Ontario Truck Driver Training Audit Exposes Major Safety Gaps

Why It Matters Ontario's commercial truck driver training system has critical oversight failures that put highway safety at risk. Large trucks represent only 3% of vehicles on Ontario roads but are involved in 12% of fatal crashes, making proper training essential. Key Findings An auditor general report released in May 2025 uncovered widespread compliance problems. Undercover investigators found two truck driving schools provided just 59.5 and 81 hours of training when Ontario requires a minimum of 103.5 hours. Some students never learned critical skills like left turns at major intersections, reverse parking, and emergency stopping. Inspection Failures Regulators failed to inspect 54 of 216 registered private career colleges offering Entry Level Training certificates. More than half of schools due for reinspection had not been checked. The audit also found six unregistered schools that had been previously penalized were still booking road tests as of June 2025. Additional Concerns Investigators discovered falsified student records and missing documentation proving students completed required instruction. Testing procedures also fell short, with some DriveTest centers using lower-speed expressways instead of proper highway conditions. Next Steps The report criticized poor coordination between Ontario's Ministry of Colleges and the Ministry of Transportation, noting inspection results were not routinely shared between agencies.