of time,” Beaudry said. “It’s like drinking from a firehose. It’s too much, you can’t properly process it.”

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Kim Richardson has heard some real horror stories in his more than 30 years in the truck training business.

“We had a student that [paid for] a 12-hour program and told us right out that he was there for an hour and a half, two hours, and still got his certificate,” Richardson said.

Beaudry argued it’s a loophole that could be closed by mandating all students to have their knowledge tested against a third party.

“If everybody was to present themselves at DriveTest for a test, everybody’s going to have to learn how to operate their air brakes. There’s just no way around it.”

Figures from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, which conducts roadside inspections alongside the MTO and OPP, show 38 per cent of trucks failed in a Canada-wide blitz last year because of brake-related violations. The data is not broken down by province.

But Jim Campbell with the Ontario Truck Driving School contends the problem is not with signing privileges, which it has, but a lack of ministry oversight to ensure signing authorities are pumping out students properly.

“I audit each and every course, so I can safely say that my signing authorities are doing a very good job,” he told CityNews.

Campbell admits he can’t say for certain if every school upholds the standards set by the ministry.

“How many inspections can MTO possibly do?” Campbell said. “[The MTO] trusts the schools … they’re hoping the schools can monitor themselves to prove that the system works. But again, they don’t have the manpower to oversee it as closely as they’d like to.”

Ontario considering changes to how drivers renew their air brake endorsement

Every five years drivers must pass a knowledge test taken at a DriveTest Centre to maintain the air brake endorsement on their licence.

Now Ontario is considering introducing online learning modules in a phased approach. The proposal would eventually allow all air brake endorsement holders to complete the learning modules at home, as an alternative to the renewal knowledge test.

While organizations like the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) are in favour, others like the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC) are not.

“You can print off proof that you did the learning module, take it to the DriveTest Centre with you and you’ll get your Z back,” PMTC President Mike Millian told CityNews.

“Adding the learning modules, I have no issue with. Removing verification that you have that knowledge, I have a major issue with.”

The OTA said in a statement it heard from drivers and carriers throughout 2022 that the requirement to renew the air brake endorsement through a knowledge test needed to be reviewed.

“The proposed change will reduce the burden for drivers,” the statement read.

However, the PMTC said that argument doesn’t hold water.

“The driver is still going to be required to go to DriveTest to renew their license and do the written test if they have any other commercial class of license,” the PMTC commented on the regulatory posting.

“With many of our members holding all classes of commercial licenses, we feel if you are unable to pass the basic requirements of a knowledge test, we really don’t believe you should be on our highways.”

It continued it believes removing the renewal knowledge test “has the real opportunity of reducing drivers’ knowledge of the air brake system and reducing safety on our roadways.”

Comments on the province’s proposal are open until March 16.