While several provinces have introduced legislation designed to influence training standards in the trucking industry, there is still a major concern about the inconsistency of those standard nationwide. For this reason, the author of a federal petition has joined forces with Humboldt Broncos families to foster important changes. 

As the closing date for the petition of May 14th draws near, there is a greater sense of urgency to have it signed according to the authors and sponsor.

Petition E-2005 seeks to see the enactment of several critical changes, not the least of which is to see that truck driver training follows a nation-wide standard for minimal entry-level training, Moreover, the petition, if enacted into legislation, would create a licensing process requiring all new drivers to be recognized as members of a skilled trade. 

The petition is being driven by Patti Fair, a member of the safety regulatory profession, who lost her husband in a motor vehicle collision involving a Class 1A holder who was new and inexperienced. Fair's late husband, Steve Babij, himself a 1A license holder, had expressed concerns with what he perceived to be a deteriorating set of standard in entry-level training for the industry. After his tragic loss, Patti Fair, from her home in Alberta, took it upon herself to act and commissioned a paper-based petition calling for improvements to licensing and recognition practises. Fair's efforts in travelling to truck stops and conferences led to about a thousand signatures initially. 

In the days and weeks following the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, the campaign for the petition was undertaken by several families of Broncos victims to the point where it gained enough traction and became an e-petition. The outreach exploded to the point where there are currently over 6,200 signatures on the petition making it the second most supported open petition in the country.

Two such supporters were Carol and Lyle Brons whose daughter, athletic therapist Dayna Brons, was lost in the crash. The petition was sponsored in the House of Commons by MP for Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek, Kelly Block. Carol and Lyle Brons first became aware of Fair and the petition through Dr. Ahmed Shalaby of the University of Manitoba. Dr. Shalaby is a civil engineer who has researched highway materials and design. Through social media, Carol connected with Patti Fair and became familiar with the petition. Carol says, "It very much fit with what we were hoping to start accomplishing in regard to changes to driver education. Along with a few other families like Chris Joseph and Scott Thomas, we signed the petition and had it sponsored by Kelly Block, the MP for Humboldt."

A crucial facet of the petition for Lyle Brons is the proposal to monitor the schools providing training. This goes hand in hand with the transition of the industry to a recognized trade. Brons notes other residual benefits to this move, "Making it a registered trade would mean that people wanting to get into truck driving could apply for student loans and qualify for bursaries and scholarships." This move would help to offset increased costs to a prospective driver when it comes to tuition and training expenses. Ultimately, the move would create an additional level of accountability with training agencies to ensure that nationwide industry standards will be upheld. 

To Patti Fair, one of the most interesting and telling components of the petition is that it is actually supported by the trucking industry. Fair notes, "It's not very often you have industry asking the federal government to creat some national standards and training requirements for the industry, and it sends a really clear message that we have a really large problem here in Canada, and our Class 1 licensing system here in Canada is not effective."

While there is an appreciation that Saskatchewan and other provinces have stepped up legislation, the continued inconsistencies across the country remain the fundamental flaw. A graduated system of licensing that takes into account varying challenges with loads, terrains, and geographic considerations is something Fair would like to see. 

The co-operation with the Humboldt Broncos has led to a button on the Broncos website to access the petition. For more information on the petition or to sign, connect at https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-2005. The e-petition closes on May 14, the same day that Canada Road Safety Week begins.