The BC government will require mandatory entry-level training (MELT) for new Class 1 commercial driver’s licence applicants. It will exceed the minimum requirements set by the National Safety Code Standard for entry-level training of Class 1 drivers.
The program will be delivered by licensed driver training schools in B.C. beginning in early summer 2021. MELT will become a prerequisite for Class 1 road testing applicants starting Oct. 18, 2021.
The government says its program will include best practices from other Canadian jurisdictions and emphasize safe operating practices for mountainous geography and diverse driving conditions. They say this will ensure commercial drivers are prepared for B.C.’s highway network and the changing weather patterns encountered in the mountains.
The program will stipulate a minimum required number of practical behind-the-wheel driving hours, in-yard hours and theoretical instructional hours. The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, the regulatory body for driver training schools and instructors in the province, is consulting with the commercial driving industry, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to finalize the curriculum.
The Class 1 MELT program is being designed to align with the new Standard 16-Class 1 Entry-Level Training framework introduced as part of the National Safety Code in February 2020, and with mandatory Class 1 entry-level training standards in other Canadian jurisdictions.
Legislation to support the introduction of B.C.’s Class 1 MELT program was passed in August 2020 by the Province in Bill 2, the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act, 2020.
To learn more about the MELT program, visit the ICBC website.