Language proficiency plays a critical role in road safety for commercial truck drivers. From reading traffic signs to communicating with law enforcement and shippers, ensuring that drivers can effectively understand and use English or French is essential for maintaining safety on Canada’s highways.
Current Language Standards for Truck Drivers
Canada does not have a national language proficiency requirement for commercial drivers, but licensing exams and work permit requirements vary by province. Some key benchmarks include:
Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB): Many immigration programs require commercial drivers to meet a minimum CLB 4 or 5, ensuring basic communication skills.
Multilingual Licensing Exams: Some provinces offer knowledge tests in multiple languages, allowing non-English/French speakers to obtain a commercial license.
Provincial Differences: Quebec mandates French proficiency, while provinces like Ontario and British Columbia allow exams in several languages but still emphasize English road signs and communication.
The Argument for Standardizing Language Requirements
Advocates for stricter language rules argue that all commercial driver knowledge tests should be in English or French to verify proficiency before drivers operate on public roads. Benefits of this approach include:
Improved Road Safety: Drivers must read signs, understand warnings, and follow complex regulations.
Clear Communication: In case of breakdowns, accidents, or law enforcement interactions, language barriers can slow response times and create risks.
Industry Standards Alignment: Many Canadian trucking employers already require English proficiency for hiring, so enforcing this nationally would create consistency.
Ensuring Secure Language Testing
To implement standardized CLB 6 proficiency testing and prevent cheating, Canada could adopt security measures used in other industries:
Biometric Verification: Require facial recognition or fingerprint scanning to confirm the test-taker’s identity.
AI-Powered Proctoring: Use automated monitoring systems to detect suspicious behavior during online testing.
Randomized Question Banks: Rotate large pools of test questions to prevent memorization and answer sharing.
Secure Testing Centers: Conduct exams at designated locations with trained proctors overseeing candidates.
Multi-Step Authentication: Ensure test-takers verify their identity using government-issued IDs before accessing exams.
A Call to Action: Strengthening Language Standards for Truck Drivers
As Canada continues to refine road safety and commercial driver training, it’s time to prioritize standardized language proficiency. A minimum CLB 6 benchmark and secure testing methods could enhance safety, ensuring all commercial drivers can effectively communicate, read road signs, and follow industry regulations.
Would you support a national CLB 6 language requirement for truck drivers? Let’s start the conversation and advocate for safer roadways.
For the past 20 years, Brian Patterson has been a steadfast advocate for road safety in Ontario. His dedication to reducing preventable deaths, injuries, and destruction on our roads through public education and safety awareness has made a significant impact. Brian’s strong advocacy with various governments and leaders has led to positive changes that benefit all Ontarians.
Many of us know Brian from his appearances on news, radio, and safety commercials. Who can forget Elmer the Safety Elephant, beloved by children? Today, the Ontario Safety League is recognized as one of North America’s leading traffic safety organizations, providing the general public with safety information and programs. The Ontario Safety League is a registered not-for-profit charity. Learn more about them at ontariosafetyleague.com
Last night, we had the honor of attending Brian’s retirement celebration. It was an amazing evening of sharing memories of a remarkable man and his many contributions to society. Brian, we will miss your strong voice. Over the years, his family so selflessly shared more of his time with his work and not them. Behind every successful man is an incredible woman. Lesley, thank you! Happy retirement, Brian, and good luck with that honey-do list.
Truck drivers are not unique to working alone. However, in most industries work alone in the same environment. Drivers work alone in multiple environments and face tough challenges keeping themselves safe. There are several areas of risk, including driving. For now, I will focus on when the truck is stopped. Over the road Safety starts with a good pre-trip. This is not news to any professional truck driver. However, breaking down increases your exposure to the unknown. It’s important to ensure your vehicle is in top shape to keep you rolling.
Should you find yourself on the side of the road, here are a few Safety Tips. Keep your Side boxes locked. Don’t leave the side door release latch accessible. If you are approached by a person, who you did not call for help, do not exit the vehicle. Lock your doors. For Back up, turn your phone on to record the conversation. If the vehicle stops ahead, take a photo of the person, vehicle and license plate. Close your bunk curtains as they approach. This will provide the illusion there is another person with you. Do not disclose what is wrong with the vehicle or any load information. Tell them help is arriving imminently. Carry a basic tool kit, waterproof flashlight Carry two days of food and water Keep a travel toilet in the truck for places where you feel unsafe to leave the truck. Keep your curtains closed to give the illusion of a co-driver Keep your cell phone fully charged and within reach in the bunk. Never walk between trailers. Take the long way around. Carry flip flops, always wear them in the showers If you are concerned about security while sleeping, tie the driver and passenger door together with a ratchet strap.
In the Yard – Truck Stops, Rest Areas, Customers First and foremost, be aware of your surroundings. That may sound simple, but for a truck driver, it’s not. There are a lot of blind spots where risks can lurk. Here are a few questions to help evaluate your risk: What are my surroundings? Is the yard secured, or is there a guard? Is the ground level? Is there a tripping risk? Are there people in the yard? Are they employees? Know your work alone policy. Send a note to dispatch when you arrive at the facility. And when you leave. Call the customer ahead of time, ask if it is safe to park onsite. Is there security, driver facilities?
What can Companies do to keep their drivers safe? Well-lit yards. Provide facilities that lock – ie bathroom, showers Work alone policy. Use a check in AP or company communication device. Have a road buddy to keep in touch with – check in regularly. Keep notes on customer facilities. Rate their driver safety for reference. Use an Emergency response phone APP for drivers. Provide PPE for the job.
Deborah Gee
Deborah Gee is a CITT (CCLP) and RPR certified professional. Experienced class 1 driver with LTL, FTL and Heavy Haul. Deborah is currently a regional recruiter for Trimac Transportation in Calgary, Alberta. Deborah has been involved with WTFC since it’s inception and is on the board of directors. You can reach her at dgee@trimac.com
Position Summary… This position is responsible for testing all applicants on their driving skills through a road test to ensure they have the skillset to operate our assets. They are also responsible for training all commercial vehicle drivers who operate Fleet equipment and necessary follow up and retraining. The incumbent must have a thorough understanding of Federal, Provincial and local safety laws to ensure the company complies with all current safety regulations.
What you’ll do…
Assist Safety and Compliance departments in educating drivers to current S.O.P.
Complete full cycle training from driver selection, regular in cab follow ups and retraining.
Facilitate in class training session ensuring our drivers are informed of all required training modules but also update on changing industry requirements.
Store / vendor site inspections/ assessments for Stores / Vendors and D.C yards to assist in problem solving for daily fleet operations long term and short term
Maintains employment related programs and procedures, including health &safety and housekeeping programs, in order to ensure compliance with the relevant legislation and company policy.
Champion a safety culture through regular driver communications and responsible for creating solid relationships with our driver base so they feel comfortable asking for support.
Responsible for training drivers on route specific lanes to ensure they have the necessary skills to complete the job safely (An example would be training drivers to deliver on harsh climates or through the mountains).
Accountable for completing the necessary training records to be compliant.
Aider l’équipe de santé et de sécurité et l’équipe de conformité à former les chauffeurs sur les procédures normales d’exploitation en vigueur.
Assurer le déroulement du cycle complet de formation, notamment la sélection des chauffeurs, les évaluations de suivi dans la cabine et la reprise de la formation.
Animer les séances de formation en classe visant à renseigner nos chauffeurs sur tous les modules de formation requis et à les tenir au fait des changements apportés aux exigences relatives au secteur de l’industrie.
Effectuer des inspections et des évaluations des succursales et des emplacements des fournisseurs et des cours des centres de distribution en vue de contribuer à la résolution des problèmes relatifs à l’exploitation quotidienne de la flotte à court et à long terme.
Tenir à jour les programmes et les marches à suivre liés à l’emploi, dont les programmes de santé et sécurité, d’entretien et culturels afin d’assurer le respect des lois et des directives de l’entreprise.
Promouvoir la culture de sécurité au moyen de communications périodiques avec les chauffeurs et veiller à établir des relations de travail solides avec nos chauffeurs de façon à ce qu’ils se sentent à l’aise de demander de l’assistance.
Donner la formation des chauffeurs sur des voies précises pour s’assurer qu’ils possèdent les aptitudes nécessaires pour effectuer le travail de façon sécuritaire (par exemple, vérifier l’aptitude des chauffeurs à conduire dans des conditions météorologiques difficiles ou dans des régions montagneuses).
Remplir les dossiers de formation requis de façon conforme.
Minimum Qualifications…
Outlined below are the required minimum qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no minimum qualifications. __
What I will discuss in this article are three things I pay close attention to when reviewing the application of a new driver: convictions, CVSA performance, and PSP report information. While these are not the only items I consider when hiring, they are all related to each other and make for good topics for those hiring drivers and for drivers to see what carriers may be looking at when hiring.
Convictions
Convictions are traffic offences where a driver has been found guilty. These are different from charges. For example, if you are pulled over for speeding by a police officer and the officer writes you a ticket, the officer has charged you by writing the ticket. However, you are not convicted of that charge until you plead guilty.
Paying the fine means you have accepted and pleaded guilty to the charge, and at this point the charge becomes a conviction and appears on your abstract. If you choose to dispute the charge in court and it is dropped then you are not convicted of the charge.
A driver’s abstract shows convictions, not charges. Since a charge is a peace officer alleging that a driver has broken the law and the driver has the right to a fair trial, their abstract can’t show the incident until guilt has been proven. So if, when reviewing a driver’s abstract, you see convictions for a traffic violation, that means that the fine has been paid and the charge accepted.
While on its surface this implies that the driver has accepted guilt, we should not be so quick to judge. Many people do not understand the court system and their rights, and paying a ticket often seems simpler and easier than going through the process of disputing it – even if they believe they aren’t guilty.
There is always more to a story than what is written in the few lines dedicated to describing the event, so if you’re reviewing the abstract of a potential new hire and you see a traffic conviction, I believe it is best to dig a bit deeper and review the incident with the driver to get a fuller picture.
I am not saying that you should brush off convictions nor violate your policy or insurance company’s requirements for maximum numbers of demerits or convictions of a certain type. What I am saying is that a driver’s abstract is a starting point for a conversation with the individual about their safety and professionalism, and such a conversation is a good way to learn about the people you are considering hiring.
CVSA Performance
Besides convictions, a commercial driver’s abstract may also contain additional information about safety performance. In Alberta, for example, there is a section in a commercial abstract for roadside inspection information. This is provided by the CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance), an inter-jurisdictional organisation that sets standards for commercial vehicle enforcement officers in North America.
If a commercial driver has been subject to a roadside inspection by a commercial vehicle enforcement officer, this information can be reviewed on their commercial abstract. For each inspection event there will be information about what type of inspection was done (for example, it may say “Level 1 – Full” meaning a full inspection of the vehicle and driver documents was done).
After listing the type of inspection, results will be shown. If something like “No Violations” or “Passed” is recorded then the roadside inspection officer found nothing wrong. This is good: it means the driver has a demonstrated history of safety and compliance. So if you review an experienced driver’s abstract and there are multiple pages of clean inspections, this is a good indicator that this driver is a professional operator.
What if there are no CVSA inspections? Instead of brushing the driver off as inexperienced, you should look at their previous places of operation. For example, a truck driver who operates in the oil patch may go years without passing over a government scale or being selected for a CVSA roadside inspection, so a lack of inspection information does not equal an unsafe or inexperienced driver. Long-distance highway drivers typically have more interaction with CVSA officers as scales are most often located along highways, and so the abstracts of these drivers will usually show more inspection information than local or off-road drivers.
What about inspections that show violations? Like the conviction section above, dig deeper and look for patterns. Did all the failed inspections occur while the driver was employed with a certain carrier? Perhaps the driver was new and unaware of many regulations and a previous carrier did a poor job of getting appropriate permits or maintaining equipment. The driver is responsible for safe and legal compliance, but drivers at companies which provide adequate training and support have an advantage over drivers at companies with a poor attitude to safety.
Hiring a new driver means judging another human being; a decision should only be made after a thorough review of available information while adhering to internal safety policies, industry best practices, and – of course – legal requirements.
PSP Report Information
In the USA, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has an optional program called the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP). The PSP provides 5 years of crash and 3 years of CVSA inspection information for all commercial drivers with a history of driving in the USA, and a carrier can request a PSP report for $10 USD for a prospective hire after obtaining written consent from the driver (see the FMCSA’s PSP website for more information about the program and record-keeping requirements).
A PSP report offers more insight into a driver’s history. Data transfer between Canada and the USA isn’t perfect, so a conviction or inspection in one country will not necessarily be detected in another. If you’re hiring a driver with a history of US commercial driving, pulling their PSP report can reveal additional information about their safety and professionalism. Even if you are hiring them for a Canadian-only position, it is always good to have more information about a possible future driver. Additionally, if they claim to never have driven commercially in the US, a PSP report can support that claim or, if it shows US driving information, show dishonesty.
Like I have mentioned in the sections on convictions and CVSA performance, use information in the PSP report to paint a better picture of your prospective hire. During your assessment, keep judgements in check before hearing what the driver has to say. Their explanation of events can speak to their levels of humility, acceptance of fault, and professionalism.
In conclusion, I hope that this article has been either illuminating or a good refresher for those hiring drivers, as well as being useful to drivers to see what sorts of information are considered by a carrier making a hiring decision. If I have given the impression that I am overly-dismissive of recorded safety violations or skeptical of government-provided commercial driver safety records, that was not at all my intention. These sources of information are extremely valuable and robust, and no violation is worth overlooking. But, it is a person being evaluated, and we owe our fellow citizens the respect and dignity of a full review and consideration and at a certain point in the hiring process, an opportunity to speak for themselves.
Dave Elniski
Dave Elniski is a Transportation Safety Professional you can reach him via email at dave.elniski@gmail.com or connect with him on LinkedIn
