54 women and members of underrepresented groups will receive free truck instruction
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
The Ontario government is looking to address labour shortages in the trucking sector by offering free training.
Premier Ford and Labour Minister Monte McNaughton, along with the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada, announced the provincial government is investing $1.3 million to provide 54 women, newcomers and members of underrepresented groups with training.
The Bridging the Gap in Trucking program will include up to 200 hours of training needed to receive AZ or DZ licenses.
The training will include hands-on driving, inspections and other skills.
Ontario’s trucking industry is short about 6,100 drivers, and only 2 per cent of truck drivers are women, the provincial government says.
In 2022, the Canadian Trucking Alliance estimated the whole industry had over 23,000 truck driving vacancies and expects that number to increase to 55,000 by 2024.
In addition to the training, the Ontario government will reimburse up to $4,500 for childcare and other living expenses.
These steps are essential to ensure Ontario’s economy is reliable and people have access to good jobs, said Shelley Walker, CEO of the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada.
“With a significant and growing skilled driver shortage facing Ontario's trucking industry, this initiative is timely in both removing barriers to employment and supporting Ontario's economy,” she said in a statement.
The program will be offered in cohorts.
The first cohort of training begins on July 1 in Ktichener-Waterloo, the GTA, Ottawa and London.
Anyone interested in applying for the program can do so via email.
Farms.com has contacted members of Ontario’s ag transportation sector to discuss the labour shortage and how it affects their business.
If you or someone you know is a truck driver looking for work, check out AgCareers.com to find truck driving jobs in the ag sector.