Lately we’ve had a lot of calls from truck drivers coming in from other provinces who have completed training and testing on automatic trucks and now they want to move to Manitoba and are wondering how to remove an automatic truck only restriction off their drivers’ licence.
When you are considering moving to Manitoba and you have a Class 1 licence you need to consider a couple of things about the province where you took your license and what type of a license you have.
Did you obtain a Class 1 license in a MELT jurisdiction?
Currently MELT jurisdictions include Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
If you did obtain your truck driving licence from a MELT jurisdiction then you do not have to be concerned about transferring your license to Manitoba, you will be provided the same class of licence when you meet residency requirements.
If you did not obtain your truck driving licence from a MELT jurisdiction then the following rules apply for transferring licences:
- Drivers with a minimum of 24 months of Class 1 experience can receive a Manitoba Class 1 licence and do not require MELT.
- Drivers with 12 to 24 months (less one day) of Class 1 experience do not require MELT if they successfully complete the Class 1 road test within 12 months and two attempts.
- Drivers with less than 12 months of Class 1 experience must take MELT and successfully complete the Manitoba Class 1 knowledge and road test.
Do you have a licence that is restricted to automatic transmissions?
So, if you got a licence in a province which puts a restriction on the type of truck that you can drive, and you would like to have that restriction removed in Manitoba then you will need to keep in mind a few things about testing in Manitoba.
Currently Manitoba has moved to phased process for completing a truck driving (class 1) road test. Tests are currently completed in two phases for all tests being conducted in Winnipeg. Currently rural test centres are still conducting only one complete test. Here are the rules you should know:
- If you live in Winnipeg, you must test in Winnipeg! Even if you were able to book a test in a rural location it will get cancelled prior to your test if you live in Winnipeg. There have been a lot of rule changes and not all Autopac agents are aware of all the new rules so we’re still finding here and there where people are able to book outside of Winnipeg even though they’re not allowed to.
- If you test in Winnipeg, you only need to complete phase 2. A phase 2 test is just driving and backing. (Phase 1, includes pretrip, airbrake, and coupling).
- If you test outside of Winnipeg in a rural location, you will need to complete a full class 1 road test which requires pretrip, airbrake, coupling, backing and driving.
What happens if I fail my test?
The good news is that you will NOT lose your licence if you fail your test. However, there is a new restriction coming to Manitoba regarding the number of test attempts you can take without retraining.
- Starting November 1, 2024, customers who have failed three or more Class 1 to 5 road tests will be required to provide proof of five hours of professional driving training from a permitted school before they can take another test. Existing customers with three or more failed tests between January 2021 to November 1, 2024 will be required to complete this mandatory training before purchasing and scheduling another road test. This policy will also apply to all new customers going forward.
How much training do I need to drive a manual transmission?
Just like any type of training there is no certain number of hours that can guarantee you are ready for your test. Everybody learns at a different pace, some people may have some prior experience that they just need a little bit of refreshment, some people have no experience with manual transmission and require entry level training. I would say as a general idea, that if you are an experienced driver who knows how to drive, and you have been actively driving on an automatic transmission for the last year or two, that you’re looking from between 2 – 10 hours depending on your comfort level and prior experience on manual transmission. Some people are natural on the manual and pick it up very quickly, but I’ve also seen where people have just continued to struggle with shifting and were unable to grasp the concept required to drive a manual transmission and were unsuccessful at passing the road test.
What else should I consider?
Be prepared to take your test. Remember that testing in Manitoba could be quite different than the test you completed in another province.
If you are completing a full test in a rural test center, it is highly recommended that you take additional refreshment training on pre-trip, airbrake, and coupling along with your manual transmission training.
And lastly, please drive safely!
Vanessa Morduhovich.