TORONTO — Ontario’s Auditor General says serious weaknesses in the province’s commercial truck driver training and testing system may be allowing underprepared drivers onto Ontario roads.A 2026 audit released on Tuesday into Ontario’s large commercial truck driver licensing system found some truck-driving schools issued mandatory Entry Level Training certificates even when students had not completed the required training hours or learned critical driving skills. The report also criticized inconsistencies at Ontario DriveTest centres and raised concerns about the province’s ability to evaluate whether its commercial licensing system is improving road safety.According to the audit, large commercial trucks account for only about 3% of vehicles on Ontario roads but were involved in 12% of fatal collisions between 2019 and 2023. The Auditor General concluded Ontario lacked effective systems to oversee truck-driver training, testing and licensing outcomes.The audit examined training providers offering Entry Level Training programs required before drivers can obtain Class A commercial truck licences.Auditors found some private career colleges failed to provide the mandatory minimum of 103.5 training hours required by the province.Based on students’ experiences at six training providers between June and December 2025, auditors found two schools delivered only 59.5 and 81 hours of required instruction. The report said some students were not taught essential truck-driving skills, including left turns at major intersections, reverse parking and emergency stopping procedures.The audit also found the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities did not adequately monitor the performance of truck-driving schools.Auditors said ministries were not tracking whether individual schools had higher collision rates, poorer road-test performance or greater numbers of traffic infractions among graduates. The report also found unregistered private career colleges improperly obtained training certificates for students through arrangements with registered schools. In some cases, schools that had already been penalized or suspended were still able to book road tests for students.The report also identified major inconsistencies at Ontario DriveTest centres operated by Serco..Auditors found highway-driving portions of commercial road tests were conducted at significantly different speeds depending on the testing location. Some centres tested drivers on highways with speeds of only 50 to 70 km/h instead of 100 km/h highways commonly encountered by commercial drivers. The audit also found some centres did not properly test reversing manoeuvres, despite backing collisions being a common risk involving large commercial trucks.The Auditor General warned inconsistent testing standards could result in drivers receiving licences without demonstrating the same level of skill and competency across the province.The report also raised concerns about fraud prevention measures at DriveTest centres.Although Serco introduced enhanced fraud-awareness training and internal fraud controls, auditors found the Ministry of Transportation had not independently tested whether those controls were effective. As of July 2025, the ministry had not implemented additional anti-fraud measures such as cameras or audio recorders in test vehicles, monitoring unusual scoring patterns or conducting spot checks of examiners.The audit warned fraudulent testing activities could undermine the integrity of Ontario’s commercial licensing system and increase road-safety risks by allowing undertrained drivers to obtain licences.Auditors also found Ontario allows some drivers with poor driving histories, demerit points and prior suspensions to obtain commercial truck licences, unlike provinces such as British Columbia and Quebec.The report further noted that drivers who waited longer after receiving a passenger vehicle licence before upgrading to a commercial truck licence generally had lower first-year collision rates.The Auditor General issued 13 recommendations aimed at strengthening oversight of truck-driving schools, standardizing testing practices, improving fraud controls and better evaluating road-safety outcomes tied to Ontario’s commercial licensing system.The Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities agreed with all 13 recommendations.
