B.C. truckers face delays as RoadSafetyBC struggles with medical form backlog

Mark Swan, a veteran commercial truck driver with over 30 years of experience, expected routine processing when he submitted his mandatory medical exam last summer—until he checked his driver’s abstract.

“[I found that] the government hadn’t processed by B.C. medical examination for a commercial driver’s license, from about a year ago. July, actually, last year,” Swan told CityNews.

He would not have known without checking, since no notice was sent, Swan explains. And he is not alone. The Ministry of Public Safety reports RoadSafetyBC is still processing medical forms from May 2024, with a backlog of 196,000 documents.

“It means you’re not supposed to be able to operate a vehicle, you can’t engage with any activities with ICBC, in regard to insurance, so renewing, transferring, anything along those lines.”

While the Ministry claims drivers with licenses on hold can still operate legally, Swan warns a police stop could complicate things.

“They could impound your vehicle, they could take your license from you, and you would have no way to explain why your driver’s license was on hold because you never received notification of that fact.”

With the trucking industry facing a driver shortage, Swan says this backlog could hurt drivers seeking jobs if their licenses are flagged.

“If they see that there’s a hold on it, if there’s anybody else in that pack of applications, the person whose driver’s license is on hold isn’t on hold, that position of employment would go to them,” he explained.

RoadSafetyBC says they’ve implemented a new case management system, more staff overtime, and reassignments, but Swan remains skeptical, pointing out persistent delays.

“This isn’t my first go around with this very same issue. I went through it two years ago on my last medical review, nothing has changed in three years that I know of, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better any time soon.”