Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation has suspended the commercial driver’s licenses of hundreds of truck drivers who officials believe obtained their credentials through fraudulent testing and training processes, according to suspension letters sent this week.
The ministry mailed notices to drivers stating their Class A licenses were suspended for 90 days effective immediately, with orders to “STOP DRIVING” and return their licenses to the government.
“We have zero tolerance for bad actors on our roads and have suspended the Ontario Class A commercial driver’s licences of individuals who we believe to have obtained them dishonestly during the Class A testing and/or training process,” said Dakota Brasier, the ministry’s director of media relations.
The exact number of affected drivers remains unclear. Ministry officials told local media that 185 drivers received suspension letters, though unconfirmed reports on social media claim the number could be as high as 1,200.
The suspensions appear connected to an ongoing investigation into driving schools that allegedly provided improper training or testing. One affected driver told Truck News he paid $5,000 cash for training at a school that claimed authority to conduct official road tests, receiving no receipt for the transaction.
The notices inform drivers they have the right to appeal the decision to the License Appeal Tribunal under the Highway Traffic Act.
Stephen Laskowski, president of the Ontario Trucking Association, supported the ministry’s action, saying affected drivers “would never be allowed to drive a truck a few feet in an OTA member’s yard, let alone move loads on public highways.”
The organization called for mandatory audits of all driving schools and trucking companies in the province, citing concerns about “licensing scams to access low-cost labor at the expense and risk to public safety.”
Suspended drivers can seek reinstatement after the 90-day period by completing proper testing and training requirements through authorized facilities.
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