Farmer caught in battle with ICBC over 140-hour training requirement for commercial licence

A farmer in northern B.C.'s Robson Valley says he's been denied a second chance to take a test for a commercial licence because of pandemic-related delays and communication breakdowns with the provincial insurance corporation.

Ron Westlund, a third-generation farmer who lives in McBride, 200 kilometres southeast of Prince George, says he's been driving heavy equipment around his land for decades without formal training.

But in March 2021, the provincial government announced a new program that requires commercial drivers — including those who drive farming equipment — to get a Class 1 driver's licence in response to the devastating bus crash in Saskatchewan that killed several members of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team in 2018.

Part of the process of getting that licence is going through the Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) program, a 140-hour course spread over several weeks. Exceptions to the program were granted to those who passed a Class 1 road test before Oct. 18, 2021.

Westlund, 51, says he had difficulty meeting the Oct. 18 deadline for several reasons, including work that needed to be done on the farm, a lack of testing opportunities close to his home, and a backlog of people wanting to take the test. 

He managed to get his Class 1 learner's licence in September 2021, and was then given two days' notice for a test he could take in Cranbrook — more than 700 kilometres away.

Westlund says the stress of that journey prevented him from focusing on the exam, which he wound up failing.

"I had to organize to hire a truck, have a driver drive with me. There was a road closure issue. It took me like 13 hours to get down," he said.

Westlund says he's confident he would have passed if he had been able to take the test nearby, somewhere like Prince George or Clearwater.

Westlund insists he was told verbally he would be able to retake the test if he failed, and managed to book what he thought would be a second chance to take the test closer to home in Clearwater on Nov. 17.

But the Insurance Corporation of B.C. (ICBC) said it has no record of that conversation and cancelled the test, citing the October deadline.

Westlund says he understands the need for training, but with the number of responsibilities of running a farm, he doesn't have the time to spare.

"Animals don't feed themselves, seeds don't get put in the ground," he said. "I cannot go to this MELT program and sit in school for six weeks, do all this testing and run a business."

Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond, who represents Westlund, has requested his case be reconsidered by Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth, whose portfolio includes ICBC.