Ontario Plans a Standard Curriculum for New Truck Drivers

In September 2026, Ontario announced it would create a standardized entry-level training curriculum for new truck drivers. Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria made the announcement in King City on September 21, 2026.

What the curriculum would require

Under the plan, every organization in Ontario that offers truck driver training would have to follow the same entry-level curriculum. The province said it would include more than 103 hours of training for anyone applying for a Class A licence, the licence needed to drive a tractor-trailer.

Ontario said it was considering adding these subjects:

• fatigue management;
• northern, rural and remote driving;
• human trafficking awareness;
• new mandatory air brake training.

The province said it would spend the coming months developing the curriculum with industry, training providers and other experts. It expected implementation to begin early in 2027.

The auditor general's findings

Ontario said the curriculum aligned with recommendations from an Auditor General report calling for stronger training standards for commercial drivers. The Canadian Press reported that Sarkaria tied the program to a special report released in the spring by Auditor General Shelley Spence.

According to the Canadian Press, Spence sent undercover investigators to two private career colleges offering the training, and both fell short of the 103.5 training hours required to graduate. Some students had not been taught basics such as left turns at major intersections, emergency stopping or reverse parking. Spence also found the province had never inspected 54 of the 216 career colleges offering the training. The province accepted her recommendations and launched a blitz of all career colleges.

Earlier measures

The province listed steps it had already taken on commercial vehicle safety:

• requiring commercial drivers to document their eligibility to work in Canada;
• appointing a dedicated integrity manager for truck driver testing, with supervisor spot checks and weekly reviews of training schools;
• tabling legislation for tougher penalties for distracted driving in commercial vehicles and for driving a commercial vehicle without a working speed limiter;
• a mandatory six-month wait, starting January 1, 2027, before Class G or higher licence holders can take a Class A road test.

Ontario also noted that drivers from jurisdictions without a reciprocal licensing agreement had to pass a G2 road test and then a G road test at least 12 months later to become fully licensed.

For northern Ontario, the province said it was adding Transportation Enforcement Officers, expanding enforcement blitzes on the Highway 11/17 corridor, deploying two mobile inspection support units and upgrading northern rest areas to provide more year-round truck parking.

Industry reaction

Training and carrier groups quoted by the province backed the change. Ken Adams, chairman of the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario, said: "Quality training saves lives." The Ontario Commercial Truck Training Association and the Canada Truck Operators Association also welcomed the curriculum.

Archive: this article describes rules and events as of September 2026. Regulations may have changed since, so check the current rule before relying on it.