New truck driver training program improves safety, aims to recruit more people: Alberta

In a bid to address a shortage of skilled commercial drivers, Alberta is changing the way it trains truckers.

Starting Tuesday, Albertans wanting to become a truck driver will follow a new training program.

Alberta is launching the Class 1 Learning Pathway, a new plan it says improves safety and consistency, and aims to recruit more drivers.

The program, which follows an apprenticeship-style training, takes 133 hours to complete, up from 113.

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It includes air brake training, more hands-on skills and safety education.

The government is investing $50 million over three years for the program.

“Alberta needs more truck drivers,” Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said in a release on Monday. “With this historic investment, we are ensuring Albertans get the training they need to become highly skilled commercial drivers, increasing safety on our roads and helping them build long-lasting careers.”

“Alberta relies on its commercial truckers to deliver goods from one corner of the province to the other, representing a crucial component of our economy,” added Rick Wilson, MLA for Maskwacis-Wetaskiwin. ”This investment will ensure that Alberta continues to attract and retain reliable, safe and educated commercial truckers that have the right training and skills to continue driving our province forward.”

The province also announced that applications for the Employment Pathway Grant open on Tuesday.

The initiative will reimburse employers up to $10,000 for training costs for new Class 1 drivers and also offer onboarding incentives of up to $10,000 to hire new Class 1 drivers with less than two years of experience.

There are nearly 150,000 Class 1 drivers in Alberta, but only 31 per cent are employed as truck drivers, the province said in the release.