Alberta has a shortage of Class 1 drivers and it'll help pay for your licence

Are you looking for a new career? Have you ever thought about driving a big truck? The Alberta government is helping people obtain their Class 1 commercial driver’s licence in response to a labour shortage, and it’ll pay for most of your training.

Alberta’s Driving Back to Work program (DBTW) supports unemployed and underemployed Albertans in obtaining a Class 1 driver’s licence by providing funding to cover more than 90% of the costs associated with Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) required for a Class 1 licence and testing.

This training can cost thousands of dollars, so having most of it paid for is a pretty wicked deal. The DBTW program is an eight-week, full-time program that will provide Albertans with the skills and knowledge needed to obtain a Class 1 driver’s licence and enter into the commercial truck driving industry.

“This will assist the Province and residents of Alberta by making sure there are sufficient Class 1 drivers available to maintain Alberta supply chains and support the economy,” the Alberta government writes.

Applicants must submit an application form, provide supporting documentation, and participate in an interview to be considered for the grant program. Registration has come and gone for the Spring 2024 session, but application intake will reopen on April 1, 2024.

To be eligible, applicants must meet the following requirements:

Meet all requirements to get a Class 1 driver’s licence, excluding training and testing requirements the grant will support, namely:
- Hold an Alberta non-probationary driver’s licence. This means that you must be at least 18 years of age, have exited from the Graduated Driver Licensing Program, can apply for a commercial driver’s licence, have passed a vision screening, and be a resident of Alberta.
- Have a satisfactory Alberta driver’s medical examination report.
Be unemployed or under-employed (receiving Employment Insurance or working 29 hours or fewer per week on average) and able to financially support oneself for the duration of training.
Meet Canadian citizenship requirements (Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or convention refugee) and legally entitled to work and train in Canada. Refugees under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act must have:
- convention refugee status
- a notice of decision issued
- a valid work permit
- applied for and received a study permit
Have a clean three-year driver’s abstract without demerits, licence cancellations, or suspensions.
Be ready, willing, and able to participate in training (assessed in an interview).
Planning to seek full-time employment in the commercial transportation industry (assessed in an interview).
Have sufficient English language skills to succeed in driver training and testing, as commercial licensing is only available in English (assessed in an interview).

So don’t miss out if you’ve been looking to break into the trucking industry! You can find out how to apply here.

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