How to improve the road test of the M.E.L.T. program in Ontario?

How to improve the road test of the M.E.L.T. program in Ontario?.

by Jack Hoffmann, (a former Drive Test driver examiner with 15 years of experience, a former professional truck driver with 15 years of experience, a former in-truck instructor trainer)..

Why changes are needed to the existing road test procedures?.

Almost each Drive Test location and even almost each driver examiner assesses applicants performers differently. This is a cause for concern and definitively causes lots of frustrations among applicants, instructors of driving schools and even driver examiners as well..

How to do it?. Well, this is not an easy task to do it without a major disruption to the way the road test is conducted. But let me try to introduce some ideas that may both eliminate or at least reduce most of the concerns we all already have and at the same time greatly improve a quality of the road test, preserving the structure of it and eliminating all the confusion..

I have to admit that all interested parties like Drive Test, the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario, driving schools and the Ministry of Transportation have been doing a lot to clarify some concerns presented during many meetings, but still not all examiners are on the same page. The integrity of the test is at least partially compromised..

All driver examiners are properly trained by knowledgeable and well prepared, well educated trainers with a great teaching experience..

But examiners are not robots, they are human beings and they are prone to give subjective opinions. So they never will be on the same page 100%..

But we can bring them close to the ideal 100% by simplifying the test..

Subjectivity of the driver examiners, in my opinion, is the major concern of the ongoing inconsistency in regards to assessing applicants skills and knowledge during the road tests..

What is acceptable in one Drive Test location is not allowed at the other location..

One day I was doing my presentation for a very reputable Truck Driving School and when I started to talk about ways of using the schedule 1 during the daily inspection, I was told that their students did not use the schedule at all and all applicants were just reading (after they were asked to demonstrate how to inspect an item) a copy of chapter 6, daily inspection test taken from the official MTO Truck handbook!!!.

The Drive Test location where all applicants of the Driving School were going, did not require using the schedule 1 during the daily inspection! By the way, I did only 1 presentation for the school...and I hope that the school corrected its training in regards to this issue..

How to make the road test simpler and more efficient?.

There is not a need to change or improve the uncoupling/coupling portion of the test..

There is not a need to change or improve the driving portion of the test..

There is a need to change and improve the backing up portion of the test by only eliminating marks associated with number of pull ups. The 10 minute criteria to finish the maneuver still applies..

I was a truck driver for 15 years and I backed up tractor trailers thousands of times in both easy and difficult places, sometimes I did the maneuver in one shot, sometimes it took me lots of quick short pull ups to slightly correct positions of my trailer. It depended on traffic, length of the tractor trailer unit, weather, visibility, road conditions...... You name it. But it never took me 10 minutes to do it. So, do not penalize applicants for numbers of pull ups taken!!!.

There is a need to change and improve the daily inspection portion of the road test that is definitively the most controversial part of it, by:.

1. eliminating “in cab check” because all the items to be checked are are also included in the interior inspection as well !!!.

2. asking (only once!!!) applicants before starting the daily inspection what they must do after finding minor or major defects ( in order to eliminate this time consuming explanation after each demonstration they do)..

3. implementing these saving time corrections allows to introduce one crucial procedure each applicant should do in order to start the daily inspection which is:.

pointing and naming each item to be inspected during exterior and interior inspections to insure applicants are aware of the schedule 1 requirements..

Minimum (present) version of “Point and name” Exterior inspection.

Minimum (present) version of “Point and name” Exterior inspection.

Minimum (present) version of “Point and name” Exterior inspection.

Minimum (present) version of “Point and name” Exterior inspection.

Minimum (present) version of “Point and name” Exterior inspection.

Extended (optional) version of “Point and name” Exterior inspection.

Extended (optional) version of “Point and name” Exterior inspection.

Extended (optional) version of “Point and name” Exterior inspection.

Extended (optional) version of “Point and name” Exterior inspection.

Extended (optional) version of “Point and name” Exterior inspection.

Extended (optional) version of “Point and name” Exterior inspection.

Minimum/extended version of “Point and name” Interior inspection.

The “point and name” part of the daily inspection, during the training and during the actual road test develops a very good habit to follow the schedule 1 requirements in any future working environment....

Reasons of doing the “point and name” inspection.

The entirely new way of conducting the daily inspection of a tractor trailer.

All applicants should demonstrate the ability to point, name and say what they are looking for to find defects in all items or tests accordingly to the schedule 1. The schedule should not be used during that time..

E X TE R I O R I N S P E C T I O N.

P O I N T, N A M E A N D L O O K F O R.

Lamps: I am looking for required lamp that does not function as intended. That applies to all required lamps ( and does not have to be repeated!)..

Tire: I am looking for: damaged tread or sideways of tire, tire leaking if leak cannot be heard, flat tire, tire leaking if leak can be felt or heard, tire tread depth is less than required limit, tire is in contact with any vehicle components other than mud-flap,tire is marked “not for highway use”,tire has exposed cords in the tread or outer sidewall area. That applies to all tires ( and does not have to be repeated!)..

Wheel, fasteners, wheel hub: I am looking for: loose or missing fasteners, damaged, cracked or broken wheel rim or attaching part, evidence of imminent wheel, hub or bearing failure, hub oil below minimum level (when fitted with sight glass), leaking wheel seal. That applies to all wheels, wheel fasteners and wheel hubs ( and does not have to be repeated!)..

Frame: I am looking for: damaged frame, visibly shifted, cracked, collapsing or sagging frame member. That applies to all frames (and does not have to be repeated!).

Spring leafs: I am looking for: any cracked or broken spring leaf , part of spring leaf is missing, shifted out of place or in contact with another vehicle components, suspension fastener is loose, missing or broken, loose U-bolt. That applies to all spring leafs ( and does not have to repeated!)..

Brake adjustment: I am looking for : push-rod stroke of any brake exceeds the adjustment limit. That applies to all brakes (and does not have to be repeated!)..

Mirrors: I am looking for: required mirror is missing,cracked or has broken or damaged attachments onto vehicle body, That applies to all mirrors and attachments (and does not have to be repeated!)..

Door, sleeper door: I am looking for: occupant compartment door fails to open and any cab or sleeper door fails to close securely. That applies to all doors (and does not have to be repeated!)..

Exhaust: I am looking for: exhaust leak outside and inside the cab..