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COVER STORY
Alberta MELT
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the first being driver licensing, specifically that the program be a competency-based curriculum and that Class 1 and 2 drivers have sep- arate entrance requirements.
How education will be deliv- ered through MELT was another area the AMTA offered its opinion on. The association requested that Alberta’s MELT program be rec- ognized nationwide and meet or exceed National Occupational Standard. The AMTA also wanted to see MELT instructors receive mandatory training, as well as
all future and existing provin- cially licensed driver instructors be training and certified to deliver the standard curriculum, and that
Transportation Minister Brian Mason announces Alberta’s MELT program, alongside AMTA president Chris Nash.
auditing of instructors be focused on credentials, compliance and delivery method.
When it comes to carrier safety fitness certification, the AMTA requested a mandatory safety and compliance course, and knowledge test for new safety fitness certifi- cate applications for commercial carriers, as well as the introduction of a renewal process.
Along with a MELT program, the trucking industry will also see more stringent safety requirements for new commercial truck and bus com- panies. Both requirements will take effect March 1, 2019, with temporary Safety Fitness Certificates no longer being issued as of Jan. 1, 2019.
The government said mandatory training will result in safer, more skilled drivers in the industry.
“We are advancing safety stan- dards in our commercial driving industries to enhance road safety, not just in Alberta, but across the continent, as commercial drivers travel across Canada and North America,” said Mason. “We’ve worked with our industry stake- holders to make these changes with their support and we are pleased to be moving forward to put them in place.”
Alberta’s MELT program will require 125 hours of training, including air brake endorsement. How that training will be broken down into classroom and on-road experience is yet to be determined.
With more than 25,000 carriers in Alberta operating over 150,000 vehicles, Nash said the province’s MELT program will beneficial to all carriers, despite their size, pro- viding an extra step in develop- ment for larger fleets with their own training programs, and an opportunity to ensure drivers have a government regulated level of knowledge for smaller companies.
He also believes MELT will help attract more to the industry by raising awareness of the require- ments to operate a commercial vehicle as a career. TW
6 TruckWest•November2018