Province by province
| Province | Programme | Minimum hours | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Mandatory entry-level training, Class A | 103.5 | 2017 | Approved providers are registered career colleges and Driver Certification Program organisations. Valid for life. Not required for a restricted Class A (AR). |
| Alberta | Class 1 Learning Pathway (replaced Class 1 MELT on 1 April 2025) | 40 (Entry) + 67 (Core Learning) + 8 air brake if no Q; then 10 to 18 hours Competence Building to lift the provincial restriction | 2019 (MELT), 2025 (Pathway) | Road test after Core Learning gives a provincially restricted Class 1 valid only in Alberta; Tier 3 removes the restriction. Training fee cap applies. |
| Saskatchewan | Class 1 MELT | 121.5: 47 classroom or online, 17.5 yard, 57 behind the wheel | 2019 | 11 modules, each must be passed. May be waived with 5 years of Class 1 experience in the past 10 from a reciprocal country. |
| Manitoba | Class 1 MELT | 121.5 | 1 September 2019 | The 244-hour Professional Truck Driver Training course also satisfies it. Registered driving schools only. |
| British Columbia | Class 1 MELT through ICBC | Introduced after the other western provinces; ICBC publishes the current hours and approved schools. Check ICBC before enrolling. | ||
Ontario
"Mandatory entry-level training will include at least 103.5 hours of instruction." It is required before the road test for a first full Class A, for an AR holder upgrading, for a driver whose full A has been invalid for three years or more, for holders of foreign commercial licences, and for holders of another province’s Class 1 for under 12 months (12 to 24 months: MELT or the knowledge and road tests). Training is by a registered career college or a Driver Certification Program organisation, prices are set by the school, and the completion is recorded on the driving record for life. Funding routes are named on the province’s page: Better Jobs Ontario, WSIB, Ontario Works, band funding and the Ontario Job Grant. The full Ontario route is on the AZ licence page.
Alberta: the Class 1 Learning Pathway
Alberta’s page: "As of April 1, 2025, the Class 1 Learning Pathway replaced the Class 1 Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) program", described as "a flexible, apprentice-style approach". The tiers:
- Tier 1, Entry Program: 40 hours, online or at a school, introducing the career and foundational knowledge; the Class 1 knowledge test follows.
- Tier 2, Core Learning Program: "As of September 1, 2026, the Core Learning program includes 67 hours of training focused on building a driver’s level of competence in-yard and in-cab" (60 hours before that date; students who signed a contract on or before 31 August 2026 may finish under the old schedule by 31 March 2027). "An additional 8-hour air brake training course is required if a learner does not already have a Q endorsement." At the end the driver takes the road test for "a provincially restricted Class 1 driver’s licence", valid for driving only in Alberta.
- Tier 3, Competence Building Program: from 1 September 2026, "10 to 18 hours of one-on-one driving instruction customized to meet the specific needs of the driver", set by an on-road assessment (17 to 25 hours before that date). Completing it removes the restriction and allows interprovincial driving.
- Tier 4 is advanced, optional training.
The total hours and fees did not change on 1 September 2026; seven hours moved from Tier 3 into Tier 2. Alberta caps training fees; the cap schedule is on the same page. Licensed Alberta schools are in the truck driving school directory, with the classes each is licensed to teach.
Saskatchewan
SGI: "All drivers seeking a Class 1 commercial licence in Saskatchewan to drive semi trucks are required to complete a minimum of 121.5 hours of training prior to taking the road test. The training program consists of instruction in the classroom or online (47 hours), in the yard (17.5 hours) and behind the wheel (57 hours). There are 11 modules included and the student must pass each one." The other Class 1 requirements: minimum age 18 and not a novice driver, medically fit, a vision test at the knowledge exam, knowledge tests for Class 1, 2, 3, 4, basic and signs, a demonstrated trip inspection and a road test in a Class 1 vehicle. SGI "may waive" MELT for a driver from a reciprocal country with acceptable proof of five years of Class 1 experience in the past ten; US and Canadian licences are handled by the usual exchange rules.
Manitoba
MPI: "As of September 1, 2019, you must complete an approved Class 1 Mandatory Entry-Level Training (MELT) course before you can book your road test", and "The MELT course consists of 121.5 hours of standardized training". Drivers licensed before that date do not retest or train. The pre-existing "244-hour Professional Truck Driver Training course offered by private vocational institutes in Manitoba fulfils the MELT requirement"; no other course does. Only registered driving schools meeting the standards may deliver it, and MPI lists them.
What MELT is not
It is a licensing minimum, not a job qualification. Carriers routinely require experience beyond it, and the restricted-licence period in Alberta exists because a new licence holder is not yet an interprovincial driver. It is also separate from the air brake endorsement (Z in Ontario, Q in Alberta and Saskatchewan), which has its own course or test: see the air brake endorsement page. And once licensed, the rules that govern the working day are federal: hours of service and ELDs.
Common mistakes
- Assuming hours transfer. Each province recognises its own programme; a licence from another province is recognised, but part-finished training generally is not.
- Booking the road test before the school has recorded completion.
- In Alberta, treating the restricted Class 1 as a full licence for an out-of-province job.
- Paying for a course that is not on the province’s approved list. In Manitoba only registered MELT providers and the 244-hour course count.