‘Road safety is paramount’
Quebec's Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Benoit Charette, has announced two new measures aimed at strengthening road safety oversight for heavy vehicle operators.
Effective July 9, 2026, the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) will require Ontario residents relocating to Quebec who wish to exchange their Class 1 heavy vehicle licence to first pass practical driving tests, according to the announcement. The requirement applies to drivers with less than 24 months of Class 1 experience.
Drivers who fail the practical test twice will be required to complete mandatory training before the exchange can proceed, the release said. The SAAQ has described the measure as temporary, though no end date was specified.
The measure follows an audit report published May 12, 2026, by the Auditor General of Ontario examining the province's commercial licensing system. According to the announcement, the report identified a need to strengthen oversight of training and licensing programs to ensure drivers are adequately qualified.
Working group on temporary foreign workers
Quebec has established a working group tasked with developing a coordinated approach to strengthening road safety requirements for temporary foreign workers who drive as part of their employment, according to the announcement.
The group's mandate includes increasing the number of workers who adopt safe driving practices and proposing regulatory changes to address related safety issues, the release said. Membership includes representatives from government ministries and agencies, industry, and associations that hire or support temporary foreign workers.
No timeline for recommendations or proposed regulatory changes was included in the announcement.
Statements
Charette said the measures reflect the government's commitment to road safety. "Road safety is paramount, and that's why we're implementing these two new measures," Charette said, according to the announcement. "Our new government is taking action, and we want to ensure that those driving on our roads are qualified."
Charette linked the measures to earlier government action. "These measures complement the mandatory training for heavy vehicle drivers implemented by our government in Quebec last December," he said, according to the release.
Marc Cadieux, CEO of the Quebec Trucking Association, called the new measures a "step in the right direction," but said they will not fully resolve the underlying problem, CBC News reported. "The issue also involves all the others who hold licences from other provinces ... whose licences are often considered questionable in terms of driving experience," Cadieux told CBC.
Shelley Walker, CEO of the Women's Trucking Federation of Canada, said she had no objection to Quebec's approach but argued Ottawa and other provinces need to adopt similar standards, according to CBC News. "Make verification public, simple and mandatory. We don't need more studies. We need action now," Walker said.
Broader pattern of enforcement
The announcement lists other road safety actions taken over the past year. On Oct. 10, 2025, the Minister of Homeland Security requested a public inquiry into deaths involving heavy trucks, according to the release.
On Oct. 22, 2025, the government announced a decision to equip road traffic controllers with a service weapon, with redeployment beginning in February 2026, including a secure control area in Sainte-Luce managed with the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).
Road safety officers have also conducted enforcement operations with the SQ near the Ontario border, the announcement said. Since Dec. 15, 2025, mandatory training has been required for Class 1 licence applicants, and since June 15, 2026, zero tolerance for alcohol has applied to all learner heavy vehicle drivers, regardless of age.
