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By Alice McFarlane

Mandatory Semi Driver Training

Mandatory training for agriculture semi drivers

May 29, 2019 | 4:10 PM

The provincial government is phasing in mandatory training for farmers who drive semi trailers for agriculture operations.

Starting March 1, 2020 farmers with an “F” endorsement on their existing license will be required to take 40 hours of commercial driver training. The “F” endorsement will restrict operation within 100 kilometers of the address on the registration and within Saskatchewan.

On March 1, 2021, the “F” endorsement will be eliminated and anyone wanting to operate a semi will be required to have a Class 1 drivers licence which will include taking the full 121 hours of mandatory training.

The President of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan Todd Lewis said safety is important on the highways and farmers are no different then anyone else.

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“We’re happy to see the phase in period. It will give guys a chance to get some of the training lined up and get trained so it won’t catch people off guard,” Lewis said. “Statistics show farm operated vehicles are among the safest on the road. Fifty per cent of the plates are on farm vehicles and less then 10 per cent of the accidents involve those vehicles.”

Western Wheat Growers Chair Jim Wickett said he isn’t against mandatory training for farmers as more and more of these heavy trucks are used in farming operations.

“In some of the operations some guys don’t drive them very much so having some training and some understanding of their operation and maintenance is certainly not a bad thing,” Wickett said.

Wickett said there will some farmers who aren’t going to happy about going through the training but it’s the reality of the world we live in.

“It doesn’t matter what job you’re in you’re going to have to learn more than you used to,” Wicket said. “The days of getting tossed the keys and somebody saying ‘Figure it out, you’ll get it eventually’ those days are done.”

By 2021 mandatory training programs across the Prairies will be completely aligned.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF