New training standards for commercial truck drivers are coming into effect in Manitoba.

The tragedy of the Humboldt Broncos crash with a transport truck that claimed the lives of 16 people originally sparked concern over Class 1 licence requirements. The driver involved was recently sentenced to eight years in prison for dangerous driving.

Starting September 1, a class one license will come with a mandatory entry-level requirement of 121.5 hours of training, making Manitoba's requirements in line with Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Currently, a person can obtain a Class 1 truck driving license by successfully completing a knowledge-based written test and a practical road test with no prior training required.

"Our government is focused on public safety on our roads and highways in this province, and mandatory training for new truck drivers will make Manitoba safer," Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler explains. "Commercial truck drivers play an important role in moving our economy forward, and we are focused on ensuring they have the necessary skills and qualifications to do their job in a way that ensures everyone is safe on the road."

He notes they're working with Manitoba Public Insurance to ensure public safety on provincial roads and highways.

However, the new training requirement will be deferred one year for the agriculture sector to avoid impacting the 2019 farming season.

James Russo recently retired from the trucking industry and spent many years testing new drivers. He welcomed the government's changes when they were first announced, noting in the past drivers could often find loopholes to make the certification process easier.

"If you lived in the country, you could be tested in a small town," he says. "To us, that was just a joke."

"Just because you can drive in a little country community doesn't mean you can drive in the city," he adds. "That was always a concern to some of us doing the tests. We did the best we could to test the person, but it wasn't a good test of their abilities to handle an intersection or traffic lights."

Another of his concerns surrounds out-of-country truck drivers who aren't necessarily ready for winter roads. "Some will take a driving test in spring, and by the end of the summer they've got a class one licence and they've never even seen snow."

Manitoba Infrastructure, Manitoba Public Insurance, and Manitoba Education and Training consulted with over 100 stakeholders including industry associations, agricultural sector agencies, Indigenous organizations, established sector councils, educational providers, municipal stakeholders and small-scale commercial carriers.