Ontario says it will urgently inspect all private truck driving schools after a critical report from Auditor General Shelley Spence found major gaps in oversight, training and road safety standards.
The audit revealed that 25 per cent of Ontario’s 205 private truck training colleges had never been inspected by the provincial government, raising serious concerns about whether all commercial drivers are receiving proper instruction before entering the road.
Auditor General Spence warned that the lack of consistent oversight creates a safety risk for all drivers in Ontario.
The report found some students had not completed mandatory training, while others were not tested on essential driving skills such as reversing or making left-hand turns.
Large commercial trucks represent only about three per cent of vehicles on Ontario roads, but they were involved in 12 per cent of fatal collisions between 2019 and 2023, according to the audit.
The report also noted that government data shows truck drivers were found at fault in 46 per cent of collisions they were involved in during the decade leading up to 2025.
Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn said the province has already inspected 14 additional training agencies since the audit began and expects all remaining schools to be reviewed within six weeks.
“Our expectations are in the next six weeks, all of the schools will be inspected,” Quinn told reporters at Queen’s Park.
He said private truck training colleges will now be inspected annually and held to the “highest standard” of education.
“I want to ensure that the bad actors will be pulled out of the system,” Quinn said.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said some schools offering truck driving programs have already been shut down and that provincial police have laid charges in some cases, though he did not provide details.
“We have a proactive approach we are putting forward,” Sarkaria said, adding that some matters were referred to the Ontario Provincial Police earlier this year.
Opposition leaders criticized the government’s response, saying concerns about truck training schools have been raised for years.
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the province should have acted sooner.
“We have been raising this issue for years,” Stiles said. “I think it’s a bit rich to hear the government say now we’re going to audit this.”
Ontario Liberal interim leader John Fraser also called the move “a little too late,” arguing that stronger oversight should have been in place before the auditor exposed the gaps.
The audit has renewed pressure on the Ford government to strengthen commercial driver training, improve safety standards and ensure private career colleges are properly monitored before graduates are licensed to operate large trucks on Ontario roads.